Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)
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| "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Fleetwood Mac | ||
| from the album Fleetwood Mac | ||
| Released | 1975 | |
| Recorded | February, 1975 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 4:12 | |
| Label | Reprise | |
| Writer(s) | Stevie Nicks | |
| Producer(s) | Fleetwood Mac and Keith Olsen | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Fleetwood Mac singles chronology | ||
| "Warm Ways" (1975) |
"Rhiannon" (1976) |
"Say You Love Me" (1976) |
"Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)" is a popular single released by Fleetwood Mac in 1975. The song was the first example of Stevie Nicks' prolific writing, performing and singing within the band. In later years her performing and singing would become even more important in the band's artistry. Nicks is renowned for dramatic live performances of Rhiannon in flowing gowns.
"Rhiannon" was voted #488 in The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine. Its U.S. chart peak was in June 1976, when it hit #11. [1] Although it only reached #46 in the UK singles chart after re-release in 1976, Rhiannon is well known and highly regarded as a rock anthem both within and outside the US.
The single version of the song was a re-mixed edited version that is noticably different than the version appearing on the Fleetwood Mac album.
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[edit] Background
Nicks discovered Rhiannon through a novel called Triad, by Mary Leader. The novel is about a woman named Branwen who is possessed by another woman named Rhiannon. There is mention of the myth in the novel, but the characters bear little resemblance to their namesakes.
Nicks bought the novel in an airport just before a long flight and thought the name was so pretty that she wanted to write something about a girl named Rhiannon. She wrote "Rhiannon" in 1974, three months before joining Fleetwood Mac and she claimed it took 10 minutes to write.
After writing the song, Nicks learned that Rhiannon was a Welsh goddess and was amazed that the haunting song lyrics applied to the Welsh Rhiannon as well.
After learning of the Rhiannon myth, Nicks researched the Mabinogion story and began work on a Rhiannon project, unsure of whether it would become a movie, a musical, a cartoon, or a ballet. There are several "Rhiannon Songs" from this unfinished project including "Stay Away" and "Maker of Birds". Nicks wrote the Fleetwood Mac song "Angel" based on the Rhiannon story.
[edit] Personnel
- Stevie Nicks - Vocals
- Lindsey Buckingham - Guitar, Background Vocals
- Christine McVie - Keyboards, Background Vocals
- John McVie - Bass
- Mick Fleetwood - Drums
[edit] Covers
Waylon Jennings covered the song in his 1985 album, Turn The Page.
[edit] References
- ^ Rock Movers & Shakers by Dafydd Rees & Luke Crampton, 1991 Billboard Books.
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