Gypsy appreciation...
 

So this is random, I know, but tonight while doing some work I was listening to the extended version of Gypsy (found on the Chain boxset) and was reminded of absolutely gorgeous this song is. It truly is one of the macs best produced tracks and, to me, consists of everything that defines Fleetwood Mac. Stevie's hypnotic lead vocal, Lindsey's frantic guitar playing and vocal harmonizing with Stevie, Christine's beautiful vocals and piano playing (ultimate McVie piano line - working with the rhythm section), and John/Mick's killer rhythmic patterning...I love the song as a song, but the production of it is just brilliant...definitely the highlight of the Mac's 80s output, and one of the best moments of their entire career...

I think Gypsy may be their prettiest song ever recorded, but, for me, best song by Fleetwood Mac in the 80s deffo goes to Little Lies. Tell me lies...

I must agree. Gypsy was the catalyst that made me a Fleetwood Mac fan since 1982. Let's see how Mick describes it in his book in the episode about Mirage:

Stevie's songs including the utterly majestic "Gypsy" were what she had saved for us after recording her first album, Bella Donna, which was about to sell ten million copies and make Miss Nicks the Queen of Rock. Some leftover! "Gypsy" is one of Fleetwood Mac's greatest works of art; for me it really crystallises that whole period of the early 1980s, when we were in our mid-thirties and beginning to look back on our lost youth.
.....
Mirage was released in mid-1982, an artistic and financial success. Both "Hold Me" and "Gypsy" were hit singles in the United States, and "Oh Diane" was a British chart hit as well. I think we sold about five million albums. It didn't hurt that Rolling Stone had crowned Stevie "The Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll," and that a new cable television channel called MTV was broadcasting our new videos ("Hold Me" set in desert dunes, "Gypsy" in a Stevie fantasy world) to the American suburbs twenty-four hours a day. Mirage went to number one, and it felt great to be back on top for a while.

Gypsy is my #1 Fleetwood Mac song. :nod: It was one my gateway songs that lead me into Fleetwood Mac fandom.

"Gypsy" is such a great track. One of the best of FM's career. I still wonder how could it be, that it didn't go to #1 in US. Too much of beauty for people's taste? Anyway, for me it's one of the key Fleetwood Mac songs that I play for other people to get them idea of what kind of music they perform.

I love the backing vocals and piano too. I think this song gets ruined live. It's loses the pristine intrumentation in concert.

I tend to disagree. I think the band plays it beautifully live but the vocalist just can't cut it.

And I think the same was true for Hold Me.

I sort of agree with this, but to me, the studio version is really a great demonstration of beautiful high frequencies that get lost in a live setting such as Mirage and even the lighter Dance version.

Yeah I love the Mirage arrangements. Great backing vocals, a 50's vibe, lots of Wilson sounds, and great keys, guitars, bass and percussion.

Agreed. It was never quite right to my ears no matter what tour, but I could never put my finger on why. But the album version is a masterpiece.

Totally agree. Gypsy is a masterpiece, and one of the best examples of the group coming together as a whole - each piece is in top form (meaning songwriting, production, playing, singing, etc...) AND it's my alltime favorite video to (platformed:p) boot. The unedited mix on 'The Chain' is my very favorite version...love that "I can't find you..." :angel:

I must add, that my girlfriend (who's not a big Fleetwood Mac fan) thinks, that "Gypsy" is perfect Pop hit. This song just takes you away, in an almost subliminal way.

[Rabbi links Gypsy and the Exodus for the Seder]

Wednesday, April 9, 2014, Three Jews, Four Opinions

http://www.threejews.net/2014/04/fle...and-seder.html

Fleetwood Mac and the Seder



The rock/folk band Fleetwood Mac has an interesting elaboration on the exodus from Egypt. Rabbi Adlerstein at Cross-Currents has posted his annual shiur (or talk) about Passover. These are always interesting. He comes up with Passover insights from a variety of sources that are not just smart and clever and insightful, but also that are not well known.

In one drash, he discussed the idea of the exodus from Egypt being solely the result of divine love. (I won't elaborate; listen to the lecture). This reminded my of Fleetwood Mac's absolutely beautiful and haunting song "Gypsy" which is partially about the death of Stevie Nick's close friend. One verse is

And the gypsy that remains
Faces freedom, with a little fear
I have no fear; I have only love.

Several years ago, I heard that song on the radio just before Passover, and ever since, I have thought of those lines in the context of the Exodus. (You have to get a little postmodern here; Stevie Nicks certainly was not thinking of the Exodus.)

Fear and love are not typically contrasted with each other. Fear and courage, perhaps. Or love and hate, or love and indifference. But fear and love do contrast with each other nicely.

People faced with an expansion of freedom often react with "a little fear." Perhaps not a lot; freedom is a good thing and cause for celebration. But the freedom also raises the troubling question of what to do with one's life. That requires choices, priorities, and wisdom. Before that, the slavery and narrow places had at least provided structure, albeit at a great personal cost.

