Gypsy (Fleetwood Mac song)
Encyclopedia
"Gypsy" is a song by the rock group Fleetwood Mac
. Stevie Nicks
wrote the song originally circa 1979, and the earliest demo recordings were recorded in early 1980 with Tom Moncrieff for possible inclusion on her solo debut Bella Donna
. However, when Nicks' friend Robin Anderson died of leukemia
, the song took on a new inspiration and Nicks held it over for Fleetwood Mac. "Gypsy" was the second single release and second biggest hit from the Mirage
album following Hold Me
. "Gypsy" reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
A cover version of the song was featured in the "Silent Knight" episode of the television series Knight Rider.
There are two points of inspiration behind "Gypsy," as stated by Stevie Nicks. The first of which is a point of nostalgia for Nicks; her life before Fleetwood Mac. Before joining the iconic band, Nicks lived with Lindsey Buckingham
, who would also join Fleetwood Mac. Nicks and Buckingham were partners in both the musical and romantic sense, however, only their musical partnership has survived. Nicks met Buckingham at a high school party, where he was singing California Dreaming by the Mamas and the Papas. Nicks joined in with perfect harmony, then they introduced themselves. They didn't see each other again until college, where they started a relationship, and started a duo called Buckingham Nicks
. They barely got by with Nicks' waitress and cleaning-lady income. They couldn't afford a bed frame, so they slept on a single mattress, directly on the floor. Nicks says the mattress was decorated in lace, with a vase and a flower at its side. When she feels her famous life getting to her, she goes "back to her roots," and takes her mattress off of the frame "back to the floor," that she loved, and decorates it with "some lace, and paper flowers." It takes her back to the days when she had no wealth- back to herself as a poor gypsy. Some speculate the rest of this song is directed at Buckingham, assuming the lyric depict her leaving him.
On March 31, 2009, Nicks gave an interview to Entertainment Weekly
discussing the inspiration for the song:
On March 25, 2009 during a show in Montreal on Fleetwood Mac's Unleashed Tour, Stevie Nicks gave a short history of the inspiration behind Gypsy. She explained it was written sometime in 1978-79, when the band had become "very famous, very fast," and it was a song that brought her back to an earlier time, to an apartment in San Francisco where she had taken the mattress off her bed and put it on the floor. To contextualize, she voiced the lyrics: "So I'm back, to the velvet underground. Back to the floor, that I love. To a room with some lace and paper flowers. Back to the gypsy that I was." Those are the words: 'So I'm back to the velvet underground' — which is a clothing store in downtown San Francisco, where Janis Joplin got her clothes, and Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, it was this little hole in the wall, amazing, beautiful stuff — 'back to the floor that I love, to a room with some lace and paper flowers, back to the gypsy that I was.'
The second, and most emotional, subject of this song is the message as a tribute to someone's passing. On October 12, 1982, Robin Snyder Anderson, Stevie's best friend, died of leukemia
.
Nicks met Robin Snyder at Arcadia high school in Los Angeles , CA when they were either 14 or 15. Around this time, Nicks had written her first song, and played it for Snyder. After that, they became best friends. Snyder is theatrical, herself; she took part in a dance troup, choir, and a theatre club. She later became Nicks' speech therapist on tour, and helped her with her voice. Videos of the two preparing for concerts are easily accessible over the internet, for instance, one video in particular where Snyder helps Nicks prepare for a concert during the "Rumors" tour. Not only did she help her with her singing, but she was also her confidante, and the person who knew her best. According to Carol Ann Harris' book, "Storms", Snyder could calm her down within just a fraction of a second. The night before her "Bella Donna" was released, Nicks received a terrifying call from Snyder saying she had leukemia, and the doctors thought she could only last three months. Even more horrifying to Nicks was the news that Snyder had gotten pregnant, as to leave her husband, Kim Anderson, with something after she left. If she aborted the child, she could've possibly lived for another year. However, the baby was born (three months-premature), and Snyder died three days later. Nicks was on tour The only person Nicks felt could understand her grief was Kim Anderson. He felt the same way, and out of grief, as well as the duty to give the baby (named Matthew) a good home, the two married. Three months later, Nicks filed for divorce, after she "received a sign" from Snyder telling her to get out of there. Nicks reportedly hasn't seen Matthew since. She says that she has a roomful of Snyder's things for him, when he's ready.
