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.
World Turning
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just wanna be back where I belong
World turning
I gotta get my feet back on the ground
World turning
Everybody's got me down
I need somebody to help me through the night
World turning
I gotta get my feet back on the ground
World turning
Everybody's got me down (yeah)
Maybe I'm wrong but who's to say what's right?
I need somebody to help me through the night
World turning
I gotta get my feet back on the ground
World turning
Everybody's got me down
Turning, everybody's got me down
World turning
Everybody's got me down
In Fleetwood Mac's song World Turning, the singer is feeling lost and unsure of himself while everyone around him is criticizing him. He just wants to go back to a place where he belonged and felt confident. However, the world is constantly changing, and he needs to adapt and find his footing again. He's feeling overwhelmed and needs someone to guide him through the tough times. The repetition of "world turning" emphasizes how everything around him is in flux, and he's struggling to keep up.
The lyrics suggest a feeling of insecurity and vulnerability, as well as a desire to be understood and supported. The singer is searching for a sense of stability in a world that constantly throws curveballs at him. This is a universal struggle that many people can relate to.
Interestingly, the song features a psychedelic instrumental section with a guitar solo that showcases the band's improvisational abilities. It was a departure from their more traditional pop rock sound and showed their experimentation with different genres.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's trying to say I'm wrong
People are criticizing and judging me for something they believe is wrong
I just wanna be back where I belong
All I want is to be in the place that makes me feel secure
World turning
The world keeps moving and changing
I gotta get my feet back on the ground
I need to refocus and find my balance to deal with the changes happening around me
Everybody's got me down
Everyone is overwhelming me with negativity and bringing me down
Maybe I'm wrong but who's to say what's right?
I'm aware that I may not be correct, but there is no clear definition of right or wrong
I need somebody to help me through the night
I require emotional support and guidance to overcome my difficulties
Turning, everybody's got me down
The constant changes in life are bringing me down even more
World turning
The world keeps moving and changing, and I'm struggling to keep up
Everybody's got me down (yeah)
Everyone's criticism and negativity are overpowering me, and I'm feeling helpless
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Lindsey Buckingham, 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?