The children of Israel seem to react to their freedom with fear. At the Sea of Reeds, they ask, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?" (Exod. 14:11.) They complaint about the food and water, and then build the golden calf. They incessantly whine and complain. And that attitude might have been caused, at least in part, by the fear resulting from not really knowing how to lead a free life.

Both God's response and the freed slaves' response could be the last line of that verse. "I have no fear; I have only love." God freeing the slaves was a manifestation of his love, as was the later giving of the 10 Commandments and other rules. And one principle the freed slaves could use to structure their lives was to emulate this love: try to take the morally correct action and help others, and in doing so, lead a meaningful and thoughtful life. I imagine both God and the slaves singing the last line in harmony.

I thought she wrote the song during the Tusk days...Was a verse about Robin added latter? I was just looking on the Internet and it says the Gypsy video was filmed while Stevie was in rehab (never heard that before, or maybe I did and forgot)...

The song is gorgeous. Love the Box Set version. I agree it is not that great live. But I love the live version from the Mirage tour. That was incredible.

Perfect vocal. Perfect production. I heard this today on Sirius and just marveled again at how great it sounds still.

I love Gypsy .I killed the 45 rpm record by over playing it.

Gypsy is really the first Mac song that I got seriously, seriously hooked on. I remember playing it on repeat and calling my mom, exasperated, because I couldn't stop listening and it made me inexplicably and overwhelmingly emotional.

This version, though, just punches me in the gut. I wish they'd do it like this again.
http://youtu.be/m5HeRgOVOMw

same! but I have to tie it was Rhiannnon.
depends on my mood :D

My all time favorite song period. It replaced Sara which replaced Dreams. But like many of you mentioned, the live version is lacking. Not since the Mirage tour have I been able to enjoy a live version of this song. ahh....but the studio version...masterpiece.

Agreed that the studio/Mirage version is like a masterpiece.

There is also a Gypsy bootleg out there from a heart disease benefit that Stevie did maybe 10 years ago (?). Lindsey showed up and they played a version a pared down version of Gypsy. No band - just Lindsey on guitar. It was similar to Landslide ....and one of the best live versions of that song I've ever heard. Always hoped they would add that version to their current tours to replace an overplayed Landslide

Here is a better version of the same performance of Gypsy

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/9gd3...uckingham).mp3

I Hope You Like It, It Already Has 9 Downloads. I Mixed and Trimmed it

Ahhh THANK YOU! This is so much better!

Two guitarists. Waddy as well, I think. Well, I know Waddy walked Lindsey offstage later. I'm not sure if he played with Lindsey or if it was Carlos.

Michele

Yes, the Robin verse was tacked on according to her, now:

This is what she told Entertainment Weekly:

http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/03/31/stevie-nicks-in/

“Gypsy”
“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.

That’s 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.”

Stevie writes such achingly poignant songs and this is one of my absolute favourites. I can almost feel what she's talking about and the era it belongs to.

"Gypsy....one of the many songs written by Stevie Nicks that can provoke so many different emotions from each listener. This song was originally written for her solo LP Bella Donna, but was later used for the Fleetwood Mac album released in 1982 named Mirage. "I think 'Gypsy' was one of my best collaborations ever with Stevie.....in terms of what I do for Stevie as far as arrangement and things go. I think that was one of the most effective pieces we've ever done" states Lindsey Buckingham (Guitar World 9/97). Whether it is the mysterious words or the sensual melody, this song captures the hearts of many, and can easily be seen as one of her best songs. Stevie has stated many times that her songs are her innermost feelings and represent things that are happening in her life. When one really listens to the words in Gypsy, we are learning a little more about this special woman and her true spirit.

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
To the Gypsy...that I was

This song is almost like we are in the middle of her daydream. This first line brings us to a place that Stevie once said she used to shop at in her younger days called The Velvet Underground in San Francisco. She is imagining herself here many years ago, back to a time where she was simply known as Stephanie. Back to the floor that I love....Stevie stated in The Record 1982, that "I always put my bed on the floor." She is known to pack up everything she owns, all of her favorite things, like her books, music, painting and her beloved candles and turn any room into ...hers...a place where she finds comfort and has a sense of familiarity. She could be picturing herself back to when she first had that "gypsy" feeling in her younger days, way before her stardom, way back to when things were much simpler as she says "back to the gypsy, that I was.."

And it all comes down to you
Well, you know that is does
Well, lightening strikes, maybe once, maybe twice
Ah, and it lights up the night
And you see your gypsy
You see your gypsy

It is up to all of us to determine our own paths in our lives and that is what Stevie tries to tell us here. We are the master of our own choices in life, whether they are the right choices are not. Lightening strikes, maybe once, maybe twice...is a little more difficult to interpret. Some think the lightening could represent events in one's life; This could be either tragedy or success. Stevie had to deal with a major tragic event in her life with the death of her best friend Robin, who died from Leukemia. She also had to deal with the rapid success of Fleetwood Mac. These events affect one's life and brings about changes whether you wish it or not. Stevie lost a great support system in Robin and she lost a lot of her freedom with her success, and going back to those "gypsy" days, could be a place of comfort for her.

