Rhiannon (song)

"Rhiannon" (released as a single under the title "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)") is a song written by Stevie Nicks and originally recorded by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their eponymous album in 1975; it was issued as a single the following year. The song's U.S. chart peak was in June 1976, when it hit no. 11.[3] The song peaked at no. 46 in the UK singles chart for three weeks after re-release in February 1978.[4]

"Rhiannon"
Single by Fleetwood Mac
from the album Fleetwood Mac
B-side"Sugar Daddy"
ReleasedFebruary 1976 (US)[1]
April 1976 (UK)[2]
RecordedFebruary 1975
Genre
Length4:11 (Album version)
3:46 (Single version)
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Stevie Nicks
Producer(s)
Fleetwood Mac singles chronology
"Over My Head"
(1975)		 "Rhiannon"
(1976)		 "Say You Love Me"
(1976)

"Rhiannon" was voted no. 488 in The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine. They also ranked the song number six on their list of the 50 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.[5]

When Nicks performed the song live, she often introduced it by saying "This is a song about an old Welsh witch."[6] During 1975–1980, Fleetwood Mac's live performances of "Rhiannon" took on a theatrical intensity not present on the FM-radio single. The song built to a climax in which Nicks's vocals were so impassioned that, as drummer and band co-founder Mick Fleetwood recalled, "her Rhiannon in those days was like an exorcism."[7]

Background

Nicks discovered the Rhiannon character in the early 1970s through a novel called Triad by Mary Bartlet Leader.[8] The novel is about a woman named Branwen who is possessed by a witch named Rhiannon. There is mention of the Welsh legend of Rhiannon in the novel, but the characters in the novel bear little resemblance to their original Welsh namesakes (both Rhiannon and Branwen are major female characters in the medieval Welsh prose tales of the Mabinogion).[8][9]

After writing the song, Nicks learned that Rhiannon originated from a Welsh goddess, and was amazed that the haunting song lyrics applied to the Welsh Rhiannon as well. 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 were several Rhiannon-centered and themed songs from this unfinished project, including "Stay Away" and "Maker of Birds." Additionally, Nicks wrote the Fleetwood Mac song "Angel" based on the Rhiannon story.[9]

Reception

Billboard described "Rhiannon" as a "haunting song" with an "infectious melody".[10] Record World said that "Stevie Nicks' vocal evokes a magic that is hard to ignore on this scintillating track."[11] The Guardian and Paste ranked the song number seven and number six, respectively, on their lists of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.[12][13]

Personnel

Fleetwood Mac

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Fleetwood mac singles".
  2. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 296. ISBN 9780862415419.
  3. Rock Movers & Shakers by Dafydd Rees & Luke Crampton, 1991 Billboard Books.
  4. The Great Rock Discography. Martin C. Strong. Page 378. ISBN 1-84195-312-1
  5. "Fleetwood Mac's 50 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  6. "17 Reasons This 'Rhiannon' Clip Is the Coolest Thing in the Universe". Rolling Stone. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  7. "Stevie Nicks - Behind the Music". rockalittle.com.
  8. DeMain, Bill (4 September 2015). "Fleetwood Mac: the story behind Rhiannon". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  9. "Stevie Nicks on Rhiannon". inherownwords. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  10. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 28 February 1976. p. 64. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  11. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 28 February 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  12. Petridis, Alexis (19 May 2022). "Fleetwood Mac's 30 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  13. Mitchell, Matt (7 August 2023). "The 30 Greatest Fleetwood Mac Songs". Paste. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  14. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 22 May 1976. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  15. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4128a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  16. "National Top 100 Singles for 1976". Kent Music Report. 27 December 1976. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
  17. "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  18. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 88.
  19. "Cash Box Top 100 5/29/76". tropicalglen.com.
  20. "Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 08 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  21. "Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976". www.musicoutfitters.com.
  22. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1976". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  23. "British single certifications – Fleetwood Mac – Rhiannon". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  24. "Glen Cook aux Utopiales 2011 : l'interview". Elbakin.net.
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