As Snyder was dying, Nicks dedicated "Gypsy" to her. Nicks found it extremely difficult to sing the song in concert.
So that's what 'Gypsy' means: it's just a search for before this all happened. And later, I tacked on a line for my friend Robin, my best friend, who died of leukemia: 'I still see your bright eyes.' But then, Robin wasn't sick yet. She got cancer, and died within a year."
Here are some example lyrics from the song, as well as some interpretations:
"And it all comes down to you, Well, you know that it does, and lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice. Oh, and it lights up the night. You see your Gypsy."
Nicks has said in interviews that this refers to Robin, and how you can only come across a friend like her once possibly twice in a lifetime. The first part may refer to Nicks suddenly becoming alone. The "Gypsy" throughout the song, especially in respect to this song being a tribute, refers to either Nicks or Snyder, representing their separation. However, The same could be said about Lindsey; maybe he was her "maybe once, maybe twice" soulmate. The "you" this time, could refer to Buckinham, as she has just left him.
"The Gypsy that remains, faces freedom with a little fear. I have no fear, I have only love, And if I was a child, and that child was a child...."
The remaining Gypsy is almost certainly Nicks; her fellow Gypsy has gone, and now she is left alone, with a new-found, yet unwelcome freedom. She then says she doesn't have fear, but has love, and then talks about a "child". Fans have theorized that this child is Matthew, Robin's son, whom Nicks wanted to raise for Snyder. She feels this is her duty, and she isn't afraid to take it on. In other cases, the dancing gypsy could be Nicks leaving Buckingham.
"I still see your bright eyes."
Nicks specifically said she added this part for Snyder, but those who didn't hear the proclamation actually assume that this bit is about either Nicks or Buckingham.
, was the very first "World Premiere Video" on MTV
in 1982, and was the highest-budget music video ever produced at the time. It was shot in a multitude of locations, including (but, not limited to) a highly detailed portrayal of a forest, many costumes and dancers, etc...The truest aspect of this video to the songs meaning is possibly the very beginning, featuring a room covered in bohemian-type decor. The camera soon settles on Nicks, sitting on the floor, and singing into the mirror. The video actually supports the belief that this song was mainly about Buckingham, as one of the scenes show Nicks and Buckingham dancing in a 1930s ballroom setting. The shot scene ends with Nicks walking out of his grasp, into the rain
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
. Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
wrote the song originally circa 1979, and the earliest demo recordings were recorded in early 1980 with Tom Moncrieff for possible inclusion on her solo debut Bella Donna
Bella Donna (album)
-The Band:* Stevie Nicks – vocals* Lori Perry – backup vocals* Sharon Celani – backup vocals*Tom Petty – vocals, guitar *Michael Campbell – guitar *Don Felder – guitar *Benmont Tench – organ, piano...
. However, when Nicks' friend Robin Anderson died of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
, the song took on a new inspiration and Nicks held it over for Fleetwood Mac. "Gypsy" was the second single release and second biggest hit from the Mirage
Mirage (Fleetwood Mac album)
Mirage is the 13th studio album by Fleetwood Mac, released in June 1982.Following a hiatus of over a year after the completion of the worldwide Tusk tour, the band temporarily relocated to Château d'Hérouville in France to record this 12-track collection...
album following Hold Me
Hold Me (Fleetwood Mac song)
"Hold Me" is a single by British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. The song was the first track to be released from the 1982 album Mirage, the fourth album by the band with Lindsey Buckingham acting as main producer with Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat....
. "Gypsy" reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
A cover version of the song was featured in the "Silent Knight" episode of the television series Knight Rider.
Stevie Nicks' Inspiration for the Song
There are two points of inspiration behind "Gypsy," as stated by Stevie Nicks. The first of which is a point of nostalgia for Nicks; her life before Fleetwood Mac. Before joining the iconic band, Nicks lived with Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American guitarist, singer, composer and producer, most notable for being the guitarist and male lead singer of the musical group Fleetwood Mac. Aside from his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has also released six solo albums and a live album...
