So what are the Rhiannon songs?

[David]

In 2001, the Mix 96.9 Web site had this little interview with Stevie:

The opening guitar line in “Planets” is a nod to Lindsey’s guitar part from “Rhiannon.” Did you write it that way back in ’76?

“Well, it’s the same chords basically as ‘Rhiannon’; it’s not exactly the same, but there are parts of it that are the same. ‘Planets of the Universe’ was one of the ‘Rhiannon’ songs—I have 11 songs over all of these years that if I ever wanted to do a movie or something built around the story of ‘Rhiannon.’ Those songs are all continuations of each other—‘Planets,’ ‘Rhiannon’ and ‘Sorcerer.’ I have recorded all 11 of them, just sat and played them all in a row to see what my line was through the whole thing, and for a long time I didn’t want to separate them.”

[I]Are we familiar with any of those other tracks or are they songs that haven’t been released yet?

“There’s two or three on all the solo albums all the way back, but there’s probably seven left.”
___________________

So can we compile a list of all eleven Rhiannon songs? Is there enough confirmation from Stevie over the years, or at least good hints?

I'd add "Forest of the Black Roses" & "Maker of the Birds" to the list of probabilities. Maybe even "Lady from the Mountain" & "Gate & Garden." Maybe even my favorite -- "The Nightmare"!

Sara Maitland (The Underground) thinks that "Stay Away" might be one of them.

[ontheEdgeof17]

Forest of the BacK Roses
Three Birds
Mistaken Love
The Tower

:shrug:

[strandinthewind]

Part of Angel is from that - to wit:

On the line 'So I close my eyes softly/Till I become that part of the wind'] That's from uh, the story of Rhiannon... there's a man, in the story of Rhiannon and his name is Arawn... who is the great lord of darkness ~ who is the man who possesses the power to take or give life, but he only takes life... because of pain. And so I wrote something at some point... because Aaron is my father's name, and Aaron is also my brother's name. And Aaron is also my grandfather's name. So Arawn is many things to me.

And it says, 'So I close my eyes softly/Till I become that part of the wind that we all long for sometime.' And so Arawn touched the twins with his hand so that they would sleep. And in that sleep there will be no pain. And in that nonexistence of pain there will be happiness. Because it was only given with great love. And this was in a haunted song, and a charmed hour, and this was the angel... of my dreams.
~Stevie Nicks, Jim Ladd Innerview, 1979

[On what the definition of a "charmed hour" is] The best hour. The best of all your life....It always will remain in your memory and always ring through your dreams, and be there when any people hurt you or bring you down, or you suffer, maybe. That haunted song will be there for you, because that's the Birds of Rhiannon. And that's what that was written about, is the Three Birds of Rhiannon, which always are there if you need them. And you may black out ~ and that's what they do ~ they just take the pain from you, and you wake up and it's all right. And that's the haunted song of Rhiannon... you have to know the story.
~Stevie Nicks, Jim Ladd Innerview, 1979

kudos to http://www.inherownwords.com/angel.htm

[KarmaContestant]

Blue Water can be added to the list. I'm pretty sure on this, as it from a master reel titled: Stevie Nicks Music Film Score

So, that's:
1...Planets of the Universe
2...Rhiannon
3...Three Birds of Rhiannon/Maker of the Birds
4...The Tower/Goodbye Baby
5...Blue Water
6...Mistaken Love (also on the film score reel)
7...Forest of the Black Roses
8...Stay Away
9...Sorcerer
10...Angel, maybe

Any others?

[Johnny Stew]

Guessing....

Rhiannon
Lady From The Mountain
Sorcerer
Maker Of Birds (The Birds Of Rhiannon)
Forest Of The Black Roses
Planets Of The Universe
Goodbye Baby (The Tower)
Sanctuary
Mistaken Love
If You Ever Did Believe
All The King's Horses

[rbs3676]

Part of Angel is from that - to wit:

On the line 'So I close my eyes softly/Till I become that part of the wind'] That's from uh, the story of Rhiannon... there's a man, in the story of Rhiannon and his name is Arawn... who is the great lord of darkness ~ who is the man who possesses the power to take or give life, but he only takes life... because of pain. And so I wrote something at some point... because Aaron is my father's name, and Aaron is also my brother's name. And Aaron is also my grandfather's name. So Arawn is many things to me.

