(Source: Far Out / Atlantic Catalog Group / Lindsey Buckingham)
“Time has cast a spell on you / But you won’t forget me,” Stevie Nicks sings over and over like a command in Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs.” In a rare live performance, she looks Lindsey Buckingham straight in the eyes and holds him there as he looks back, almost frozen by the power of the song, the camera capturing it all. She sings it over and over, each time with more power and emotion. She sings it like an incantation, as if the song contains a spell that she is sending out into the world: “You’ll never escape the sound / Of the woman who loved you.”
Originally, “Silver Springs” was supposed to appear on the band’s 1977 album, Rumors. It was an incredibly turbulent time that fans and music historians alike wrote about and analyzed tirelessly, because the band created some of its undoubtedly best work during a time when it was completely imploding. John and Christine McVie’s marriage was falling apart while she was writing “You Make Loving Fun” about an affair. But the inspiration for the album’s most heartbreaking songs comes from the messy end of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s long-term love. The emotional turmoil within the band fueled the raw and powerful songwriting that made their work during this period so compelling and left an indelible mark on rock history.
The two met in high school and have been connected ever since. They formed their musical duo and struggled through some incredibly difficult times when money wasn’t coming in. When the opportunity to join Fleetwood Mac arose, Buckingham made it clear that the pair were a complete package and that he wouldn’t go where she wasn’t. In short, they grew up together and were a musical and romantic force to be reckoned with.
A breakup between them was always heartbreaking. But a breakup between two songwriters is something completely different. During the recordings for RumorsWhen their relationship completely fell apart and finally ended, the two were grieving and processing the loss in that very moment, asking the other to sing or play on the track. Buckingham broke Nicks’ heart with “Go Your Own Way,” while Nicks’ “Dreams” was her response.
The most emotional song written during this time, however, was not included on the record. Perhaps “Silver Springs” was too powerful, so it was left off the tracklist and relegated to a fan favorite that was rarely played. Fittingly, the song was released as the B-side to “Go Your Own Way” and seems to express all the upset, anger and heartache that Nicks felt not only in response to Buckingham’s song, but also to the breakup and the future of their musical partnership.
As the verses progress, the song feels like a typical breakup song, as Nicks contemplates moving on, is jealous of seeing her ex-partner with someone new, and ultimately falls out of love with him. But it’s not until the chorus and bridge kick in that the song feels like something else entirely. Her voice suddenly seems to become steely and incredibly direct. The imagery is dropped in favor of clear language as she sings, “Time has cast a spell on you / But you won’t forget me / I know I could have loved you / But you wouldn’t let it.”
From the day it was released to now, the track has sent shivers down listeners’ spines. There’s something in the words that feels powerful, but more powerful than just great songwriting. As the chorus kicks in and Nick’s vocals get louder, more emotional, and faster, its power builds. She pleads desperately like “Was I just a fool?” but then each plea is punctuated by statements that culminate in the phrase “I’ll follow you / Until the sound of my voice haunts you.”
The track is so powerful, in fact, that you wonder if it even contains any spells. The jokes that Nicks is a witch have always followed her, ever since her breakthrough tracks like “Rhiannon” or pieces like “Gold Dust Woman” and “Sisters Of The Moon”. Nicks addressed the topic, telling the LA Times 2014: “At the beginning of my career, the whole idea of some crazy, creepy people writing, ‘You’re a witch, you’re a witch!’ was so intriguing. And then I thought, ‘No, I’m not!'”
But that air of witchcraft and power informs so many of their songs. “Silver Springs” is a prime example of something supernatural or spiritual being captured right in that song. In the clip of the band performing the song live for the first time in years in 1997, it feels like the whole world can see the energy between Nicks and Buckingham pouring out of screens and headphones. He looks like a man under a spell, as if Nicks’ curse that he would never be able to get away from her sound and be forever haunted by her voice is coming true.
In many ways, it was. Regardless of the status of their relationship or their arguments, Buckingham and Nicks are inextricably linked. The guitarist will never be able to get away from the sound of the woman who loved him, for their music will forever be linked. Whether it was an incantation or simply the inextricable bond between art and love, the magic of Silver Springs was realized.
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Fleetwood Mac