, who would also join Fleetwood Mac. Nicks and Buckingham were partners in both the musical and romantic sense, however, only their musical partnership has survived. Nicks met Buckingham at a high school party, where he was singing California Dreaming by the Mamas and the Papas. Nicks joined in with perfect harmony, then they introduced themselves. They didn't see each other again until college, where they started a relationship, and started a duo called Buckingham Nicks
Buckingham Nicks
Buckingham Nicks is a 10-track LP by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. It was recorded in 1973 and was instrumental in both Nicks and Buckingham later joining Fleetwood Mac. A reissue of the album was done in 1976...
. They barely got by with Nicks' waitress and cleaning-lady income. They couldn't afford a bed frame, so they slept on a single mattress, directly on the floor. Nicks says the mattress was decorated in lace, with a vase and a flower at its side. When she feels her famous life getting to her, she goes "back to her roots," and takes her mattress off of the frame "back to the floor," that she loved, and decorates it with "some lace, and paper flowers." It takes her back to the days when she had no wealth- back to herself as a poor gypsy. Some speculate the rest of this song is directed at Buckingham, assuming the lyric depict her leaving him.
On March 31, 2009, Nicks gave an interview to Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
discussing the inspiration for the song:
"Oh boy, I've never really spoken about this, so I get verklempt, and then I've got the story and I start to screw it up. Okay: In the old days, before Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey [Buckingham] and I had no money, so we had a king-size mattress, but we just had it on the floor. I had old vintage coverlets on it, and even though we had no money it was still really pretty... Just that and a lamp on the floor, and that was it—there was a certain calmness about it. To this day, when I'm feeling cluttered, I will take my mattress off of my beautiful bed, wherever that may be, and put it outside my bedroom, with a table and a little lamp."
On March 25, 2009 during a show in Montreal on Fleetwood Mac's Unleashed Tour, Stevie Nicks gave a short history of the inspiration behind Gypsy. She explained it was written sometime in 1978-79, when the band had become "very famous, very fast," and it was a song that brought her back to an earlier time, to an apartment in San Francisco where she had taken the mattress off her bed and put it on the floor. To contextualize, she voiced the lyrics: "So I'm back, to the velvet underground. Back to the floor, that I love. To a room with some lace and paper flowers. Back to the gypsy that I was." Those are the words: 'So I'm back to the velvet underground' — which is a clothing store in downtown San Francisco, where Janis Joplin got her clothes, and Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, it was this little hole in the wall, amazing, beautiful stuff — 'back to the floor that I love, to a room with some lace and paper flowers, back to the gypsy that I was.'
The second, and most emotional, subject of this song is the message as a tribute to someone's passing. On October 12, 1982, Robin Snyder Anderson, Stevie's best friend, died of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
.
Stevie Nicks and Robin Snyder Anderson
Nicks met Robin Snyder at Arcadia high school in Los Angeles , CA when they were either 14 or 15. Around this time, Nicks had written her first song, and played it for Snyder. After that, they became best friends. Snyder is theatrical, herself; she took part in a dance troup, choir, and a theatre club. She later became Nicks' speech therapist on tour, and helped her with her voice. Videos of the two preparing for concerts are easily accessible over the internet, for instance, one video in particular where Snyder helps Nicks prepare for a concert during the "Rumors" tour. Not only did she help her with her singing, but she was also her confidante, and the person who knew her best. According to Carol Ann Harris' book, "Storms", Snyder could calm her down within just a fraction of a second. The night before her "Bella Donna" was released, Nicks received a terrifying call from Snyder saying she had leukemia, and the doctors thought she could only last three months. Even more horrifying to Nicks was the news that Snyder had gotten pregnant, as to leave her husband, Kim Anderson, with something after she left. If she aborted the child, she could've possibly lived for another year. However, the baby was born (three months-premature), and Snyder died three days later. Nicks was on tour The only person Nicks felt could understand her grief was Kim Anderson. He felt the same way, and out of grief, as well as the duty to give the baby (named Matthew) a good home, the two married. Three months later, Nicks filed for divorce, after she "received a sign" from Snyder telling her to get out of there. Nicks reportedly hasn't seen Matthew since. She says that she has a roomful of Snyder's things for him, when he's ready.
