Let's Talk About Gypsy. Repeatedly... ;) [Archive]

GypsyBlueEyes

10-09-2009, 08:57 PM

ohhhhhhh Gypsy! Can I even tell you how much I love Gypsy??? I love everything about it...I incorporate it into everything from my usernames, my email, my msn messenger, the tattoo I'm going to get...I LOVE IT!

"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"

For me the "back to the gypsy that I was" is just about always remembering the truest part of yourself no matter where you are or what you're doing. People grow, get older, get wiser, experience things small and large...they change. I think Gypsy is about being able to hold on to who you were before all of that...the bit of our youth that remains inside of us.

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

That sounds as though she is talking to someone else, someone who was with her during that period who she has had an on and off again relationship (I got that from the lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice part...sounds like a relationship where it didn't work out but at some point they gave it a second chance.) Anyway, its about that person finding in her that part of her that they used to love (them seeing their gypsy).

"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"

I think in this part she is addressing herself again as she faces the future. The child she refers to could be that "inner gypsy," the person she used to be when she was young, before she became so successful. When she says "if the child was enough, enough for me to love" reminds me of a longing she has to be that person again.

"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"

I think all of that part is about accepting that she can't go back but that she still keeps that memory of her younger self and who she was at that time close to her heart (she is aware that that part of who she was is still inside her at her core)

The rest of the song is a bit more difficult...

In the end of the song she goes back to the "lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice" bit and the "it all comes down to you" bit again, which to me sounds as though she is again addressing the same person who was there with her in the beginning. She then says "I still see your bright eyes." All of this put together suggests that she is talking about Lindsey - I've always believed that they had a fling here and there and we've all heard her make reference to his eyes before. At one point she said the "I still see your bright eyes" part was about Robin...personally, I don't think that makes much sense because randomly throwing Robin in there at the end kind of destroys the continuity of the whole song. We are talking about Stevie though...and her lyrics are never just about one thing...so it does sound like something she would do. All-in-all, I think its more than possible that this was written at a time when she thought she and Lindsey might reconcile or at a time when they'd had a little fling.

daniellaaarisen

10-09-2009, 10:03 PM

LukeA

10-09-2009, 11:51 PM

Hence why Marissa and I are going to San Jose State when she's here over Halloween weekend and we are going to find her address from that time period. I'm determined.

I really would rather not think that this beautiful song was inspired in any way by San Jose or its immediate outliers... ughhhhh

I've shared this in another thread, but has anyone noticed that the same sets used in the "Gypsy" video are also used in the video for The Motels/"Only The Lonely"? Same director/time period..

vivfox

10-09-2009, 11:53 PM

She apparently wrote this about her and Lindsey's house in MY TOWN. THE CITY THAT I LIVE IN.

Hence why Marissa and I are going to San Jose State when she's here over Halloween weekend and we are going to find her address from that time period. I'm determined.

Menlo Park in Atherton, right?
<a href="http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/cielosharon/?action=view&current=ththbusinessendanimationwhite5ve4i.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/cielosharon/ththbusinessendanimationwhite5ve4i.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

vivfox

10-09-2009, 11:57 PM

She apparently wrote this about her and Lindsey's house in MY TOWN. THE CITY THAT I LIVE IN.

BTW Los Gatos in Spanish means The Cats, right?<a href="http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/cielosharon/?action=view&current=thKitty9kxlk1gj1.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/cielosharon/thKitty9kxlk1gj1.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

FMlex

10-09-2009, 11:58 PM

Lala

10-10-2009, 12:01 AM

Oh yes, let's...

My second favourite FM song, second only to Sara (of course).

My favourite part is the second verse. Especially the "And it all comes down to you/Lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice" part. It's my ringtone.

Discovered the song after a really good friend (who is now my foster sister) moved away to school. I was pretty broken up about what the distance was going to do to our relationship, and change in general. And my mom bought me a copy of the Dance on DVD to try and cheer me up (this was early in the FM Fandom), and that version of the song was so comforting to me. To this day, I have a soft spot for the Dance version of Gypsy...so light and simple.

