Fleetwood Mac is a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fl… Read Full Bio ↴Fleetwood Mac is a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac was founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the lineup for their self-titled debut album. Danny Kirwan joined as a third guitarist in 1968. Keyboardist Christine Perfect (later known as Christine McVie), who contributed as a session musician from the second album, married McVie and joined in 1970.

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.

Sometimes
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics

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Sometimes I get to thinking
About the times we used to have
But now you've gone away and left me so alone
(La di da, la di da da, la di da)
Although my back is aching
I'll work the whole day through
Although you hear that I've been wasting
All my time

Taking the sun from the sky
Lifting our hearts to the day
Thinking of new revelations
Talking with nothing to say

Sometimes I get to thinking
About the times we used to have
But now you've gone away and left me so alone
(La di da, la di da da, la di da)
Although my back is aching
I'll work the whole day through
Although you hear that I've been wasting
All my time

Taking the sun from the sky
Lifting our hearts to the day

Thinking of new revelations
Talking with nothing to say

Overall Meaning

Fleetwood Mac's song "Sometimes" is a melancholic reflection on lost love and longing for bygone times. It describes the feeling of loneliness that arises after a relationship has ended, while also acknowledging the physical and emotional strain that one endures in trying to move on. The song opens with the singer reminiscing about "the times we used to have" when they were still with their partner, which leads to feelings of sadness and pain as they process the reality of their loss.

The chorus of the song ("Although my back is aching, I'll work the whole day through") suggests a strong sense of determination on the part of the singer, who is willing to push through their pain and loneliness in order to keep moving forward. There is also a sense of hopelessness and resignation, as evidenced by the repeated refrain ("la di da, la di da da, la di da"), which seems to suggest that the singer cannot find the words to fully express their feelings.

The latter half of the song is more introspective, with the singer contemplating the fleeting nature of time and the knowledge that everything is ultimately impermanent. The lyrics "thinking of new revelations, talking with nothing to say" convey a sense of confusion and uncertainty as the singer tries to make sense of their emotions.

Overall, "Sometimes" is a poignant reflection on the pain of lost love and the struggle to move on in the face of heartbreak. The lyrics capture a universal human experience that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the pain and loneliness of a broken relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Sometimes I get to thinking
At times, I ponder and reflect

About the times we used to have
Of the memories we shared in the past

But now you've gone away and left me so alone
Now, you have left me alone and isolated

(La di da, la di da da, la di da)
Nonsensical filler syllables

Although my back is aching
Despite the pain in my back

I'll work the whole day through
I will work tirelessly all day

Although you hear that I've been wasting
Even if you hear that I have been idle

All my time
All the time I have

Taking the sun from the sky
Seizing opportunities or taking chances

Lifting our hearts to the day
Filling ourselves with hope and optimism

Thinking of new revelations
Reflecting on fresh insights or ideas