Rhiannon

The Zoo Crew is spinning the mystical vibes of Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" from their 1975 self-titled album, and Zoo Freaks, you're in for some enchanting trivia! Stevie Nicks, who penned the song, stumbled upon the name Rhiannon in a novel called Triad by Mary Leader, which she found lying on a couch in 1974. She wrote the song in just ten minutes, envisioning a mystical woman without knowing Rhiannon was a Welsh mythological figure. Years later, in 1978, a fan sent her four novels, including Evangeline Walton’s adaptation of the Mabinogion, revealing Rhiannon as a goddess of fertility and the moon who chose a mortal over a god. Nicks was stunned by how her lyrics eerily aligned with this myth, telling Mojo in 2013, “I didn’t know who Rhiannon was, exactly, but I knew she was not of this world.”

Live performances of "Rhiannon" were a whole other beast, Zoo Freaks! From 1975 to 1982, Nicks transformed on stage, delivering what drummer Mick Fleetwood called “an exorcism.” A 1976 clip from The Midnight Special captures her intense, shawl-swirling energy, with Nicks chanting “Dreams unwind, love’s a state of mind” as the song stretched beyond its four-minute studio version. Fans on Reddit’s Fleetwood Mac community obsess over these live endings, with one user sharing how they’ve spliced together compilations of Nicks’ ad-libs from various shows. The song’s theatricality shaped Nicks’ iconic witchy persona, inspiring her flowing black outfits and sparking rumors of witchcraft, which she later distanced herself from by avoiding black clothing for two years.

Recording "Rhiannon" was no easy feat. Producer Keith Olsen revealed it took over a day to nail the basic track on analog tape, with the first take being magical but flawed and the second lacking spark. Olsen looped sections of tape, creating “mini scars” in the cymbal crashes, to craft the final version. Nicks originally wrote the song for a second Lindsey Buckingham-Nicks album, but it became a Fleetwood Mac classic, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1976. Nicks even bought the rights to the Mabinogion adaptation, dreaming of a Rhiannon project—possibly a movie, musical, or miniseries. In 2020, she told the Los Angeles Times she was working on a Rhiannon miniseries with ten unreleased songs, including “Three Birds of Rhiannon” and “Forest of the Black Roses.”

Now, let’s rewind to how Fleetwood Mac got rolling. Founded in London in 1967 by guitarist Peter Green, the band started as a blues-rock outfit with Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass. Named after its rhythm section, their 1968 debut album, Fleetwood Mac, leaned heavily into blues with tracks like “Black Magic Woman.” Green’s departure in 1970 due to mental health struggles and drug issues shifted the band’s direction. Christine McVie, John’s wife, joined as a keyboardist and vocalist, adding a pop sensibility. By 1974, after several lineup changes and a move to Los Angeles, the band was faltering. Mick Fleetwood met Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks at Sound City Studios, where producer Keith Olsen played him their Buckingham Nicks album. Buckingham insisted Nicks join too, and their arrival in 1975 revitalized the band, leading to the pop-rock masterpiece that included “Rhiannon.”

Zoo Freaks can connect with Fleetwood Mac online at their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts. Fans also flock to Stevie Nicks’ official site and her Facebook, Instagram, and X pages for solo updates. For community vibes, check out the Stevie Nicks Fan Group on Facebook or the r/FleetwoodMac subreddit, where fans share everything from rare live clips to stories about naming their kids Rhiannon after the song. Keep spinning those records, Zoo Crew!