Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rhiannon’ Was Inspired by a Supernatural Novel
āRhiannonā is a Fleetwood Mac original created by Stevie Nicks. This artist mentioned her inspiration came from a 1970s supernatural novel by Mary Bartlett Leader. Hereās what we know about this hit.
What is āRhiannonā by Fleetwood Mac about?
Fleetwood Mac is the rock band behind Rumours, featuring members Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Nicks, and others.
Some songs were written by the duo of Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, others were created by Nicks. Most notably, Nicks wrote āRhiannonā for Fleetwood Mac, later elaborating on the songās meaning.
āItās just about a mystical woman [who] finds it hard to be tied down,ā Nicks said during a radio interview with Jim Ladd in 1976. āWhat the band got really well was that uplifting of wings kind of a feel. You know ā when you see a seagull and sheās lifting up? Well, thatās Rhiannon. Sheās moving.ā
āRhiannon rings like a bell through the night,ā Nicks sings. āAnd wouldnāt you love to love her? Takes to the sky like a bird in flight / And who will be her lover?ā
The lyrics continue, saying that this character ārules her life like a bird in flight.ā This could be interpreted as a reference to literature that inspired Nicksā song, as noted by Music Spotlight Magazine.
āRhiannonā was inspired by a 1970s novel by Mary Bartlett Leader
According to Music Spotlight Magazine, this Nicks original was inspired by Mary Bartlett Leaderās supernatural novel, Triad. The horror story tells the story of Athena and her two brothers Atlas and Anders, who are shapeshifters and, together, the ātriad.āĀ
In mythology, thereās also a goddess with the same name that Nicks, reportedly, didnāt know about until after āRhiannonā debuted. The character traveled with a white horse and three birds with healing powers ā a white horse a fitting parallel to Nicksā āwhite witchā reputation.
āIt wasnāt until 1978 that I found out about [Welsh medieval prose tales] Mabinogion and that Branwen and Rhiannon are in there too, and that Rhiannon wasnāt a witch at all,ā Nicks said during an interview with Mojo magazine in December 2013, according to Song Facts.
āShe was a mythological queen,ā the songwriter continued. āBut my story was definitely written about a celestial being, I didnāt know who Rhiannon was, exactly, but I knew she was not of this world.ā
Fleetwood Mac is known for songs like āRhiannonā and āDreamsā
The rock band released hits like āGo Your Own Way,ā āThe Chain,ā and āSay You Love Me.ā āDreamsā became one of Fleetwood Macās most popular songs and the only track to reach No. 1 in the United States.
Now, āRhiannonā holds over 275 million Spotify plays, making it one of the most popular Fleetwood Mac songs. Other originals by the band are available on major music streaming platforms.Ā