Of course, I love the studio version...especially the extended version from the Chain box with the "I can't find you's" at the end. Breaks my freaking heart!

So the song jointly reminds me of my sister and is hugely inspiring to me.

The video sparked a deep love of pink/purple sunsets. I love going for a drive and watching the sun go down and listening to this song.

Can someone clarify the timeline on this. I believe Stevie wrote it during the Tusk tour, then worked on it for Bella Donna, but it ended up on Mirage? Is there any truth to Robin's illness giving the song new meaning for her, of is that more speculation?

daniellaaarisen

10-10-2009, 12:13 AM

I really would rather not think that this beautiful song was inspired in any way by San Jose or its immediate outliers... ughhhhh

Most suburbs of San Jose are nothing special (actually, I really don't like the south bay, especially in comparison to the peninsula), but Los Gatos is a great great town.

Viv-- she went to high school in Menlo Park but apparently lived in Los Gatos in the Fritz days. I really hope this is true-- I am legitimately in the heart of it so I can't be more than a few miles away from where they lived!

vivfox

10-10-2009, 12:15 AM

One thing's for sure - I've never seen anyone get so excited about stuffed animals:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/95_1rmJpZ-Y&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/95_1rmJpZ-Y&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

This is one video I've never seen B4. Where was this filmed?<a href="http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/cielosharon/?action=view&current=thS1.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/cielosharon/thS1.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/cielosharon/?action=view&current=thN.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/cielosharon/thN.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

GypsyBlueEyes

10-10-2009, 12:19 AM

^ Thats from the Landover, Maryland concert.

LukeA

10-10-2009, 12:28 AM

Most suburbs of San Jose are nothing special (actually, I really don't like the south bay, especially in comparison to the peninsula), but Los Gatos is a great great town.

Los Gatos is a town where those who have high paying jobs at some of the larger, more notable companies of the south bay settle & reside, but that fact alone doesn't make it a "great, great town". Move it a hundred miles away from San Francisco and its basically a glorified Fresno. I don't know why anyone would prefer Los Gatos over, say, Tiburon... unless, of course, they worked at Apple, Google, etc.

daniellaaarisen

10-10-2009, 12:45 AM

Los Gatos is a town where those who have high paying jobs at some of the larger, more notable companies of the south bay settle & reside, but that fact alone doesn't make it a "great, great town". Move it a hundred miles away from San Francisco and its basically a glorified Fresno. I don't know why anyone would prefer Los Gatos over, say, Tiburon... unless, of course, they worked at Apple, Google, etc.

Tiburon is waaaaaaaaaay more expensive. Tiburon is in a great location but Los Gatos is still only 15-20 minutes from Santa Cruz on a good day. They're just two very different places-- Tiburon isn't really even in "Sillicon Valley" and most people who live there are either retired or work in San Francisco. It isn't really marketable to anyone else because it is pretty far away from everything. Los Gatos is just much more accessible which, as you said, is a reason that people would prefer it.... they aren't really comparable, I think, because they serve two very different groups of people.

And in terms of Fresno..... Los Gatos and Fresno are nothing alike at all. Even if you take proximity out of the equation, Los Gatos is still in a totally different league than Fresno IMO.

Dodfather

10-10-2009, 04:38 AM

Los Gatos is a town where those who have high paying jobs at some of the larger, more notable companies of the south bay settle & reside, but that fact alone doesn't make it a "great, great town". Move it a hundred miles away from San Francisco and its basically a glorified Fresno. I don't know why anyone would prefer Los Gatos over, say, Tiburon... unless, of course, they worked at Apple, Google, etc.

What is your problem?! She lives somewhere and she thinks it's a great town, good for Dani! Especially in light of the Stevie connection. What right do you have to be all sarcastic about her opinion?! Is there anything anyone posts on here that you don't take issue with? Everything from a thread being slightly, maybe, possibly related to a thread that has come before it or you don't like someone's comments about their own town? Jeez...

