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.
Show Me a Smile
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Show me a smile
It doesn't take much to please me
My little child
Shine me a light from your eyes dear
Don't let me see a single tear
Take everything easy
Soon you'll be a man
My little one
So have fun while you can
Or there'll be none
Everything's going fast around you
There will be things to astound you
You'll be a man in no time
My little one
So take everything easy
Show me a smile
It doesn't take much to please me
My little child
Shine me a light from your eyes dear
Don't let me see a single tear
Take everything easy
Show me a smile
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Take everything easy
Show me a smile
It doesn't take much to please me
My little child
Shine me a light from your eyes dear
Don't let me see a single tear
Take everything easy
Show me a smile
Soon you'll be a man
My little one
So have fun while you can
Or there'll be none
Everything's going fast around you
There will be things to astound you
You'll be a man in no time
My little one
So take everything easy
Show me a smile
It doesn't take much to please me
My little child
Shine me a light from your eyes dear
Don't let me see a single tear
Take everything easy
Show me a smile
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's song "Show Me a Smile" reveal a parent's concern for their child's happiness and well-being as they grow up. The opening lines suggest that the parent is easily satisfied by their child's smile and joyful demeanor. The parent requests that their child not show any signs of distress and instead to "shine a light" of happiness from their eyes. This is likely because, as the song's lyrics suggest, time is fleeting, and the parent wants their child to enjoy their youth while they still can.
The second half of the song is directed to the child as they are reminded that they will soon become a man. The parent offers up advice and cautions them to enjoy life while they still can, as there will be plenty of surprises and challenges to come. The parent wants their child to know that everything goes by quickly, but they are here to support and guide them as they grow and develop.
Overall, "Show Me A Smile" is a reflective and heartwarming song about the parent-child relationship. It highlights the importance of love, support, and guidance as children grow up and face the challenges of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Take everything easy
Don't worry too much about anything, just stay calm.
Show me a smile
Don't be sad or upset, let me see you happy.
It doesn't take much to please me
You don't have to do anything extraordinary to make me happy, just be yourself.
My little child
I love you like a child, even though you're growing up.
Shine me a light from your eyes dear
Look at me with love and happiness in your eyes.
Don't let me see a single tear
Don't cry, I don't want to see you unhappy.
Soon you'll be a man
You're growing up fast and soon you'll be an adult.
So have fun while you can
Enjoy your childhood and teenage years because they won't last forever.
Or there'll be none
If you don't have fun now, you may regret it later.
Everything's going fast around you
Life is moving quickly and there are many changes happening all the time.
There will be things to astound you
You'll be surprised by the things you'll experience as you grow up.
You'll be a man in no time
You'll mature and become an adult before you know it.
Ooh
Expressing excitement or happiness.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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?