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.
Paper Doll
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You like a woman with a past
"Well, do you really believe that?"
She said to the faces in the crowd
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
And even if you did miss me
You never let me know
You'd prefer to be just a little bit
In and out of love with me
And not to scream and shout
You'd prefer to be just a little bit
In and out of agony
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Fascinated by somebody else
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
Come on now, let the sad winds blow down
As the rain came, she refused to wear her coat
But deep in her heart she knew, that the song must go on
He says, "Well, I have forgotten you
And your beautiful eyes"
We were off the wall
We were mirrors of our former selves
Well, you could've said, "No"
You could've said, "Well, I just can't"
Whoa, we were off the wall
We were mirrors of each other
Passing by
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
Well, I was your paper doll
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Paper doll
Well I was you paper doll
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Paper doll
And it doesn't even matter
(I was fascinated by somebody else)
It was a real clear answer
(I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
(I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
The lyrics of Fleetwood Mac's song Paper Doll explore the complexities of a relationship that never quite seems to work out. The song opens up with two contradictory lines - "you like a man with a future, you like a woman with a past" - implying that the two individuals in question prefer people with certain qualities that they can't find in each other. The lyrics are interesting in that they suggest a lack of communication or honesty on the part of both individuals - the woman questions whether the man truly believes that she likes a man with a future, while the man says that he has forgotten the woman and her beautiful eyes.
Throughout the song, the woman muses on the fact that the man seems to prefer being "in and out of love" with her, and not committing fully to the relationship. She acknowledges that she was "fascinated by somebody else" at one point, and it seems that this realization has made her more introspective about what she wants from the relationship. The man in turn says that they were "off the wall" and "mirrors of each other", implying that they were perhaps too similar and unable to form a deeper connection. The chorus of the song is repeated throughout, with the woman stating that "I was your paper doll" - that is, she feels like she was someone the man could easily manipulate and control.
Overall, the lyrics of Paper Doll suggest a relationship that is fraught with misunderstandings, miscommunications, and an inability to truly connect. Despite this, there is a sense that both individuals are trying to make things work, but are ultimately unable to do so. The song is a poignant reflection on the complexities of human relationships and the challenges that come with trying to form a connection with someone else.
Line by Line Meaning
You like a man with a future
You prefer someone who has great prospects for his life.
You like a woman with a past
You are attracted to someone who has had experiences and history.
"Well, do you really believe that?"
She said to the faces in the crowd
She questions the truth and validity of such preferences in front of others.
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
She was intrigued by someone else in the past and it seems like a recurring thought.
And even if you did miss me
You never let me know
You'd prefer to be just a little bit
In and out of love with me
And not to scream and shout
You'd prefer to be just a little bit
In and out of agony
Even if you missed her, you chose to keep silent and just have a flitting fascination with her, without intense emotions.
Come on now, let the sad winds blow down
As the rain came, she refused to wear her coat
But deep in her heart she knew, that the song must go on
Despite feeling gloomy and not wanting to hide it, she still knew that she had to keep going and devote herself to the music.
He says, "Well, I have forgotten you
And your beautiful eyes"
We were off the wall
We were mirrors of our former selves
He claims that he has moved on from her, but both of them were acting out of character and reflecting their past selves.
Well, you could've said, "No"
You could've said, "Well, I just can't"
Whoa, we were off the wall
We were mirrors of each other
Passing by
They could have rejected each other but they chose to be in each other's lives, with neither being true to themselves, reflective of each other's actions.
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
She still remembers being intrigued by someone else on a previous occasion, possibly indicating ongoing feelings of curiosity or restlessness.
Well, I was your paper doll
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Paper doll
Well I was you paper doll
(Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else)
Paper doll
The two of them were like puppets in a relationship, possibly one-sided, where one partner was controlling the other.
And it doesn't even matter
(I was fascinated by somebody else)
It was a real clear answer
(I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
(I was fascinated by somebody else)
Yesterday I was fascinated by somebody else
Despite acknowledging her attraction to others, it doesn't have any impact on the clarity and certainty of her real feelings and true answer.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., SEE JOHNNY RUN SONGS
Written by: John Herron, Rick Vito, Stephanie Nicks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Williamus Rex
Paper Doll" is a song by British-American band Fleetwood Mac. It was also released as a single exclusively in North America with The Chain as its B-side. While "Paper Doll" only achieved minor success in the US, it did reach the top ten in Canada.
"Paper Doll"
Single by Fleetwood Mac
from the album 25 Years: The Chain
Released
24 November 1992
Recorded
1988-1992
Genre
Soft rock
Length
3:56
Label
Warner Brothers
Songwriter(s)
Stevie Nicks, Rick Vito, John Heron
Producer(s)
Richard Dashut
Fleetwood Mac singles chronology
"Love Shines"
(1992) "Paper Doll"
(1992) "I Do"
(1995)
Paper Doll was recorded in 1988 and was initially slated to appear on the 1988 Greatest Hits album. Mick Fleetwood was not fond of the track though, so it was pulled in favor of "No Questions Asked".[1] "Paper Doll" eventually found a home on Fleetwood Mac's 1992 box set 25 Years – The Chain and The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac. While Lindsey Buckingham was no longer an active member of the band during the song's recording, he still contributed some guitar and vocal work for the track.
TylerDevilMcCrudden
I love Fleetwood Mac and although this is an unpopular opinion, this song is actually one of my favourites and I don't even know why, I feel good when I listen to this track ^-^
Amos Leiva
you are not the only one who think tha same!
Reggae Fan
Every FM song is a good song. So don't feel bad. I just discovered it today and I love it.
Brian Olinger
I love the vocal overlays and it's awesome because the words are the same just offset. Brilliant ❤️❤️
suzanne rinato
Same! I love this song so much!
Mike Moore
It is an awesome song!!!
MagicalOmaha
How have I never heard this song before now?! What an amazing, fun song! Great to dance to!!!!
Lisa H
This song is so much fun. And Christine back would be the bomb; just like when Lindsey returned. Each member is like a special ingredient.
Clark Clements
Christine returned. Now Lindsey is gone.
Darius
RIP