Dodfather

10-10-2009, 04:41 AM

Getting back to Gypsy, and apologies if my above post changed the tone of the threadsomewhat...

I LOVE this song. It's my favourite Stevie Mac moment and quite possibly my favorite Mac track. When I hear it live in October I think it will just be one of the best moments for me ever.

My favourite moment is about 1:30 in with the "Oh and it lights up the night..." it's just fantastic.

To answer a previous poster I think that the Robin stry and adding the extra lines is true, Stevie has confirmed it may times.

LukeA

10-10-2009, 04:53 AM

What is your problem?! She lives somewhere and she thinks it's a great town, good for Dani! Especially in light of the Stevie connection. What right do you have to be all sarcastic about her opinion?! Is there anything anyone posts on here that you don't take issue with? Everything from a thread being slightly, maybe, possibly related to a thread that has come before it or you don't like someone's comments about their own town? Jeez...

As I originally posted, my distaste was for San Jose and the area around it... and unless I'm mistaken, she doesn't live in Los Gatos, but Monte Sereno. As someone who has spent tons of time in the region, I have pretty strong opinions about the area- but certainly not anything personal. Again, I can't recall anyone in this thread saying they live in Los Gatos.

LukeA

10-10-2009, 04:55 AM

I LOVE this song. It's my favourite Stevie Mac moment and quite possibly my favorite Mac track.

Its certainly the best song on the Mirage album, for sure.

daniellaaarisen

10-10-2009, 08:44 AM

As I originally posted, my distaste was for San Jose and the area around it... and unless I'm mistaken, she doesn't live in Los Gatos, but Monte Sereno. As someone who has spent tons of time in the region, I have pretty strong opinions about the area- but certainly not anything personal. Again, I can't recall anyone in this thread saying they live in Los Gatos.

Okay, Los Gatos: population 30,000ish.
Monte Sereno: basically a suburb of Los Gatos with a grand total of 3,000 people. They share a postal code, a downtown, a DMV. Monte Sereno is nothing but residential neighborhoods with not a single store or public building to itself. So yes, I live in "Monte Sereno" because I'm one block north of downtown Los Gatos..... but if you know the area as well as you say you do, you know that I am essentially a Los Gatos resident.

Either way, it doesn't matter. I've gotten pretty used to your tendency to disagree with me about things that really have no bearing to this thread and typically, you are pretty condescending about it..... I don't think we've had a single positive interaction on the Ledge so your opinions mean next to nothing to me at this point. :shrug: Fair enough, I think.

Black_Moon

10-10-2009, 08:49 AM

Gypsy is my second favourite Fleetwood Mac song, I love love love it. It has this whole nostalgia thing, I think. Going back to a simplistic life, where love carries you through, as corny as that sounds.

CADreaming

10-10-2009, 09:05 AM

I really would rather not think that this beautiful song was inspired in any way by San Jose or its immediate outliers... ughhhhh..

Whatever the area is like today, it has no doubt changed since 1969. Besides, the song is not about the town. The song is about that time period in her life. The lines as Stevie points out are defined as follows:

"So I'm back to the velvet underground"- San Francisco
"Back to the floor that I love" - the bedroom where hers and Lindsey's mattress was on the floor because they couldn't afford any furniture
"To a room with some lace and paper flowers" - their little house in Los Gatos (which she has used interchangeably with San Jose), probably because more people have heard of SJ than LG.

Obviously, this song holds special meaning to Stevie and Lindsey. Lindsey has called it their greatest collaboration. And, it's highly sentimental. Because of that, it's definitely in my top 3 favorites. The acoustic version from AHI 2000 is fantastic - it really gives off the most intimate, personal feeling - which is truly the heart of this song.

