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.
Rambling Pony
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rollin' from town to town
I'm a ramblin' pony
Rollin' from town to town
I'm a looking for a sweet woman, make my love come down
If she a married woman
She only nine years old
Only nine years old
I got a woman I'm loving, keep me fishin' all day long
And I'm leaving this morning, won't be back no more
Yeah, I'm leaving this morning, won't be back no more
There ain't a rider in the city, keep me inside the door
The opening verse of Fleetwood Mac's "Rambling Pony" paints a picture of a restless man on the move, traveling from town to town in search of love. He's driven by a desire to find a "sweet woman" who can satisfy his romantic cravings, and he's determined to roam until he finds her. There's a sense of aimlessness to his wanderings, as though he's looking for something he can't quite define.
As the song progresses, the singer's focus shifts to the women he's encountered on his travels. He's drawn to a married woman who's only nine years old, a shocking statement that raises all sorts of questions about exploitation and abuse. He doesn't dwell on this detail for long, though, quickly shifting his attention to a woman he's already involved with. She keeps him busy fishing all day, a nod to the simple pleasures of rural life.
Despite his roving nature, the singer seems resigned to his current situation. He's leaving town for good, as there's not a single rider who can keep him inside once he's made up his mind. There's a hint of sadness in his voice as he says goodbye to the life he's known, suggesting that his constant searches for love have left him feeling unfulfilled and adrift.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a ramblin' pony
I am a restless and wandering individual
Rollin' from town to town
Traveling from place to place without a stable home
I'm a looking for a sweet woman, make my love come down
Searching for a woman to love and fulfill my desires
If she a married woman
If she is already wed
She only nine years old
Despite her young age, she is married
I got a woman I'm loving, keep me fishin' all day long
Already in a relationship that brings me joy and contentment
And I'm leaving this morning, won't be back no more
Departing without intention of returning
There ain't a rider in the city, keep me inside the door
No one can hold me back or restrict my movements
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Peter Alan Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ninaboulard1733
I'm a ramblin' pony
Rollin' from town to town
I'm a ramblin' pony
Rollin' from town to town
I'm a looking for a sweet woman, make my love come down
If she a married woman
She only nine years old
If she a married woman, yeah
Only nine years old
I got a woman I'm loving, keep me fishin' all day long
I'm thinking self lane once in the countryside
I'm thinking self lane once in the countryside
I'll love her even though it will be a lie
And I'm leaving this morning, won't be back no more
Yeah, I'm leaving this morning, won't be back no more
There ain't a rider in the city, keep me inside the door
@tinaheard3866
So much talent in Peter Green ! Our Greeny ! ... everything
he did was great !
@OttoPaert
R.I.P., Peter. You were always the best.
@JoseGomez-ys3zs
Superb song!
@garethhutchings4045
At last, found it. Heard it last in The Marquee, Wardour Street, 1967. Never forgot it.
@kidtexaus1
Thanks for posting this. Next to Muddy Water's original Rollin' and Tumblin' this is the best take on the old riff!
@marceibel1131
Sounds more rooty than Cream's Rollin' and Tumblin'.
Love both versions..😊
@gen6208
Meravigliosa!
@drmindriot
Great !
@joelhoward8211
Seem like the Yardbirds had one that sounded like this Drinkin Muddy Water I believe.
@ninaboulard1733
I'm a ramblin' pony
Rollin' from town to town
I'm a ramblin' pony
Rollin' from town to town
I'm a looking for a sweet woman, make my love come down
If she a married woman
She only nine years old
If she a married woman, yeah
Only nine years old
I got a woman I'm loving, keep me fishin' all day long
I'm thinking self lane once in the countryside
I'm thinking self lane once in the countryside
I'll love her even though it will be a lie
And I'm leaving this morning, won't be back no more
Yeah, I'm leaving this morning, won't be back no more
There ain't a rider in the city, keep me inside the door