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.
The Green Manalishi
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the full moon looks
The night is so black that the darkness cooks
Don't you come creepin' around
Makin' me do things I don't wanna do
Can't believe that you need my love so bad
Bustin' in on my dreams
Makin' me see things I don't wanna see
'Cause you're da Green Manalishi with the two prong crown
All my tryin' is up, all your bringin' is down
Just takin' my love then slippin' away
Leavin' me here just tryin' to keep from followin' you
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's song "The Green Manalishi" seem to be about a person or entity that is causing the singer distress and torment. The imagery used in the first few lines suggests that this being emerges at night, during the full moon, when darkness is most potent. The repetition of the word 'creeping' suggests malice or stealth, and the singer seems to know that this figure is going to cause them to perform actions that they don't want to.
The second verse continues this theme of the singer feeling tormented and burdened by the Green Manalishi. It's interesting that the singer notes that they 'can't believe' that this entity needs their love so badly. This seems to suggest that the Green Manalishi is a former lover, or that they may have been involved with the singer in some way. However, the feelings are not reciprocated and instead, the Green Manalishi is pushing the singer towards madness. The central metaphor of the Green Manalishi with the two-pronged crown is somewhat enigmatic, but it's possible that it refers to a pagan or mythical creature, given the references to full moons, darkness, and creeping. All the singer can do is try to resist, but it appears that the Green Manalishi is winning the battle.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, when the day goes to sleep
As the daytime comes to an end
And the full moon looks
As the bright moon shines its light
The night is so black that the darkness cooks
The darkness is so intense, it feels like it's boiling hot
Don't you come creepin' around
Don't try to sneak up on me
Makin' me do things I don't wanna do
Forcing me to act in a way I don't wish to
Can't believe that you need my love so bad
I can't wrap my head around the fact that you crave my love so desperately
Come sneakin' around tryin' to drive me mad
Coming around stealthily just to incite madness within me
Bustin' in on my dreams
Invading my thoughts while I am asleep
Makin' me see things I don't wanna see
Making me experience things I want to avoid
'Cause you're da Green Manalishi with the two prong crown
The person tormenting me is like the Green Manalishi with a two-pronged crown (a mythical creature associated with chaos and corruption)
All my tryin' is up, all your bringin' is down
Despite my efforts, your presence brings me down
Just takin' my love then slippin' away
You just take my love and then disappear
Leavin' me here just tryin' to keep from followin' you
Leaving me behind, desperately attempting to not follow you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Peter Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danceswithdogs2041
This the first time I've ever heard this song played by anyone other than Judas Priest. I'm so glad I finally got to hear Green playing his song. So awesome.
@danceswithdogs2041
"Bustin' in on my dreams
Makin' me see things I don't wanna see..." My friends and I always thought it was a blotter acid print He was singing about.
@mainzergirl9610
So true. Totally different version from JP's. Both are great. Can't name another song done so well yet so differently.
@Mr.CliffysWorld
JP's version was the first I had ever heard . The first time I heard Fleetwood Mac's version I didn't really care for it but I was a snot-nosed twelve-year-old punk who didn't really know his ass from a hóle in the ground when it came to songwriting. I just knew how to play a guitar loud and fast . Since then I've come to appreciate the original version much more
@danceswithdogs2041
@@Mr.CliffysWorld Yes I would have felt the same way back when as well but now I like it.
@thomasladders7481
This is new to me, wow!
@ryder536
RIP Peter Green. His music will be everlasting.
@rustyshackleford7647
RIP
@AChorister
⚘🌹🥀 to aid you on your way, Peter. They are but a token of all that your music has meant to us, and will continue to bless us so long after you quit Mac.
@josephkool8411
Great song writer