"Will You Ever Win!"

[Nikolaj]

It's been once in a million years since Stevie's sung 'taken by the wind' and not 'taken by the sky' and seems even longer since we've heard 'will you ever win?' sung- can we count with one hand (with fingers left over) the last time 'ever win' was back in the lyric??
Nice to see Stevie. But didn't Taylor hit some really off notes in it?

[CADreaming]

Taylor cannot sing.

Funny though I saw Stevie struggling at one point on that line, it's been so long since she sang "taken by the wind"... she sorta shrugged. Cute.

[Nikolaj]

"Will you ever win?"-- How fitting on Grammy night!
YES, I think definitely....but first ya gotta get nominated again!!! NEW Stevie Nicks Music in 2010 dangit!

[ShangriLaTroubl]

I noticed that too..I loved hearing "will you ever win" again

[diamondsnake]

That is one of the reasons I actually really like the original single. I don't understand why she doesn't sing it that way anymore. I have a 45 that actually calls the song "Rhiannon (Will you ever win?)" so it's just funny to me that she never sings that line anymore.

[AnthonyMI]

anyone know the last time she sang will you ever win? I cant find it on anything post 1980. I dont have my version of the LIVE album in MP3 so cant confirm if it was changed by the Tusk tour, but the bootlegs I have of the Mirage tour are all changed. So was will you ever win sung in 80s, 90, 00s?

[seekerj]

I've been trying to figure this out for years. The original piano demos from 1974 have all the lyrics, even "taken by the sky" and "would you even try". Then on the album version, there's only "will you ever win". But the live performances after the white album was released have the lyrics back to "sky... would you even try".

So it's not like she changed the song after it was recorded for the album; those words already existed. It's more like she changed the lyrics just specifically for the album.

Then, the "taken by, taken by the sky (times three)" just before Lindsey's guitar solo was there until the Mirage tour. Then on that tour, it was replaced with "Dreams unwind, love's a state of mind" (times three), and then, after the Mirage tour, any lyrics at all in that "spot" just completely disappeared.

If I could ask her one question, it would be "what's the story with the Rhiannon lyric changes... did they not let you use all the words? Was that a band decision, or was it yours?"

[gold_dust]

I'm guessing she changed the line somewhere in the Nov/Dec of '79. 'Rhiannon', live in Boston (November 17th '79), is a 'Will you ever win?' one, yet the 'Rhiannon' in Los Angeles (December 11th) has changed into 'Would you even try?'. Rehearsals for the song in the Oct alternated the lines, too.

I don't have any other concerts in betwen Nov 17th and December 11th, so if anyone else does, maybe they could pinpoint it down futher.

[AnthonyMI]

I'm guessing she changed the line somewhere in the Nov/Dec of '79. 'Rhiannon', live in Boston (November 17th '79), is a 'Will you ever win?' one, yet the 'Rhiannon' in Los Angeles (December 11th) has changed into 'Would you even try?'. Rehearsals for the song in the Oct alternated the lines, too.

I don't have any other concerts in betwen Nov 17th and December 11th, so if anyone else does, maybe they could pinpoint it down futher.


now THIS is the Ledge I remember! Its like an archeological dig for facts!

[gold_dust]

I forgot to mention that on the 'Rhiannon' from the Live album she uses both lines. 'Will you ever win?' in the first verse and 'Would you even try?' in the second, after the chorus. Though, the ending for that one seems more typical of the Rumours tour than it did the Tusk tour.

Ed: I've just dug out a Mirage rehearsal of 'Rhiannon' and she's singing the 'Will you ever win?' line, so maybe she intended to use that on the tour?

[APerfectLie]

If I could ask her one question, it would be "what's the story with the Rhiannon lyric changes... did they not let you use all the words? Was that a band decision, or was it yours?"

I can't for the life of me find the article, but in some recent interview (2007-2009) someone actually asked her why she had changed up the words to rhiannon and her response was something to the effect of "How did I change the words?" Damn I wish I could find the article.

[David]

I forgot to mention that on the 'Rhiannon' from the Live album she uses both lines. 'Will you ever win?' in the first verse and 'Would you even try?' in the second, after the chorus. Though, the ending for that one seems more typical of the Rumours tour than it did the Tusk tour. Makes sense, since that performance was recorded in April 1977 in England.