*In all your deciphering - keep in mind this song was written in total and recorded before Robin Anderson died. This song has nothing to do with her, although because the song was a single (or had just been released as a single), at the time of Robin's death and they were on tour, Stevie may have very well thought of her dying friend when she sang it. Hence, Stevie's later interviews where she talks about the lyrics from that perspective. In reality though, Robin did not inspire the lyrics of the song.

Lala

10-10-2009, 10:26 AM

To answer a previous poster I think that the Robin stry and adding the extra lines is true, Stevie has confirmed it may times.

I'm curious...does anyone have any quotes from Stevie confirming this? I feel like I read something years ago and can't find it now.

David

10-10-2009, 11:13 AM

Its certainly the best song on the Mirage album, for sure.I second your statement, but change only one word. I would say it's certainly the best track on the Mirage album, for sure.

It's the best orchestration the band created since You Make Loving Fun. It follows voicing rules while seeming to break them -- or breaks voicing rules while seeming to follow them, I don't know which.

As an orchestrated track, Hold Me is mighty close to Gypsy. But the gain on the guitar solo during the instrumental break has a slightly wincing quality that I think may have been a misstep.

Dodfather

10-10-2009, 11:39 AM

Okay, Los Gatos: population 30,000ish.
Monte Sereno: basically a suburb of Los Gatos with a grand total of 3,000 people. They share a postal code, a downtown, a DMV. Monte Sereno is nothing but residential neighborhoods with not a single store or public building to itself. So yes, I live in "Monte Sereno" because I'm one block north of downtown Los Gatos..... but if you know the area as well as you say you do, you know that I am essentially a Los Gatos resident.

Either way, it doesn't matter. I've gotten pretty used to your tendency to disagree with me about things that really have no bearing to this thread and typically, you are pretty condescending about it..... I don't think we've had a single positive interaction on the Ledge so your opinions mean next to nothing to me at this point. :shrug: Fair enough, I think.

Dani, well said.

GypsyBlueEyes

10-10-2009, 11:43 AM

I'm curious...does anyone have any quotes from Stevie confirming this? I feel like I read something years ago and can't find it now.

I don't know if this is what you are looking for...I'm sure there are probably a few others

"The song Gypsy isn't a real happy story. Gypsy is a lot about returning to San Francisco. And Gypsy was written when my best friend [Robin] died of Leukemia and uh ...about the fact that she wasn't going to see the rest of this: I still see your bright eyes, it was like she wasn't ...going to make it. And uh, I was like the lone gypsy ~ this was my best friend from when I was 15 and so I was a solo gypsy all of a sudden and it was very sad for me and that's sometimes when I write my very best songs.

Robin had been on the road with Fleetwood Mac for five years. As my speech therapist and also management, an incredibly efficient helper. I still miss your bright eyes ~ that's why we don't do it on stage ~ it's because it's really too hard for me to sing. Lightening strikes maybe once, maybe twice... that means one time in your life you find a very good friend, and maybe if you're incredibly lucky, you might find a second. It all comes down to you, means but you have to look very hard."

mgikallaroundme

10-10-2009, 12:38 PM

Whatever the area is like today, it has no doubt changed since 1969. Besides, the song is not about the town. The song is about that time period in her life. The lines as Stevie points out are defined as follows:

"So I'm back to the velvet underground"- San Francisco
"Back to the floor that I love" - the bedroom where hers and Lindsey's mattress was on the floor because they couldn't afford any furniture
"To a room with some lace and paper flowers" - their little house in Los Gatos (which she has used interchangeably with San Jose), probably because more people have heard of SJ than LG.

Obviously, this song holds special meaning to Stevie and Lindsey. Lindsey has called it their greatest collaboration. And, it's highly sentimental. Because of that, it's definitely in my top 3 favorites. The acoustic version from AHI 2000 is fantastic - it really gives off the most intimate, personal feeling - which is truly the heart of this song.

*In all your deciphering - keep in mind this song was written in total and recorded before Robin Anderson died. This song has nothing to do with her, although because the song was a single (or had just been released as a single), at the time of Robin's death and they were on tour, Stevie may have very well thought of her dying friend when she sang it. Hence, Stevie's later interviews where she talks about the lyrics from that perspective. In reality though, Robin did not inspire the lyrics of the song.

