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.
Say You Love Me
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I'm falling, falling, falling, at your feet
I'm tingling right from my head to my toes
So help me, help me, help me make the feeling go
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
And there's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
Have pity, baby, just when I thought it was over
And now you got me running, running, running for cover
I'm begging you for a little sympathy
And if you use me again it'll be the end of me
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
There's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
Baby, baby, hope you're going to stay away
'Cause I'm getting weaker, weaker, every day
I guess I'm not as strong as I used to be
And if you use me again it'll be the end of me
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
There's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
There's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
Say that you love me
Say that you love me
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's "Say You Love Me" appear to tell the story of an insecure woman who is unsure of whether or not her partner truly loves her. She begs for mercy and a little bit of sympathy, admitting that she is falling at his feet and is weak. The chorus seems to be the crux of the song, with the woman describing the blissful feelings of love-making in the midst of darkness and the knowledge that they are the only ones around. She is asking her partner to confirm his love for her and say it out loud, in order to alleviate her anxieties.
The second half of the song sees the woman becoming increasingly desperate for her partner's affection, but at the same time, wary of being used again. She pleads with him to stay away from her, admitting that she is getting weaker every day, and that she will not be able to handle him using her again. The final chorus repeats the same phrases as before, with the "falling falling falling" adding an element of desperation to the song.
Overall, the lyrics to "Say You Love Me" evoke a sense of vulnerability and insecurity, but with a touch of hope that the woman's partner will confirm his love for her and alleviate her anxieties.
Line by Line Meaning
Have mercy, baby, on a poor girl like me
Please be kind to me, as I am a helpless girl in love with you
You know I'm falling, falling, falling, at your feet
I am completely smitten and deeply in love with you
I'm tingling right from my head to my toes
Your touch and love electrify me completely
So help me, help me, help me make the feeling go
I need your help to get over these intense feelings for you
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
When we are intimate, and the surroundings get intimate too
And there's not another living soul around
We are completely alone in each other's company
You woo me until the sun comes up
You make love to me all night long
And you say that you love me
And you express your love for me
Have pity, baby, just when I thought it was over
Just when I thought I had gotten over you, I fall in love with you again
And now you got me running, running, running for cover
Your love is overwhelming and I am trying to run away from it
I'm begging you for a little sympathy
I am pleading with you to understand my situation
And if you use me again it'll be the end of me
If you take advantage of me again, it will break me completely
Baby, baby, hope you're going to stay away
I hope you stay away from me and not play with my feelings
'Cause I'm getting weaker, weaker, every day
Because I am unable to resist your charm and am becoming weaker every day
I guess I'm not as strong as I used to be
I realize that I am not as strong as I used to be, and I am vulnerable to your love
Say that you love me
Admit to me that you are in love with me
Falling falling falling
I am falling deeply in love with you
Falling falling falling
I am falling deeply in love with you
Falling falling falling
I am falling deeply in love with you
Falling falling falling
I am falling deeply in love with you
Falling falling falling
I am falling deeply in love with you
Falling falling falling
I am falling deeply in love with you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Christine McVie
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?