- Dragonfly (Fleetwood Mac song)
-
"Dragonfly" 
German picture sleeveSingle by Fleetwood Mac B-side "The Purple Dancer" Released March 1971 Format 7" single Recorded Late 1970 Genre Blues rock, psychedelic rock Label Reprise
Reprise RS27010Fleetwood Mac singles chronology "The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Prong Crown)"
(1970 UK)"Dragonfly"
(1971 UK)"Did You Ever Love Me"
(1972 UK)"Dragonfly" is a song written by British musician Danny Kirwan with lyrics taken from a poem by Welsh poet W. H. Davies. It was originally recorded by Kirwan's band Fleetwood Mac in 1970, and became the first UK single released by the band after the departure of their frontman Peter Green. It was also their first single with Christine McVie as a full member of the group. By the time the song had been released, guitarist Jeremy Spencer had left the band.
Contents
Recording
The lyrics to "Dragonfly" were taken from W. H. Davies' 1927 poem, "The Dragonfly", with some lines switched around and others omitted. The poem included an extra verse that does not feature in the song.[1] Kirwan wrote the music for the song, sang and played guitar, accompanied by Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass guitar.
The B-side of the single, "The Purple Dancer", was written by Kirwan, Fleetwood and John McVie, and featured vocals from both Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer. Both songs were recorded during the same session in late 1970. Spencer did not participate in the recording of "Dragonfly", but both songs were played at concerts during late 1970 and early 1971 and exist on bootleg recordings. "Dragonfly" was also recorded for the German TV show Beat-Club in 1971, after Spencer had left the band. New guitarist Bob Welch featured in the performance in Spencer's place.
"Dragonfly" was recorded after the release of Fleetwood Mac's Kiln House album in September 1970, and no songs from that album had been released as singles in the UK, although "Jewel Eyed Judy" was a single in the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, and "Tell Me All the Things You Do" had been released in France. "Dragonfly" was chosen as the band's next single in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. Special picture sleeves were issued for the German and Dutch releases, but the British single had a plain Reprise sleeve.
The single failed to chart in any of the countries in which it was released, even in the Netherlands, where the previous single "Jewel Eyed Judy" had made the top 50. "Dragonfly" subsequently did not feature on Fleetwood Mac's following album Future Games, although it did appear on a 1971 Greatest Hits collection.
Reaction
Kirwan's former bandmate Peter Green said of "Dragonfly": "The best thing he ever wrote... that should have been a hit."[2]
In his book, "The Complete Guide to the Music of Fleetwood Mac", Rikky Rooksby stated: "... wonderfully textured guitar playing. It has shimmering chords and the tune coming down in octaves... This is far and away the best thing which Kirwan ever wrote."[3]
Personnel
- Danny Kirwan – guitar, vocals
- John McVie – bass
- Mick Fleetwood – drums
- Jeremy Spencer – guitar, vocals (B-side only)
- Christine McVie – piano, backing vocals (B-side only)
References
- ^ "The Dragonfly" at theglade.net
- ^ Vernon, Mike (1999). Album notes for The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions by Fleetwood Mac [CD box set booklet]. Sire Records.
- ^ Rooksby, Rikky, "The Complete Guide to the Music of Fleetwood Mac", Omnibus Press, 1998, p. 173.
Categories:- 1971 singles
- Fleetwood Mac songs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