All meaning about this song depends on which set of contradictory quotes you value. We know when the song was released. Only Stevie and LB know when it was written. The song was written years before Robin became ill, or it wasn't. Stevie and LB were never romantically involved before they moved to LA, or they lived together in this sentimentally meaningful little place in Los Gatos in earlier days. If the matress on the floor was the focal point of their lifestyle I'd venture a guess there was something more than a musical partnership going on there.

nailatixela

10-10-2009, 02:16 PM

and LB were never romantically involved before they moved to LA.

They were romantically involved during Fritz.

Anyway, I love this song. always thought it was lindsey's greatest production work on a stevie song that started out with so little, except beautiful lyrics. And whatever this song was about changed with robin, and even though it wasn't written about her, it soon became very much about her, more than anything else imo.

michelej1

10-10-2009, 02:37 PM

If the matress on the floor was the focal point of their lifestyle I'd venture a guess there was something more than a musical partnership going on there.

That's pretty funny. Hey, it was like Gable, Colbert and the Wall of Jericho. Nothing sexual happened on that mattress. They just slept there counting the creases on the surrounding paper flowers until they drifted into slumber.

Michele

michelej1

10-10-2009, 02:46 PM

michelej1

10-10-2009, 02:57 PM

As an orchestrated track, Hold Me is mighty close to Gypsy. But the gain on the guitar solo during the instrumental break has a slightly wincing quality that I think may have been a misstep.

I'd say Hold Me's production is just about the best thing in the band's catalog. As I understand the distinction you've made, I'd be hard pressed to put the song or the track second to anything -- certainly not second to anything on Mirage.

Also, I never thought the Gypsy video was as good as the acclaim it received and its popularity eventually wore me out. So, that colored my view of the song. However, I will say for the Unleashed tour, looking up and seeing that video playing overhead, while the present Macsters perform -- it surely stirs the heart strings. Twenty-seven years pass and I'm suddenly cherishing annoyances.

Michele

dnightshade

10-10-2009, 03:39 PM

I really really enjoy reading all the analyses. Really.

nailatixela

10-10-2009, 03:49 PM

I
Also, I never thought the Gypsy video was as good as the acclaim it received and its popularity eventually wore me out. So, that colored my view of the song. However, I will say for the Unleashed tour, looking up and seeing that video playing overhead, while the present Macsters perform -- it surely stirs the heart strings. Twenty-seven years pass and I'm suddenly cherishing annoyances.

Michele

That's great. I've always love the video...it is my favorite of the Mac. But seeing that video and seeing them play Gypsy was my most favorite moment of the night.

hippilil86

10-10-2009, 04:36 PM

Can I just say that Gypsy is probably my favorite Stevie song? It's just simple, and well produced, and today it doesn't really sound dated.

daniellaaarisen

10-10-2009, 04:41 PM

CADreaming

10-10-2009, 08:12 PM

All meaning about this song depends on which set of contradictory quotes you value. We know when the song was released. Only Stevie and LB know when it was written. The song was written years before Robin became ill, or it wasn't. Stevie and LB were never romantically involved before they moved to LA, or they lived together in this sentimentally meaningful little place in Los Gatos in earlier days. If the matress on the floor was the focal point of their lifestyle I'd venture a guess there was something more than a musical partnership going on there.

Excellent point! LOL.