As Snyder was dying, Nicks dedicated "Gypsy" to her. Nicks found it extremely difficult to sing the song in concert.
So that's what 'Gypsy' means: it's just a search for before this all happened. And later, I tacked on a line for my friend Robin, my best friend, who died of leukemia: 'I still see your bright eyes.' But then, Robin wasn't sick yet. She got cancer, and died within a year."
Song Interpretations
However, it has been established this song is about "Stevie Nicks remembering her roots" and, mainly, a tribute to Robin Anderson, many still leave it open to interpretation. The most popular interpretation that hasn't been confirmed by Nicks is the belief that many of the lyrics are not only directed towards Snyder, but to Lindsey Buckingham. This is very possible, as it has been said that the two still had feelings for each other for quite a few years after their split. Also, her lyrics are very cryptic, which make them open for wide interpretation.Here are some example lyrics from the song, as well as some interpretations:
"And it all comes down to you, Well, you know that it does, and lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice. Oh, and it lights up the night. You see your Gypsy."
Nicks has said in interviews that this refers to Robin, and how you can only come across a friend like her once possibly twice in a lifetime. The first part may refer to Nicks suddenly becoming alone. The "Gypsy" throughout the song, especially in respect to this song being a tribute, refers to either Nicks or Snyder, representing their separation. However, The same could be said about Lindsey; maybe he was her "maybe once, maybe twice" soulmate. The "you" this time, could refer to Buckinham, as she has just left him.
"The Gypsy that remains, faces freedom with a little fear. I have no fear, I have only love, And if I was a child, and that child was a child...."
The remaining Gypsy is almost certainly Nicks; her fellow Gypsy has gone, and now she is left alone, with a new-found, yet unwelcome freedom. She then says she doesn't have fear, but has love, and then talks about a "child". Fans have theorized that this child is Matthew, Robin's son, whom Nicks wanted to raise for Snyder. She feels this is her duty, and she isn't afraid to take it on. In other cases, the dancing gypsy could be Nicks leaving Buckingham.
"I still see your bright eyes."
Nicks specifically said she added this part for Snyder, but those who didn't hear the proclamation actually assume that this bit is about either Nicks or Buckingham.
Music Video
The video for this song, directed by Russell MulcahyRussell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy is an Australian film director. His work is easily recognized by his use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights.- Music videos :...
, was the very first "World Premiere Video" on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in 1982, and was the highest-budget music video ever produced at the time. It was shot in a multitude of locations, including (but, not limited to) a highly detailed portrayal of a forest, many costumes and dancers, etc...The truest aspect of this video to the songs meaning is possibly the very beginning, featuring a room covered in bohemian-type decor. The camera soon settles on Nicks, sitting on the floor, and singing into the mirror. The video actually supports the belief that this song was mainly about Buckingham, as one of the scenes show Nicks and Buckingham dancing in a 1930s ballroom setting. The shot scene ends with Nicks walking out of his grasp, into the rain
Musicians
- Stevie NicksStevie NicksStephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Lindsey BuckinghamLindsey BuckinghamLindsey Adams Buckingham is an American guitarist, singer, composer and producer, most notable for being the guitarist and male lead singer of the musical group Fleetwood Mac. Aside from his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has also released six solo albums and a live album...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Christine McVieChristine McVieChristine McVie is an English rock singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. Her primary fame came as a member of the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac, though she has also released three solo albums...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, vocals, organ - John McVieJohn McVieJohn Graham McVie is a British bass guitarist best known as a member of the rock group Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of Mick Fleetwood, was the inspiration for the band's name...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Mick FleetwoodMick FleetwoodMichael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood is a British musician and actor best known for his role as the drummer and namesake of the blues/rock and roll band Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of John McVie, was the inspiration for the name of the originally Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...