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.
Only You
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it's only over you
I'm out of my mind
But it's only over you
People think I'm crazy
But they don't know
Thought love had failed me
Angel, please don't go (ooh)
I miss you when you're gone (ooh)
They say I'm a silly girl (ooh)
But I'm not a fool
People say they know me
But they don't see
My heart's your future
Your future is me
Angel, please don't go (ooh)
I miss you when you're gone (ooh)
They say I'm a silly girl (ooh)
But I'm not a fool
I'm out of my mind
But it's only over you
I'm out of my mind
But it's only over you
I'm out of my mind
But it's only over you
I'm out of my mind
It's only over you
I'm out of my mind
It's only over you
I'm out of my mind
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's song "Only You" delve into the theme of unrequited love and obsession. The song's narrator is madly in love with someone, to the point where they admit to being out of their mind. However, the subject of their obsession is not reciprocating their feelings, causing them to feel misunderstood and labeled as a "silly girl". Despite this, the singer remains steadfast in their love, insisting that their heart's future belongs to the person they're in love with. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the singer's obsession, as they keep repeating that they're out of their mind but it's only over this one person.
As the singer sings about their love, they reveal the pain that comes with it. They feel as though they're going crazy over this person, and other people think they're crazy too. However, underneath it all, they know that they're not a fool and that their love is real. The bridge of the song, where the singer pleads for their lover not to leave, highlights the desperation of their love. They miss their love when they're gone and can't bear to be away from them. Overall, the song highlights the all-consuming nature of unrequited love and the pain that comes with it, but also the hope that this love can be reciprocated in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm out of my mind
I'm consumed with thoughts of you, to the point of being irrational.
But it's only over you
But it's because of my love for you that I feel this way.
People think I'm crazy
People judge me for my behavior, not understanding what I'm going through.
But they don't know
They are unaware of the depth of my feelings for you.
Thought love had failed me
I thought I would never find love, until I met you.
But now, they're watching it grow
But now everyone can see that our love is growing strong.
Angel, please don't go (ooh)
My dear, don't leave me, I need you (expressed with emotion).
I miss you when you're gone (ooh)
I feel lonely and incomplete when you're not with me (expressed with emotion).
They say I'm a silly girl (ooh)
People dismiss me as being foolish for being so devoted to you (expressed with emotion).
But I'm not a fool
But I know my heart and my love for you is real.
People say they know me
People think they understand me and my actions, but they don't.
But they don't see
But they are blind to the deep connection we share.
My heart's your future
My love for you will shape and define our future together.
Your future is me
You are destined to be with me, and I with you.
I'm out of my mind
Once again, I'm consumed with thoughts of you, to the point of being irrational.
It's only over you
But it's because of my deep and true love for you that I feel this way.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Christine Mcvie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Leduc
Very cool song!
David Warshawsky
This is probably my favorite version of this great song. The guitar licks just jump out at you. It has that Latinesque feel to it that Peter Green also brought to Black Magic Woman. Carlos Santana usually gets credit for the Latin feel of his more well known version of Black Magic Woman, but Peter Green had that same feel, just less pronounced.
F F
Date? Venue?