"But, Lindsey and I are becoming really good friends again." -Stevie

"We can never really be good friends." -Stevie

"Now we are good. We are actually friends." -Stevie

"So I'm seeing my old friend back again." -Stevie

"So now Lindsey and I can really be friends." -Stevie

"...Because it allows me to be his friend, and hang out with him and see him." -Stevie

"We care about each other very much but we don't hang out." -Stevie

******************************************************

"Lindsey and I had been going together from about 1971 to 1976. But we never really broke up until that moment [his leaving in 1987]." -Stevie

"'August 24, 1977...One more time, on the plane. As usual, Lindsey is his usual asshole self. I am slowly coming to the conclusion that Lindsey and I are at an end. So sad to see good love go bad..." -Stevie

"Well, we were together, I guess from maybe 1971 until about '77." -Lindsey

"Stevie and I were in a band...about the time that broke up in I guess 1970, we got romantically involved and continued to do so for about 4 and a half years." -Lindsey

Asked when she knew the romance was really over, Nicks said, "The day his first child was born. [1998] I knew that was it ... that was the definitive thing."

...a walking contradiction, partly truth, partly fiction...

michelej1

10-11-2009, 03:33 AM

^And to the rest of those quotes I'd add:

You are not my lover, but still I love you.

Michele

CADreaming

10-11-2009, 09:04 AM

My favorite line is lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice, as it describes how rare it is to have such a, ignite such a, spark with another person. Lightning is so intense and so ephemeral. The very fact that its brilliance is temporary is what makes it so blinding.

I like the way the song expresses the quality of losing something, even while you're still grasping it. Clutching it, trying to make it last or stay and knowing you'll fail. Can't catch lightning in a bottle, indeed.

Anyway, I would have liked to hear the introduction to Gypsy in Copenhagen, just to see how it's changed or hasn't changed.

Michele

Blinding, indeed!

All of what you said is true, and very well put too. But, I don't think the love is what is being lost...

And if I was a child
And the child was enough
Enough for me to love
Enough to love

Change one word -"was" - to "had"...

The last line is a definite statement to her lover: and it all comes down to you .

So, she begins the song in nostalgia - a memory of a time with Lindsey that she holds dear in her heart. Then, that lightning strikes again and her lover sees his gypsy again. She talks about a child being enough, but "she" is dancing away. She was just a wish though and her memory is all that is left...Farewell to the wishes that died.

The lightning strikes again and she still sees her lover's bright eyes. Ultimately, it does all come down to him...

You're a brute you're an angel
You can crawl you can fly too
It's down to you
It all comes down to you

"Down to You" from Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark

gypsy4life

10-11-2009, 11:53 AM

I'm SO happy we have begun this thread....Gypsy is sort of the anthem song of my life...So much so, that I cannot aptly reply to this until I have contemplated exactly what I need to say...I will be getting back...

michelej1

10-11-2009, 12:32 PM

"Down to You" from Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark

Very interesting and something both SnL would know.

Michele

ILoveFM

10-11-2009, 12:49 PM

CADreaming

10-11-2009, 01:34 PM

Very interesting and something both SnL would know.

Michele

I thought the correlation was at least plausible when I read the lyrics.

My opinion is that they "borrow" from the contemporaries they admire more often than some may realize. Or, it could just be the vernacular of their day...

silvasprings

10-12-2009, 01:18 AM

I LOVE Gypsy it's definitely one of my Mac favourites.. But there are so many...
I always love to spin around with the lindsey guitar bit near the end, kind of like in the video, I just keep spinning and spinning... It always makes me feel better when i'm down...

michelej1

10-12-2009, 01:51 PM

Gypsy is one of my favorite songs! When I lost my great grandmother last year, I listened to the piano demo over and over and over again and I would just cry. When Fleetwood Mac came to Atl and played Gypsy, I cried again because I was so happy haha, and this song had helped me through such a rough period of my life, I had come full circle in a way. It was the best feeling :). Oh and I love the extended version as well. Gypsy is a magical song.

I too listen to Mirage in times of grief. I think it's because it's the first FM album I got after becoming a fan. The giddy anticipation about getting it. I was also in college and relatively carefree when it was released. I think it's pleasant associations subtly lift my spirits. Certainly, no one in my family had died yet in 1982 so I wasn't only younger, but perfectly unweighted then -- though I didn't realize it at the time. A lot of the popular music can transport me back to those fun days, but this album is the premier piece of time travel.

