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.
Sweet Girl
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Outside your world who spends time with you?
Whom do you love when you're not working?
Sweet girl
Where would you go
If you had the time?
Crossing some crazy state-line somewhere?
People are unkind
Sweet girl
But I chose to dance across the stages of the world
Everyone said I'd never learn
And I still hear your words
Well, I waited all my life for you, sweet girl
I did try to come back and listen
You never knew it, I didn't wish it
And I did hear every answer, every question
It's all about protection
Still through the sunlight days I wait
Track a ghost through the fog, sun is burning me
And you come runnin' out in the wind with me
The ocean is your blanket
But I chose to dance across the stages of the world
Everyone said I'd never learn
I still hear your words
Well, I waited all my life for you
I watched you fly through the world in a golden ball
Many are the cities that I never saw at all
Sometimes I feel I was always on-call
Sometimes even I am allowed to fall
He says, come down here for a minute
Well, come down here for a minute
He says, come down here for a minute
Sweet girl, sweet girl
Thank you
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's song Sweet Girl are about a woman who is successful and has chosen to pursue a career on stage, but still longs for love and connection in her personal life. The singer asks her what she loves to do outside of her work and who she spends time with. The chorus repeats the phrase "sweet girl" as a term of endearment and perhaps also as a recognition of the challenges that come with being a woman in a demanding profession.
The lyrics also touch on feelings of loneliness and isolation that the woman experiences, as she wonders where she would go and who she would turn to if she had time outside of her career. She acknowledges that people can be unkind, but still feels a sense of protection around her choices. Despite her success, she longs for the love and support of someone special.
The lines "But I chose to dance across the stages of the world/ Everyone said I'd never learn" convey the idea that the woman has faced criticism or doubt from others, but has chosen to pursue her dreams anyway. She acknowledges that she still hears the words of the person who told her that they waited all their life for her, and perhaps wonders if she made the right choice in focusing so much on her career.
Overall, the song Sweet Girl explores themes of love, ambition, and the tension between personal and professional fulfillment. It is a poignant reminder that success in one area of life does not necessarily guarantee happiness in all other areas.
Line by Line Meaning
And he says, what do you love to do?
A question directed at the singer asking about her passion and interests in life.
Outside your world who spends time with you?
Asking about the people in the singer's life and who takes time for her outside of her profession.
Whom do you love when you're not working?
Questioning the singer about the people she loves when she is not pursuing her career.
Sweet girl
Endearing term used to refer to the singer.
Where would you go
Asking the singer about her dream destinations or places she would like to visit.
If you had the time?
Asking the singer if she had the opportunity to travel, where would she go.
Crossing some crazy state-line somewhere?
Asking if she would travel to unexplored, adventurous locations.
To whom do you cry?
Asking about the people the singer turns to for comfort and support when she is upset.
People are unkind
Acknowledgement that sometimes, people can be cruel or hurtful.
Sweet girl
Endearing term used to refer to the singer.
But I chose to dance across the stages of the world
The singer decided to pursue her passion and travel the world to perform on various stages.
Everyone said I'd never learn
The singer faced criticism and doubt from others who did not believe in her abilities.
And I still hear your words
Despite her success, the singer still remembers the discouraging words of the people who doubted her.
Well, I waited all my life for you, sweet girl
The singer dedicated her life to pursuing her passion and dreams.
I did try to come back and listen
The singer tried to give the people who doubted her a chance to re-evaluate her skills and success.
You never knew it, I didn't wish it
The singer did not make it known that she was allowing her detractors the opportunity to see her success.
And I did hear every answer, every question
Despite not wishing to listen to her detractors, the singer was still aware of their criticisms and doubts.
It's all about protection
The singer recognizes that the people who doubted and criticized her were doing so out of self-protection and fear.
Still through the sunlight days I wait
Even though success has come, there may still be tough times ahead.
Track a ghost through the fog, sun is burning me
The singer is struggling to navigate through difficult times, having a hard time seeing through the fog of uncertainty and the burning sun.
And you come runnin' out in the wind with me
The people who truly care about the singer will be right beside her during the tough times.
The ocean is your blanket
The people who provide comfort and support to the singer can be compared to the ocean, covering her like a warm blanket.
