Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)

Infobox Single
Name = Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)


Caption =
Artist = Fleetwood Mac
from Album = Fleetwood Mac
A-side =
B-side = "Sugar Daddy"
Released = February 4, 1976
Format = 7" 45 RPM
Recorded = February, 1975
Genre = Rock
Length = 4:12 (album version)3:46 (single version)
Label = Reprise
Writer = Stevie Nicks
Producer = Fleetwood Mac and Keith Olsen
Certification =
Chart position =

• #11 (U.S., Canada)
• #13 (Australia)
• #16 (Netherlands)
• #46 (U.K.)

Last single = "Warm Ways"
(1975)
This single = "Rhiannon"
(1976)
Next single = "Say You Love Me"
(1976)
Misc = "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)" is a popular single released by Fleetwood Mac in 1976. 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. ["Rock Movers & Shakers" by Dafydd Rees & Luke Crampton, 1991 Billboard Books.] 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 noticeably different from the version appearing on the "Fleetwood Mac" album. Specifically, Lindsey Buckingham's guitar part at the end is edited out and the line "dreams unwind, love's a state of mind" is repeated four times as the song fades out, more often than on the LP version; this version also was given a "hotter" mix than the LP version to make it stand out more during radio play.

Most live versions of the song feature an alternate, extended ending. Live performances dating back to when the white album was released in 1975 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etd4cm2a5xg] , feature an aggressive ending which included extended, loud vocals from Nicks and an extra guitar solo from Buckingham. An example can be seen on the band's Midnight Special performance in 1976 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py3w5fttedA&feature=related] . The song is still played in this arrangement by both Nicks and Fleetwood Mac.

The song is always referred to as simply "Rhiannon" on Fleetwood Mac albums. The suffixed title was only used on singles in certain territories.

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 Welsh myth of Rhiannon in the novel, but the characters in the novel bear little resemblance to their mythological 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 has 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. 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.

Nicks avoided wearing black clothing for "about two years" in an effort to distance herself from the witchcraft and dark arts associations surrounding her as a result of the lyrics to "Rhiannon" giving fans the wrong impression. (2 minutes into this interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIlfT-aDTko)

Personnel

* Stevie Nicks - Vocals
* Lindsey Buckingham - Guitar, Background Vocals
* Christine McVie - Keyboards, Background Vocals
* John McVie - Bass
* Mick Fleetwood - Drums

Covers

Waylon Jennings covered the song in his 1985 album, "Turn the Page."

Hardcore Punk band Zeke also covered the song in their 2000 "Dirty Sanchez" album.

Hole also sample Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win) on the song "Starbelly".

Japanese artist Superfly covered the song as a b-side of the single "Ai wo Komete Hanataba wo", released on 27th february, 2008.

References