On the other hand, so many of the songs have a yearning message (not just Gypsy, but Straight Back, Can't Go Back and Christine's too) that it also plays into my mourning and introspective moods. It makes me feel lighter at the end, but first travels through the sadness with me. At any rate, by the time I hit Wish You Were Here, there have frequently been tears.

Michele

StreetAngel86

10-13-2009, 05:05 AM

Obviously, this song holds special meaning to Stevie and Lindsey. Lindsey has called it their greatest collaboration. And, it's highly sentimental. Because of that, it's definitely in my top 3 favorites. The acoustic version from AHI 2000 is fantastic - it really gives off the most intimate, personal feeling - which is truly the heart of this song..

that and that instance alone is why i'm a fan of this song
hearing that for the first time
it's hands down the most beautiful thing they've ever done together

/.// now let's all go listen to it :D

Asked when she knew the romance was really over, Nicks said, "The day his first child was born. [1998] I knew that was it ... that was the definitive thing."

*sigh* oh Stevie! isn't this depressing i really doubt she's rehashing the relationship that "ended" in 1977 here!

Dodfather

10-13-2009, 05:37 AM

The acoustic version from AHI 2000 is fantastic - it really gives off the most intimate, personal feeling - which is truly the heart of this song.

What version is this? An acoustic version from 2000? Imust hear it! Anyone know anything about this and where I can get it?

fleetwoodtrick

10-13-2009, 07:19 AM

Psh, I'm already pretty much late for school, so here ya go! (Download link is in sidebar, and I apologize for the out-of-synchness, it was one of my first videos!) :shocked:

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michelej1

10-13-2009, 01:03 PM

My favorite thing about the AHI performance was how she introduced it. She couldn't decide if it was Lindsey's idea or her idea or their idea. Really cute.

Michele

Dodfather

10-13-2009, 01:28 PM

fleetwoodtrick

10-13-2009, 05:49 PM

Thank you!! This is gorgeous...

You're welcome! It's probably my favorite live version of Gypsy... ever. :D

And as for my words of wisdom on this song... I love Gypsy. And Mirage. Period. :rolleyes:

ILoveFM

10-13-2009, 06:06 PM

I too listen to Mirage in times of grief. I think it's because it's the first FM album I got after becoming a fan. The giddy anticipation about getting it. I was also in college and relatively carefree when it was released. I think it's pleasant associations subtly lift my spirits. Certainly, no one in my family had died yet in 1982 so I wasn't only younger, but perfectly unweighted then -- though I didn't realize it at the time. A lot of the popular music can transport me back to those fun days, but this album is the premier piece of time travel.

On the other hand, so many of the songs have a yearning message (not just Gypsy, but Straight Back, Can't Go Back and Christine's too) that it also plays into my mourning and introspective moods. It makes me feel lighter at the end, but first travels through the sadness with me. At any rate, by the time I hit Wish You Were Here, there have frequently been tears.

Michele

Oh yea, Mirage has so many songs that can put me in tears. If I ever listen to it the whole way through, I'm a mess by Wish You Were Here.

TrueFaith77

10-13-2009, 07:55 PM

Why HAVEN'T Fleetwood Mac ever done an Unplugged session for MTV?

StreetAngel86

10-13-2009, 10:50 PM

Why HAVEN'T Fleetwood Mac ever done an Unplugged session for MTV?

what a marvellous idea!
didn't that used to be the trend with bands in like the 90s...release a live/unplugged cd. i would love a Mac one yes... :nod:

Amlyn

10-13-2009, 11:01 PM

Thank you!! This is gorgeous...

I marked this as a favorite on youtube some time ago. It's actual footage of Gypsy from the AHI show. It includes the intro Michele referenced where Stevie couldn't decide who's idea singing the song was.

I'm with everyone else that this is probably the most awesome version of the song.

