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.
Tango in the Night
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Listen to the waves upon the shore
Try to sleep, sleep won't come
Just as I begin to fade
Then I remember
When the moon was full and bright
I would take you in the darkness
Tango
I keep the dream in my pocket
Never let it fade away
Inside, outside
No loneliness in this dream
Then I remember
When the moon was full and bright
I would take you in the darkness
And do the tango in the night
Tango
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's "Tango in the Night" have an overall melancholic undertone as the singer struggles to sleep and reminisces about a past love. The song opens with the singer telling the listener to "listen to the wind on the water" and "listen to the waves upon the shore." These lines set the scene of a peaceful and romantic atmosphere. However, the singer then says they "try to sleep, sleep won't come," and they begin to fade. This suggests they are struggling with insomnia and perhaps even depression.
The second verse begins with the singer saying they keep the dream of their past love in their pocket to prevent it from fading away. They suggest that the dream brings them comfort and prevents them from feeling lonely. However, the second half of the verse echoes the same sentiment as the first - "I would take you in the darkness and do the tango in the night." While the image of the tango seems passionate and exciting, the context of it being done in the darkness suggests that the romance was hidden away or perhaps even forbidden.
Overall, the lyrics of "Tango in the Night" convey a sense of longing and reminiscence for a past love that wasn't able to flourish. Despite the melancholic tone, the song's dreamlike quality and imagery make it a beautiful and evocative piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to the wind on the water
I am contemplating the peacefulness of nature and its sounds.
Listen to the waves upon the shore
I am listening to the soothing sound of the waves crashing onto the beach.
Try to sleep, sleep won't come
I am having trouble falling asleep despite the calming sounds around me.
Just as I begin to fade
I am barely able to hold onto consciousness.
Then I remember
Suddenly, a memory comes to mind.
When the moon was full and bright
During a time when the moon was shining exceptionally bright and luminous.
I would take you in the darkness
I would lead you through the dark.
Doin' the tango in the night
We would dance the tango in the midst of the darkness, getting lost in the moment.
Tango
The dance that symbolizes our passionate love.
I keep the dream in my pocket
I hold onto the memory of that experience closely, never letting it fade from my mind.
Never let it fade away
I am determined to never forget the beauty and passion of that moment.
Inside, outside
This memory lives within me, as well as outside of me, in the world beyond.
No loneliness in this dream
Despite the memory of what once was, I do not feel alone or sad.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lindsey Buckingham
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?