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.
watch out!
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And don't mind nobody else
Watch out for me, woman
And don't mind nobody else
Ain't got no crystal ball
But the future ain't hard to tell
I love the woman
I love the woman
I just can't stand to leave her be
Now we got to get married
An' might even raise a whole family
Watch out for me, woman, an'
And don't mind nobody else
Watch out for me, woman
And don't mind nobody else
Ain't got no crystal ball
But the future, ain't hard to tell
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's song Watch Out are a plea from a man to his partner to watch out for him, and to not pay attention to anyone else. He declares his love for her, but also admits that he cannot bear to leave her alone. The lines "I just can't stand to leave her be" and "an' might even raise a whole family" suggest that he is committed to her and wants to build a life with her. The repetition of the phrase "watch out for me, woman" emphasizes his reliance on her and his need for her protection.
The line "ain't got no crystal ball, but the future ain't hard to tell" suggests that he knows that their relationship will face challenges and that he needs her support to navigate them. The lyrics also hint at a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty, as the man admits that he is unsure of what the future holds. This vulnerability is emphasized by the repetition of the phrase "don't mind nobody else" which suggests that he is insecure and needs reassurance from his partner.
Overall, Fleetwood Mac's song Watch Out is a heartfelt plea from a man to his partner. It is a testament to the power of love and the need for connection and support in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch out for me, woman
I need you to be aware of me and protect me.
And don't mind nobody else
Don't pay attention to anyone else but me.
Watch out for me, woman
I need you to keep watch over me and be attentive.
And don't mind nobody else
Don't worry about anyone else but me.
Ain't got no crystal ball
I don't have any supernatural powers.
But the future ain't hard to tell
But I can predict that our future together is bright.
I love the woman
I am deeply in love with this woman.
I just can't stand to leave her be
I can't bear to leave her alone.
Now we got to get married
We need to get married.
An' might even raise a whole family
And we might even start a family together.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLARENCE L LEWIS, ELMORE JAMES, MORRIS LEVY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TIM O'
God....Peter Green was such a good guitarist. Smooth, warm, bluesy guitar breaks on his favourite Les Paul guitar. This song really showcases his great talent. RIP Peter.
Gary Roberts
Gorgeous track but the whole album is brilliant
Charles Chapman
John McVie & Mick Fleetwood shows what the true BASSIST/PERCUSSIONIST does with the backbeat
Neonleeroy
the pinnicle of tone and touch.....
joseph macdonald
Thank you. Used to have this album, always this tune.
bimwop barn
wow, that is amazing
Davidmcfarlaneblues.
This is the BLUES!!
Jan Stevens
The old en only Fleetwood Mac.
Sven van den Berg
The "Peter Green Tone".
Rev Eddro
RIP Peter Green