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.
Rhiannon
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And wouldn't you love to love her?
Takes to the sky like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover?
All your life you've never seen
A woman taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
She is like a cat in the dark
And then she is the darkness
She rules her life like a fine skylark
And when the sky is starless
All your life you've never seen
A woman taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever win?
Will you ever win?
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
She rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn't you love to love her?
She rules her life like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover?
All your life you've never seen
A woman taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever win?
Will you ever win?
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Taken by
Taken by the sky
Taken by
Taken by the sky
Taken by
Taken by the sky
Dreams unwind
Love's a state of mind
Dreams unwind
Love's a state of mind
Fleetwood Mac's song Rhiannon was released in 1975, and features the unmistakable lead vocals of Stevie Nicks. The song is a tribute to a Welsh witch-goddess of the same name, and it tells the story of a woman who is as elusive as the wind. The lyrics are poetic and mysterious, leaving the listener to wonder about the true nature of Rhiannon.
The opening line of the song sets the stage - Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night. The metaphor is striking, and it immediately draws the listener in. It's clear from the first verse that Rhiannon is a woman to be reckoned with - she takes to the sky like a bird in flight, and she is both light and darkness.
The chorus repeats the same lines over and over again, as if to drive home the point about Rhiannon's otherworldly nature. The lyrics are haunting and beautiful, and it's easy to get lost in the imagery. The final lines of the song - Dreams unwind, Love's a state of mind - add yet another layer of meaning to the song, as if to suggest that Rhiannon is the embodiment of all our deepest fears and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night
Rhiannon's presence and influence are felt strongly, even in the darkness of night.
And wouldn't you love to love her?
Rhiannon is such an alluring figure that anyone would want to be in a romantic relationship with her.
Takes to the sky like a bird in flight
Rhiannon is free-spirited and wild, like a bird soaring through the sky.
And who will be her lover?
Despite her beauty and charm, it is uncertain who will capture Rhiannon's heart.
All your life you've never seen
The woman Rhiannon is so unique and mysterious that few have seen anyone like her before.
A woman taken by the wind
Rhiannon is unpredictable, like a gust of wind that can suddenly change direction at any moment.
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
If Rhiannon offered a promise of paradise, would anyone be willing to stick around and find out if it was true?
Will you ever win?
If someone did enter a relationship with Rhiannon, would they ever truly win her heart and love?
She is like a cat in the dark
Rhiannon is graceful and mysterious, like a cat who moves effortlessly in the shadows.
And then she is the darkness
Rhiannon can be frightening, dark, and sinister - a side of her that people rarely see or understand.
She rules her life like a fine skylark
Rhiannon is in control of her life and destiny, much like a bird who soars through the sky with ease and power.
And when the sky is starless
Even when things seem bleak and the future is uncertain, Rhiannon remains strong and unyielding.
Rhiannon
A repeated call to her name, emphasizing her importance in the song's narrative and themes.
Taken by the sky
Rhiannon's elusive and free-spirited nature brings to mind the vast openness and unpredictability of the sky.
Dreams unwind
The song's chorus suggests that reality can never fully live up to the ideal, dreamlike image of Rhiannon.
Love's a state of mind
The complex nature of love and human emotions is at the core of the song's themes and Rhiannon's character.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephanie Nicks
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?