To 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 the child was enough
Enough for me to love
Enough to love......

The gypsy that remains could signify the person Stevie is now or used to be. Back in her "gypsy" early days, Stevie told us that she was very dependent on Lindsey, and would let him take over. As she started to grow into her own person, her fears of being alone and facing life no longer held her back. She is a stronger woman now and she is telling herself that she is ok, even now when her life has changed so much. And if I was a child.....could represent Stevie as a child or she could be talking about herself now, almost like the child within the woman, the time when she was carefree and full of childlike innocence. If she could take herself back to those childlike times, could she love herself more.

She is dancing away from me now
She was just a wish
She was just a wish
And a memory is all that is left for you now
You see your gypsy
You see your gypsy

Stevie is reflecting on her youth, back to the "gypsy" days throughout this song. She is dancing away from me now....she knows that she cannot turn back the clock and be the girl she once was, though she can wish it. She is getting older now and her pre-stardom freedom she had is just a memory, and in that memory.....you see your gypsy.

In ways, some feel this verse has a dual meaning. In one way , it is about Stevie talking about herself, but then it leads one to speculate if she added a little about her friend Robin. She died with in a year of being diagnosed, and she is dancing away from me now...could be Stevie's way of saying that she is leaving her now and her memory is all that she has left of her.

Lightening strikes, maybe once, maybe twice
And it all comes down to you

I still see your bright eyes, bright eyes And it all comes down to you I still see your bright eyes, bright eyes (She was just a wish) (She was just a wish) And it all comes down to you.

Many of us have heard throughout the years that the verse "I still see your bright eyes, bright eyes", was added to this song in memory of Robin. Stevie could be saying that even though she is gone, she still sees her bright eyes shining on her no matter what she is doing in her life.

On the Fleetwood Mac Chain box set, there is an unedited version of the song "Gypsy". This version is basically the same version we have all heard but the ending is very ethereal. Stevie sings the verse "But I still see your bright eyes"...but adds the eerie phrase softly in the background....."I can't find you.." Very sad but beautiful.....we feel what she is trying to express through her music and that is what makes it more special. It is so very real and honest. In our hearts she will always be known to us as "the gypsy"...and today she is still very much that "gypsy" she always was in her heart. Stevie says, " In basic ways, I haven't changed..the clothes I wear, that doesn't change. I love long dresses. I love velvet. I love high boots. I love the same eye make-up. I never change. I still have everything I had then. That's one part of me..that's where my songs come from." She quotes from Gypsy, ' To a room with some lace and paper flowers/Back to the gypsy that I was.' And that's San Francisco. That's the velvet underground. Those are the things that I can't give up" (The Record, 2/92). We love you for that Stevie."

source: The Penguin

I distinctly remember in the June, 2009 Fleetwood Mac concert that my husband and I attended in Winnipeg, Stevie talked about Gypsy. She said it was written about Lindsey, whom she called "her Gypsy." The way she explained it and spoke about him was very romantic. The entire place went crazy when she called him that!!!

It is such a special song... it evokes such beautiful, sad nostalgia in ways that I cannot adequately describe. The visuals she paints with her words and the haunting, floating melody is so powerful and beautiful.

I think perhaps the most perfect part of the song that sends me over the edge each time is when Lindsey starts singing 'lightning strikes maybe once, maybe twice' intertwined with Stevie's vocals... the entire song is enchanting, and then when those vocals come together? Beautiful.

I was in a music store yesterday and they had Gypsy blasting through awesome speakers. I stopped in my tracks and just bathed in it.

I love this song and play it often but hearing it fresh made me love it even more.

How great is Mick's drumming on this track?

How perfect and sensitive are Lindsey's guitars?

How strange is it that a song without a chorus was a hit single?

The backing vocals over it make it sublime.

I would love to hear the stems for this track.

I love that Lindsey left it alone and didn't try to force some attempt at a chorus on it like he did with the production of Smile At You on SYW (I should have turned around and ran as fast as I can... shudder). Stevie's songs don't always follow a traditional verse/chorus format and they can still be wonderful..

The line "And You see your Gypsy" could be considered a chorus. It's a line that's used multiple times and includes the song title.

While a hit single without a chorus is not common it's also not necessarily rare. There are plenty of examples.

I must agree: Gypsy is a perfect song. As song but also the production.

I never thought about the fact that Gypsy doesn't have a chorus. I suppose Lindsey's hooky little guitar picking is the most melodically iconic part of the song and really functions as the chorus, although it isn't sung. It wraps the whole thing up and allows it to work as a pop song, while still being true to Stevie's quirky vision. Brilliantly done all around.

There is a chorus if you ask me. "you see your gypsy" could be considered a chorus.

Yes I agree. A verse B chorus A verse B chorus C intrumental outro

"You see your Gypsy" would be a refrain. After reading your post, I did some reading. A chorus has a "change up", while those lines are delivered over the same musical passage as the rest of the verse.