[AnthonyMI]

Makes sense, since that performance was recorded in April 1977 in England.


So there were songs on LIVE that were NOT recorded during the Tusk tour? I did not know that!

[David]

So there were songs on LIVE that were NOT recorded during the Tusk tour? I did not know that!
Monday Morning
Say You Love Me
Dreams
Over My Head
Don't Let Me Down Again
Rhiannon
Don't Stop

[Phoenix]

I noticed that too..I loved hearing "will you ever win" again

I thought that too. It was refreshing. Im still waiting for her to throw in a "taken by...Taken by the skyyyy"

[badanimals87]

Has Stevie ever sang "takes to the sky like a bird in flight" live?

[joe68]

The article is from "Performing Songwriter". I was just reading it last night. The reviewer asked why she revised the lyrics to "Rhiannon" and she asked, "How did I revise them?" and then said it wasnt a conscious desicion and it only came about having more freedom on stage to do what she wanted as a solo artist as opposed to Fleetwood Mac.

The magazine has since folded but I can scan it tomorrow and post it for those interested. It's an EXCELLENT article!

[APerfectLie]

The article is from "Performing Songwriter". I was just reading it last night. The reviewer asked why she revised the lyrics to "Rhiannon" and she asked, "How did I revise them?" and then said it wasnt a conscious desicion and it only came about having more freedom on stage to do what she wanted as a solo artist as opposed to Fleetwood Mac.

The magazine has since folded but I can scan it tomorrow and post it for those interested. It's an EXCELLENT article!

Please do :]

[gold_dust]

Has Stevie ever sang "takes to the sky like a bird in flight" live?

She sang the 'Takes to the sky...' line back in '74 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

[joe]

And i thought i was the only crackpot that wondered about things like this! lol. I always thought it was peculiar that she dropped the "taken by, taken by the sky" lines. It seems like such a logical transition between the chorus and the instrumental part. And, I never realized she hadn't sung the "will you ever win" line since way back. Good catch!

What about the "once in a million years" verse not being used in the recording? Was this verse added after the song was recorded? I don't remember it being in the 1974 B/N shows.

One other thing...during the mirage rehearsal, doesn't she ask "is that right" after the first "taken by, taken by the sky" line? Kinda odd that she would've forgotten. Hadn't she performed it only a few hundred times over the past 8 years by then!?

[gold_dust]

And i thought i was the only crackpot that wondered about things like this! lol. I always thought it was peculiar that she dropped the "taken by, taken by the sky" lines. It seems like such a logical transition between the chorus and the instrumental part. And, I never realized she hadn't sung the "will you ever win" line since way back. Good catch!

What about the "once in a million years" verse not being used in the recording? Was this verse added after the song was recorded? I don't remember it being in the 1974 B/N shows.

One other thing...during the mirage rehearsal, doesn't she ask "is that right" after the first "taken by, taken by the sky" line? Kinda odd that she would've forgotten. Hadn't she performed it only a few hundred times over the past 8 years by then!?

Yeah, she sings the 'Once in a million years' verse at both BN shows in AL.

And, yeah, she flubs her line in the rehearsal during Mirage. I'm thinking that she was gonna go into 'Dreams unwind', but ends it with 'Taken the sky' and then asks, 'Is that right?' She then sings, 'Dreams unwind, love's a state of mine,' and then says, 'That's right!'

[seekerj]

And i thought i was the only crackpot that wondered about things like this! lol. I always thought it was peculiar that she dropped the "taken by, taken by the sky" lines. It seems like such a logical transition between the chorus and the instrumental part. And, I never realized she hadn't sung the "will you ever win" line since way back. Good catch!

What about the "once in a million years" verse not being used in the recording? Was this verse added after the song was recorded? I don't remember it being in the 1974 B/N shows.

One other thing...during the mirage rehearsal, doesn't she ask "is that right" after the first "taken by, taken by the sky" line? Kinda odd that she would've forgotten. Hadn't she performed it only a few hundred times over the past 8 years by then!?

YES! YES! YES! I almost included this also in my previous post. But if I remember correctly, just before she asked that question, she didn't sing "taken by, taken by the sky", she sang "Dreams unwind, love's a state of mind". Or is the old brain playing tricks on me?

But yeah, I'm definitely also a crackpot who wonders about this stuff! lol