And it says, 'So I close my eyes softly/Till I become that part of the wind that we all long for sometime.' And so Arawn touched the twins with his hand so that they would sleep. And in that sleep there will be no pain. And in that nonexistence of pain there will be happiness. Because it was only given with great love. And this was in a haunted song, and a charmed hour, and this was the angel... of my dreams.
~Stevie Nicks, Jim Ladd Innerview, 1979

[On what the definition of a "charmed hour" is] The best hour. The best of all your life....It always will remain in your memory and always ring through your dreams, and be there when any people hurt you or bring you down, or you suffer, maybe. That haunted song will be there for you, because that's the Birds of Rhiannon. And that's what that was written about, is the Three Birds of Rhiannon, which always are there if you need them. And you may black out ~ and that's what they do ~ they just take the pain from you, and you wake up and it's all right. And that's the haunted song of Rhiannon... you have to know the story.
~Stevie Nicks, Jim Ladd Innerview, 1979

kudos to http://www.inherownwords.com/angel.htm


That is one of my favorite Stevie interviews EVER! I always loved how Jim Ladd, so seamlessly, could get Stevie talking...he totally GETS her. Thanks for those great quotes...it has been awhile since I've listened to that interview...

rbs

[strandinthewind]

That is one of my favorite Stevie interviews EVER! I always loved how Jim Ladd, so seamlessly, could get Stevie talking...he totally GETS her. Thanks for those great quotes...it has been awhile since I've listened to that interview...

rbs

always glad to help :D

I think Angel may not necessarily be part of the Rhiannon series, but I think Stevie lifted some of the Rhiannon series lines and used them for Angel. In any event, I love the words to Angel and I like the song live.

[rbs3676]

always glad to help :D

I think Angel may not necessarily be part of the Rhiannon series, but I think Stevie lifted some of the Rhiannon series lines and used them for Angel. In any event, I love the words to Angel and I like the song live.


I totally agree -- "Angel" needs to resurface in the set...it's a crowd pleaser for sure and she could really do it justice. It's been a long, long time...

rbs

[strandinthewind]

I totally agree -- "Angel" needs to resurface in the set...it's a crowd pleaser for sure and she could really do it justice. It's been a long, long time...

rbs


Plus, I wanna see the tittie slapping dance in the Tusk doc :laugh:

[GODDESS6]

Plus, I wanna see the tittie slapping dance in the Tusk doc :laugh:
god i love that part!!! :nod: ~

[strandinthewind]

god i love that part!!! :nod: ~


I know - it reminds me of these lines from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas - delivered by Dolly:

Miss Mona : I couldn't be a ballerina now. I'm too top-heavy. I have a hard enough time balancin' these things now without gettin' on my toes!

Miss Mona : Me jumpin' up and down? I'd black both my eyes!

:laugh:

TEXAS has a whorehouse in it - LORD HAVE MERCY ON OUR SOULS :cool:

[blinker12]

I have 11 songs over all of these years that if I ever wanted to [I could] do a movie or something built around the story of ‘Rhiannon.’

I'd say the 11 are the first 9 that Karma posted, plus "Lady from the Mountain," as JohnnyStew suggested, and ....???
My guess would be "If You Were My Love" -- it just has a similar feel to the others.
And "Lady" has some of the same lyrics as "Sorcerer," so it seems a shoe-in.
These are some of her best unreleased songs, especially "Three Birds" (GORGEOUS!) so I do hope she records them in the near future.

[gldstwmn]

1. Rhiannon
2. Sorcerer
3. Planets Of The Universe
4. Blue Water
5. Goodbye Baby
6. Forest Of The Black Roses
7. Three Birds Of Rhiannon
8. Lady From The Mountain
9. Mistaken Love
10. Christian
11. ?

[StreetAngel86]

ooh toughie. all of these songs are fab
going with what Karma posted...
I think the 1st 7 are a given

1 Rhiannon
2 Forest of the Black Roses
3 Planets of the Universe
3 Three Birds of Rhiannon
4 The Tower/Goodbye Baby
5 Blue Water
6 Mistaken Love ( :nod: i love this song)
7 Sorcerer

8 The Nightmare
9 Stay Away
10 Candlebright OR If You Were My Love (can't decide)
11 Beautiful Ghost

I totally know it's NOT a Rhiannon song, but Running through the Garden would be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO great if paired with Forest of the Black Roses, don't ya think ;)

[darklinensuit]

8 The Nightmare

Now THAT'S interesting.

- Jake

[darklinensuit]

And "Lady" has some of the same lyrics as "Sorcerer," so it seems a shoe-in.


