“I wasn’t happy”: The song that made Stevie Nicks resent Lindsey Buckingham
The relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham has always been a morbid fascination in rock and roll history. Even by the standards of many high-profile relationships in music history, this is the equivalent of watching Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s constant on-again-off-again relationship play out, whether that was on the big screen or in the tabloids. While most of Rumours couldn’t have been fun for either of them to go through, Nicks remembered that this song was a breaking point for her wanting to work with him again.
Then again, anyone with the strength to continue on with a person who wrote ‘Go Your Own Way’ about them is admirable. As much as Nicks may have still been heated about Buckingham’s claims of her wanting to shack up with anyone she meets, she was focused on the music more than anything else, which meant trying to get in touch with that spiritual muse to find what she was looking for.
After coming off of a blockbuster solo career, Mirage was a way for Nicks to find her way back into Fleetwood Mac without having to worry about holding up every part of the concert. Although this version of the group had a far more glamorous approach to the rootsy rockers of the 1970s and was virtually unrecognisable compared to their blues roots, ‘Gypsy’ was still one of the most enduring songs they ever made.
Written as a tribute to one of Nicks’ friends who had passed away, this was her attempt to tap into the same spirit that she had when she didn’t have any money to live off of. The track is stellar on record, tapping into the same kind of energy as ‘Dreams’ or ‘Sara’ and trying to make an updated version of where she was in her life.
That said, this was still the 1980s, and that meant making more promotional material for the songs. And while working on all of the videos and artwork for the record, Nicks remembered that her relationship with Buckingham had soured to the point where it felt like torture to dance with him.
In theory, it shouldn’t be the hardest thing in the world to dance with one of your bandmates for a shoot, but by the time the video for the track started, Nicks was already checked out, saying, “There’s a scene where Lindsey and I are dancing. And we weren’t getting along very well then. I didn’t want to be anywhere near Lindsey, and I certainly didn’t want to be in his arms. If you watch, you’ll see I wasn’t happy.”
And judging by how the next album played out, it’s clear that this was one of the final straws. Compared to Mirage being a hard sell, Tango in the Night was assembled in bits, with Nicks refusing to come to the studio for more than a few hours every day before eventually blowing up at Buckingham during a band meeting before the tour even kicked off.
Although many different factors have led to Nicks and Buckingham turning on each other so often, ‘Gypsy’ was the video that first showcased that irreparable damage in full force. It’s one thing to write about it on record, but this was the first time things were out in the open for all the world to see.