I watched you fly through the world in a golden ball
The singer has watched her loved ones succeed and have opportunities that she may have missed out on.
Many are the cities that I never saw at all
Due to her profession, the singer was not able to visit and explore certain cities.
Sometimes I feel I was always on-call
The singer's career made her feel like she was constantly working and never able to fully relax or take time for herself.
Sometimes even I am allowed to fall
Acknowledgement that even though the singer is successful, she is still human and can have moments of weakness or failure.
He says, come down here for a minute
An invitation to take a break and be present in the moment.
Sweet girl, sweet girl
Reiteration of the endearing term used to refer to the singer.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephanie Nicks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@amayasimone8198
And he says, "What do you love to do?
Outside your world,
Who spends timewith you?
Whom do you love when you're not working?
Sweet Girl
Where would you go,
If you had the time?
Crossing some crazy State-line somewhere?
To whom do you cry?
People are unkind,
Sweet Girl"
But I chose to dance across the stages of the world.
Everyone said I'd never learn
And I still hear your words, "Well, I waited all my life for you, sweet
Girl"
I did try to come back and listen
You never knew it
I didn't wish it
And I did hear every answer of every question
It's all about protection
Still through the sun lighted days I wait
Track a ghost through the fog
The sun is burning me
And you come runnin' out
In the wind with me,
The ocean is your blanket,
But I chose to dance across the stages of the world,
Everyone said I'd never learn,
I still hear your words, "Well, I waited all my life for you,
I watched you fly through the world.
In a golden ball,
Many are the cities that I never saw at all, "
Sometimes I feel like I was always on-call
Sometimes even I am allowed to fall,
He says, "Come down here for a
Minute, well, come down here for a minute, ."
He says, "Come down here for a minute, sweet Girl,
Sweet Girl,
@chevy2003ism
And he says, "what do you love to do?
Outside your world,
Who spends timewith you?
Whom do you love when you're not working?
Sweet girl....
Where would you go,
If you had the time?
Crossing some crazy state-line somewhere?
To whom do you cry?
People are unkind,
Sweet girl..."
But i chose to dance across the stages of the world.
Everyone said i'd never learn...
And i still hear your words, "well, i waited all my life for you....sweet
Girl..."
I did try to come back and listen...
You never knew it...
I didn't wish it...
And i did hear every answer of every question...
It's all about protection....
Still through the sunlighted days i wait...
Track a ghost through the fog....
The sun is burning me...
And you come runnin' out...
In the wind with me...
The ocean is your blanket...
But i chose to dance across the stages of the world...
Everyone said i'd never learn...
I still hear your words, "well, i waited all my life for you...
I watched you fly through the world.
In a golden ball...
Many are the cities that i never saw at all..."
Sometimes i feel like i was always on-call
Sometimes even i am allowed to fall...
He says, "come down here for a
Minute...well, come down here for a minute...."
He says, "come down here for a minute, sweet girl...
Sweet girl...
@jerilynettebarnes2627
My oldest Sister played this song twice for me the day she unexpectedly passed away at the young age of 49. I will cherish this song as I did my "Sweet Girl". RIP Angie Barnes
@dr.roberts4508
Sorry for your loss.
@Nicolesorkin
Beautiful song! Sorry for you loss!
@brianjezuit4085
Oh man... I'm sincerely sorry for your loss. I am so very close to my Sister ; she iZ my best friend in the world. I could not, nor would I wish to imagine what you went through. Again, my sincere condolences. 😔😔😔🙏🙏🙏🌃May God Bless you.
@amybolger2437
Sending love to you and your Sister! She is looking over you!
@kellybyrd8002
God bless her and you, sister.
@brianmichaels5112
These three voices are just magic together and individually . Their harmonies are unmatched in the business.
@tomalbaitis5931
I love how they all look at each other while singing! They love each other and it makes the music even more amazing! ❤️
@starman2089
Right! It's so much more than just keeping in time with each other, you can see the emotions running in Stevie's, Christine's and Lindsey's eyes!
@1Cheytown
No more evident than the "Silver Springs" performance during this concert. You know Stevie felt every note of that performance and the emotions for Lindsay.