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.
One Sunny Day
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Help me take my blues away
Help me baby
Help me take my blues away
Wake up one morning
Feel good one sunny day
Times I've wondered
Times I've wondered
Why it is a lonesome day
I see you walking
See you walking away
All I want from you
Is more then I can do
There's one thing that I know
I'll never let you go
Although the people say
I shouldn't treat you this way
Help me baby
Help me take my blues away
Wake up one morning
Feel good one sunny day
All I want from you
Is more then I can do
There's one thing that I know
I'll never let you go
Although the people say
I shouldn't treat you this way
Help me baby
Help me take my blues away
Wake up one morning
Feel good one sunny day
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's "One Sunny Day" suggest a desire for love and companionship to help overcome the difficult times of sadness and heartache. The song opens with a plea for help in taking away the singer's blues. It is clear that the singer is feeling down, but they believe that with the help of their lover, they can wake up one morning feeling good on a sunny day. This imagery is used throughout the song to create a positive and uplifting feeling.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's thoughts, reflecting on the times they have felt lonely and wondering why it is so difficult to find happiness. They see their lover walking away and feel a sense of desperation as they ask for more from them than they can give. Despite this, the singer declares that they will never let their lover go, even if others say they shouldn't treat them the way they do.
Overall, "One Sunny Day" is a powerful ode to the transformative power of love. It emphasizes that even in the darkest times, there is hope for better days, and that with the help of a companion, anything is possible.
Line by Line Meaning
Help me baby
I need your assistance
Help me take my blues away
Help me to overcome my sadness and depression
Wake up one morning
One day, unexpectedly
Feel good one sunny day
Experience happiness on a bright day
Times I've wondered
I have often questioned
Why it is a lonesome day
Why the day feels lonely
I see you walking
I observe you leaving
See you walking away
Watch you departing
All I want from you
My desires from you are
Is more then I can do
Greater than what I am capable of giving
There's one thing that I know
I am sure of one thing
I'll never let you go
I will never lose you
Although the people say
In spite of what others tell me
I shouldn't treat you this way
I should not behave like this towards you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Daniel David Kirwan
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?