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michelej1

10-14-2009, 12:06 AM

I marked this as a favorite on youtube some time ago. It's actual footage of Gypsy from the AHI show. It includes the intro Michele referenced where Stevie couldn't decide who's idea singing the song was.

Oh, I'm really glad it's up there on youtube. That was one of my favorite moments. I also liked it at AHI when Stevie was introducing Lindsey. She was getting ready to say, "what can I say" which was reminiscent of what she said in 1990 for BTM ("need I say more"). So, she started saying "what can I say", then she said, "can I say it yet?" Because he got snagged and couldn't cross the stage and she walked over and got him. So beautiful.

Then, I loved it when Waddy waited behind after Lindsey's solo numbers and he hugged Lindsey and Lindsey and Waddy walked away arm and arm.

Anyway, Gypsy this tour is better than it was for the SYW tour.

Michele

Phoenix

10-14-2009, 03:29 AM

I marked this as a favorite on youtube some time ago. It's actual footage of Gypsy from the AHI show. It includes the intro Michele referenced where Stevie couldn't decide who's idea singing the song was.

I'm with everyone else that this is probably the most awesome version of the song.

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I was at that Concert as well. IT.WAS.AMAZING.:nod:

GypsyBlueEyes

10-14-2009, 08:04 AM

I was at that Concert as well. IT.WAS.AMAZING.:nod:

You are soooo lucky to have been there!!! I love that concert. I loved her little speech when she was introducing him...so sweet. Then his speech, with her standing there with her arms around him and he dedicated those songs to her...that gets me every time...I cry through all four songs every time I see it :nod:

Erin

10-14-2009, 10:59 AM

I marked this as a favorite on youtube some time ago. It's actual footage of Gypsy from the AHI show. It includes the intro Michele referenced where Stevie couldn't decide who's idea singing the song was.

I'm with everyone else that this is probably the most awesome version of the song.

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Thanks for posting this! I never realized Waddy and Carlos were playing on this. I've had the audio for years, it was the first mp3 I ever downloaded.

GoldDustWoman87

11-08-2009, 02:44 PM

It's my 2nd favourite Mac song (behind Silver Springs - can't argue with that one!). I just love the whole sound of the song... all of it, completely. It grabbed my heart from the very first time I heard it way back in 2003 (yep I'm still a relatively new fan in the grand scheme of things!).

I think 'lightning strikes...' is my favourite part of the song, closely followed by 'I still see your bright eyes', which has a lot of meaning to me. I'm planning a tattoo based on this song in the near future.

Nikolaj

11-09-2009, 06:47 PM

The original video of Gypsy was really impressive, a stellar celluloid moment, for sure :) Over the decades, I appreciate 'Gypsy' as a momento of the band during a time when they had a #1 album, and for 'Gypsy' being all over the radio during my freshman year at college in LA. At the time, I was by far more enamored of 'Straight Back' and felt 'Gypsy' wasn't rock enough, in a way it felt like a continuation of 'Sara' to me, melodically. I liked her rock songs or softer stuff like 'BC' or 'Storms' from "Tusk", but 'Gypsy' sort of wasn't rock, nor was it a ballad, it felt a little sterile to me, though LB's ending solo is gorgeous.
I don't like it live, but that's my problem. And, actually, there is a ragged beauty to 'Gypsy' on the Mirage Tour home video release, so technically, one time, I did (rather) like it live.
Now, I like 'Gypsy' just because of it being a success for Stevie and for Fleetwood Mac. I think Stevie, especially, has deserved a lot more "hits" than she has had, she has written many "deserved-to-be-a-hit" songs, that weren't.. Not a bad idea for a thread, but I try not to start new ones too often, especially of the 'coulda-been-shoulda-been' variety.
PS- I just read everyone else's comments after posting mine. Sorry that I seem to be the lone person not to love this track a lot. I'll try harder :)
A couple people who I almost always agree with think it's the best thing on the album, and that well could be true. Does anyone know which video award 'Gypsy' won? I seem to recall it winning a prestigious 'best music video' award but can't remember what it may have been...