:nod: :nod:
This song always reminds me of the book The Grey King, which is based on Celtic myth, and has a mysterious lady from the mountain as a key character from the past - a woman whom men fight over at the end.

- Jake

[StreetAngel86]

Now THAT'S interesting.

- Jake

really?
coz while i think everyone thinks this is the sister song to Dreams....I think it is to Rhiannon

She was blinded by the light of the day
Dream on...silly dreamer...
And they were blinded by the light of the day
But they had known the nightmare
Blinded by the light of the day
They had known...
Why did he take them prisoner?
Well, how dare he!
Say to her, "Dream on, silly dreamer."
She was blinded by the light...
Blinded by the light of the day
Thrown down through the arms of love
She has known the nightmare

Everytime i hear this i can see her singing it to the same person she does in Rhiannon


And he says, "Rhiannon, don't go."
And he says, "Rhiannon, stay."
And he says, "I still cry out for you. Don't leave me, don't leave me."

Take me like the wind child
Take me with the sky
Take me now
Take me like the wind, baby
Take me with the sky
All the same
All the same
All the same, Rhiannon
All the same
Baby, all the same
And he still cries out for her,
"Don't leave me now."

and then of course the "Would you even try....well I don't think you do"

yah, i don't know but i love this song and everyone hates it

[Johnny Stew]

My guess would be "If You Were My Love" -- it just has a similar feel to the others.I debated the possibility that "If You Were My Love" was one of the "Rhiannon" songs, too. But there's one line that caused me to eliminate it: "I have reached the number of someone that could tell me" (she's also sung it as, "my hands reach for numbers....").

In other words, she's calling someone on the phone... which definitely didn't happen back in Rhiannon's day and age!

But I did include "If You Ever Did Believe," because it shares some lines with "Forest Of The Black Roses"... which I'm sure has to be a "Rhiannon" song.

[darklinensuit]

"Forest Of The Black Roses"... which I'm sure has to be a "Rhiannon" song.

Or simply another Sister Honey-esque euphemism. ;) :lol:

- Jake

[darklinensuit]

really?
coz while i think everyone thinks this is the sister song to Dreams....I think it is to Rhiannon

She was blinded by the light of the day
Dream on...silly dreamer...
And they were blinded by the light of the day
But they had known the nightmare
Blinded by the light of the day
They had known...
Why did he take them prisoner?
Well, how dare he!
Say to her, "Dream on, silly dreamer."
She was blinded by the light...
Blinded by the light of the day
Thrown down through the arms of love
She has known the nightmare

Everytime i hear this i can see her singing it to the same person she does in Rhiannon


And he says, "Rhiannon, don't go."
And he says, "Rhiannon, stay."
And he says, "I still cry out for you. Don't leave me, don't leave me."

Take me like the wind child
Take me with the sky
Take me now
Take me like the wind, baby
Take me with the sky
All the same
All the same
All the same, Rhiannon
All the same
Baby, all the same
And he still cries out for her,
"Don't leave me now."

and then of course the "Would you even try....well I don't think you do"

yah, i don't know but i love this song and everyone hates it

I never connected it to Dreams so much as to SOTM for the obvious lyrical overlaps.

- Jake

[Johnny Stew]

Or simply another Sister Honey-esque euphemism. ;) :lol: :shocked:

The ol' "forest of black roses" needs a little pruning, Rhi!

[darklinensuit]

:shocked:

The ol' "forest of black roses" needs a little pruning, Rhi!

Or nobody can go running through the garden.

- Jake Brilliantcolors :angel:

[Dark Angel]

Rhiannon
The Maker Of Birds
Sorcerer
POTU
Forest Of The Black Roses
Forsaken Love
Angel
Sisters Of The Moon (Stevie mentions on the Gems demo set that this is for a project of some sort)
Stay Away
Goodbye Baby/The Tower
Lady From The Mountain

[dissention]

The opening guitar line in “Planets” is a nod to Lindsey’s guitar part from “Rhiannon.” Did you write it that way back in ’76?


What a lovely way of saying that they ripped off "Rhiannon". :laugh:

[strandinthewind]

What a lovely way of saying that they ripped off "Rhiannon". :laugh:

Not really - it was the same chords to begin with :shrug:

[David]

Not really - it was the same chords to begin with :shrug:A whole batch of Stevie songs are the same chords.

But when they arranged it for TISL, they added some chords, like the D minor.