Primarily a British blues band, Fleetwood Mac scored a UK number one with "Albatross", and had other hits such as the singles "Oh Well" and "Man of the World". All three guitarists left in succession during the early 1970s, to be replaced by guitarists Bob Welch and Bob Weston and vocalist Dave Walker. By 1974, all three of them had either departed or been dismissed, leaving the band without a male lead vocalist or guitarist. In late 1974, while Fleetwood was scouting studios in Los Angeles, he was introduced to American folk-rock duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Mac soon asked Buckingham to be their new lead guitarist, and Buckingham agreed on condition that Nicks would also join the band.
The addition of Buckingham and Nicks gave the band a more pop rock sound, and their 1975 self-titled album, Fleetwood Mac, reached No. 1 in the United States. Rumours (1977), Fleetwood Mac's second album after the arrival of Buckingham and Nicks, produced four U.S. Top 10 singles and remained at number one on the American albums chart for 31 weeks. It also reached the top spot in various countries around the world and won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978. Rumours has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums in history. The band went through personal turmoil while recording the album, as both the romantic partnerships in the band (one being John and Christine McVie, and the other being Buckingham and Nicks) separated while continuing to make music together.
The band's personnel remained stable through three more studio albums, but by the late 1980s began to disintegrate. After Buckingham and Nicks each left the band, they were replaced by a number of other guitarists and vocalists. A 1993 one-off performance for the first inauguration of Bill Clinton featured the lineup of Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Nicks, and Buckingham back together for the first time in six years. A full reunion occurred four years later, and the group released their fourth U.S. No. 1 album, The Dance (1997), a live compilation of their hits, also marking the 20th anniversary of Rumours. Christine McVie left the band in 1998, but continued to work with the band in a session capacity. Meanwhile, the group remained together as a four-piece, releasing their most recent studio album, Say You Will, in 2003. Christine McVie rejoined the band full-time in 2014. In 2018, Buckingham was fired from the band and was replaced by Mike Campbell, formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Neil Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House.
Fleetwood Mac has sold more than 120 million records worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling bands. In 1979, the group was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1998 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
Danny Kirwan, guitarist, songwriter and early member of Fleetwood Mac (1968–1972) died in London, England, on 8 June 2018, aged 68. An obituary in The New York Times said he had died in his sleep after contracting pneumonia earlier in the year. The British music magazine Mojo quoted Christine McVie as saying: "Danny Kirwan was the white English blues guy. Nobody else could play like him. He was a one-off ... Danny and Peter [Green] gelled so well together. Danny had a very precise, piercing vibrato – a unique sound ... He was a perfectionist; a fantastic musician and a fantastic writer." One of Kirwan's songs, "Tell Me All the Things You Do" from the 1970 album Kiln House, was included in the set of the 2018–19 An Evening with Fleetwood Mac tour.
On 28 May 2020 Neil Finn, featuring Nicks and McVie, with Campbell on guitar, released the song “Find Your Way Back Home” for the Auckland, New Zealand homeless shelter Auckland City Mission.
Founding member Peter Green died on 25 July 2020 at the age of 73. In October 2020, Rumours again entered the Billboard top 10. The album received 30.6 million plays on streaming platforms the week of October 15, after a TikTok video of the song "Dreams" went viral.
On 30 November 2022, it was announced that band member Christine McVie died at the age of 79, after a short illness.
Oh Daddy
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know you make me cry
How can you love me
I don't understand why
Oh Daddy
If I can make you see
If there's been a fool around
Yes, it's got to be me
Oh Daddy
You soothe me with your smile
You're letting me know
You're the best thing in my life
Oh Daddy
If I could make you see
If there's been a fool around
It's got to be me
Yes, it's got to me
Why are you right when I'm so wrong
I'm so weak but you're so strong
Everything you do is just alright
And I can't walk away from you
Baby, if I tried
Why are you right when I'm so wrong
I'm so weak but you're so strong
Everything you do is just alright
And I can't walk away from you
Baby, if I tried
Oh Daddy
You soothe me with your smile
You're letting me know
You're the best thing in my life
Oh Daddy
If I could make you see
If there's been a fool around
It's got to be me
Yes, it's got to me
Yes, it's got to me
Yes, it's got to me
Fleetwood Mac's song Oh Daddy, from their 1977 album Rumours, is a haunting track that explores the complex emotions of a troubled relationship between a father figure and a younger woman. From the opening lines, it's clear that the singer is in pain, as she tells her Daddy, "You know you make me cry." Despite her tears, she's desperate to understand his love for her, asking, "How can you love me? I don't understand why." She's clearly conflicted, as she acknowledges that "If there's been a fool around, it's got to be me."
The verses of the song are filled with bittersweet images of paternal care and affection: "You soothe me with your smile," she sings, "You're letting me know you're the best thing in my life." Yet the chorus is a stark reminder of the distance between them, with the singer wondering "Why are you right when I'm so wrong?" She's fully aware of their power imbalance, admitting that "I'm so weak but you're so strong." Despite her love for him, she knows that their relationship is unsustainable, ending the song with the refrain, "Yes, it's got to me."
Overall, Oh Daddy is a powerful meditation on the complicated dynamics of love and sexuality. The singer's conflicted emotions and self-blame are heartbreaking, yet there's a sense of acceptance and resignation that gives the song a cathartic quality. It's a testament to Fleetwood Mac's lyrics and musicianship that the song remains a classic to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Daddy
Addressing the father figure
You know you make me cry
Expressing how the father's actions affect the singer emotionally
How can you love me
Questioning why the father loves the singer despite their flaws
I don't understand why
Admitting to not comprehending the father's forgiveness and love
If I can make you see
Trying to make the father understand the artist's perspective
If there's been a fool around
Acknowledging the singer's mistakes and missteps
It's got to be me
Taking responsibility for their actions and their consequences
You soothe me with your smile
Finding comfort in the father's kind expressions
You're letting me know
The father's behavior making the artist feel loved and validated
You're the best thing in my life
Expressing how important the father is to the artist
Why are you right when I'm so wrong
Questioning how the father has the ability to always be correct despite the singer's mistakes
I'm so weak but you're so strong
Recognizing the father's strength and the artist's own weakness
Everything you do is just alright
Expressing how the father's actions are always acceptable and good
And I can't walk away from you
Feeling unable to distance themselves from the father
Baby, if I tried
Even if the singer wanted to, they still couldn't leave the father figure
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Christine McVie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Henri Hudson
on Tusk
Why don't you ask him if he's going to stay?
Why don't you ask him if he's going away?