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.
Seven Wonders
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Certain place
Certain time
You touched my hand
On the way
On the way down to Emmeline
But if our paths never cross
If I live to see the seven wonders
I'll make a path to the rainbow's end
I'll never live to match the beauty again
The rainbow's edge
(Aaron)
(Aaron)
So it's hard to find
Someone with that kind of intensity
You touched my hand, I played it cool
And you reached out your hand to me
But if our paths never cross
Well, no, I'm not sorry, but
If I live to see the seven wonders
I'll make a path to the rainbow's end
I'll never live to match the beauty again
The rainbow's edge
(Aaron)
(Aaron)
So long ago
It's a certain time
It's a certain place
You touched my hand and you smiled
All the way back you held out your hand
If I hope and if I pray
Ooh it might work out someday
If I live to see the seven wonders
I'll make a path to the rainbow's end
I'll never live to match the beauty again
If I live to see the seven wonders
I'll make a path to the rainbow's end (I'll make a path there)
I'll never live to match the beauty again
(You'll never live to see the beauty, the beauty, that same same beauty)
If I live to see the seven wonders
I'll make a path to the rainbow's end
I'll never live to match the beauty again
(Oh well if I hope and I pray, well, maybe it might work out some day)
In "Seven Wonders," Fleetwood Mac creates a nostalgic portrait of a moment in time, recalling a time and place where they met someone special. The song is about the idea of great, elusive moments, and the magic that occurs when they are shared with someone else. The opening lines, “So long ago, certain place, certain time,” begin a reflection on a memory that the singer carries with them. They remember an encounter with someone who they touched hands with on the way down to Emmeline.
The singer dreams about seeing the seven wonders of the world, each one a pinnacle of human achievement, and they promise to create a path to the rainbow’s end if given the chance. They know that they will never experience anything quite like that moment in time with that person again. As the song progresses, they contrast this memory with the present, acknowledging that it's hard to find someone with that kind of intensity who can bring back that kind of magic. They hold out hope that they will meet that someone special again, but if not, they'll always have that moment to look back on.
Overall, Fleetwood Mac’s “Seven Wonders” encapsulates the beauty of a memory, something fleeting and impossible to recapture, and captures the wistfulness that comes with knowing it can never be recreated.
Line by Line Meaning
So long ago
It has been a while since the incident occurred.
Certain place
The event happened in a particular location.
Certain time
The incident took place at a definite time period.
You touched my hand
You made a physical connection with me.
On the way
During our journey towards a particular destination.
On the way down to Emmeline
On our way to Emmeline, we shared this special moment.
But if our paths never cross
In case we never meet again.
Well, you know I'm sorry, but
I express regret for the occurrence of this event.
If I live to see the seven wonders
In the future, if I get to witness the seven wonders of the world.
I'll make a path to the rainbow's end
I'll create a way to reach the ultimate goal or happiness.
I'll never live to match the beauty again
The beauty that I witnessed earlier will never be experienced again by me.
So it's hard to find
It's difficult to come across someone.
Someone with that kind of intensity
Search for a person comparable in intensity to the one who made that special moment happen.
You touched my hand, I played it cool
I pretended not to be affected by your touch.
And you reached out your hand to me
You wanted to connect with me further.
Well, no, I'm not sorry, but
I don't regret if we don't meet again in the future.
It's a certain time
The event took place at a particular moment.
It's a certain place
The incident happened in a specific location.
You touched my hand and you smiled
You made physical contact with me and showed a positive emotion towards me.
All the way back you held out your hand
On our journey back, you still wanted to remain connected with me.
If I hope and if I pray
If I wish earnestly and seek divine intervention.
Ooh it might work out someday
The possibility still exists that things might work out someday.
(You'll never live to see the beauty, the beauty, that same same beauty)
The beauty experienced earlier can't be relived again.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sandy Stewart, 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?