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.
Sands of Time
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can go so far, but not seem right
Although my love, will drive away the sunshine
The magic of, a blackened night
And before you go show me
All the words of love
Blow my wind and drifted by
To and fro the trees still bend
Wondering what the host will send
We will go right down to the sea
Bathing in light we will be free to wander
And the falling sands of time
Blow my wind and drifted by
To and fro the trees still bend
Wondering what the host will send
We will go right down to the sea
Bathing in light we will be free to wander
And the falling sands of time
Blow my wind and drifted by
To and fro the trees still bend
Wondering what the host will send
We will go right down to the sea
Bathing in light we will be free to wander
The magic of a blackened night
Can go so far, but not seem right
Although my love, will drive away the sunshine
The magic of, a blackened night
The lyrics of "Sands of Time" by Fleetwood Mac describe the feeling of being lost in the magic of a nighttime experience, even if it may not necessarily be the right thing to do. The lines "The magic of a blackened night/Can go so far, but not seem right" suggest that the singer is aware that indulging in this magical experience may not be the best decision, but they cannot resist the allure of it. The lyrics also touch on the theme of time and how it affects everything around us, as expressed in the line "And the falling sands of time/Blow my wind and drifted by."
The singer's love is also addressed in the lyrics, specifically in the line "Although my love, will drive away the sunshine." This line suggests that the singer is aware that their love may have negative consequences, but they cannot help themselves from pursuing it. The last verse repeats the previous verse, emphasizing the idea that time continues to pass and we must make the most of it by indulging in whatever experiences make us feel free and alive.
Overall, the lyrics of "Sands of Time" express the idea that life is short and we should indulge in the experiences that make us feel alive, even if they may not be considered the "right" thing to do. It also touches on the idea that love can have both positive and negative consequences, but we cannot resist its allure.
Line by Line Meaning
The magic of a blackened night
The allure and wonder of a dark and starry night
Can go so far, but not seem right
It can captivate us, but also make us question its appropriateness
Although my love, will drive away the sunshine
Even though my love may bring darkness and uncertainty
The magic of, a blackened night
The enchantment of a mysterious and shadowy evening
And before you go show me
Before you depart from me, reveal your true feelings and emotions
All the words of love
Express everything you feel inside with sincerity and passion
And the falling sands of time
The inexorable passage of time, like grains falling through an hourglass
Blow my wind and drifted by
Seemingly fleeting and ephemeral, like sands carried away by the wind
To and fro the trees still bend
Nature still moves and adapts despite the constant march of time
Wondering what the host will send
Uncertain of what fate has in store for us
We will go right down to the sea
We will journey toward the vast and uncharted unknown
Bathing in light we will be free to wander
We will embrace the light and freedom of our explorations
And the falling sands of time
The passage of time remains an unrelenting and constant force
The magic of a blackened night
The allure of a shadowy, mystical evening
Can go so far, but not seem right
Its power and fascination can also leave us uncertain and uneasy
Although my love, will drive away the sunshine
Even if my love brings darkness, it still burns brightly
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Daniel 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?