Gold Dust Woman
| "Gold Dust Woman" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Fleetwood Mac | |
| from the album Rumours | |
| A-side |
"You Make Loving Fun" (U.S.) "Don't Stop" (UK) |
| Released | 1977 |
| Recorded | 1976 |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 5:02 |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Writer(s) | Stevie Nicks |
| Producer(s) |
Fleetwood Mac, Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat |
"Gold Dust Woman" is a song from the best-selling Fleetwood Mac album Rumours. It was written and sung by Stevie Nicks and released as a B-side to the "Don't Stop" single (in the UK) and the "You Make Loving Fun" single (in the U.S.).
The 2004 two-disc special edition release of Rumours includes two demos of "Gold Dust Woman". One demo features vocal melody and lyrics in the coda which would later be developed into the stand-alone single "If You Ever Did Believe" in 1997, which Nicks recorded with close friend Sheryl Crow as part of the early sessions for her Trouble in Shangri-La album. The track was instead chosen as the theme song for the 1998 Warner Bros. film Practical Magic and is only available on the film's soundtrack album.
Background
The take chosen for release on the 1977 Rumours album was reportedly recorded at 4 a.m., after a long night of attempts in the studio. Just before and during that final take, Stevie Nicks had wrapped her head (though not mouth) with a black scarf, veiling her senses and tapping genuine memories and emotions.[1] Many unusual instruments were used in the recording, including an electric harpsichord with a jet phaser, which was marked with tape so Mick Fleetwood could play the right notes. To accentuate Stevie's vocals, Mick broke sheets of glass. "He was wearing goggles and coveralls — it was pretty funny. He just went mad, bashing glass with this big hammer. He tried to do it on cue, but it was difficult. Eventually, we said, ‘Just break the glass,’ and we fit it all in."[2]
Slant critic Barry Walsh described the song as finding Nicks "at her folky (not flaky) best with one of her most poignant character studies".[3]
Interpretations
When asked about the song in an interview with Courtney Love for Spin in October 1997, Nicks said:
| “ | You know what, Courtney? I don't really know what "Gold Dust Woman" is about. I know there was cocaine there and that I fancied it gold dust, somehow. I'm going to have to go back to my journals and see if I can pull something out about "Gold Dust Woman". Because I don't really know. It's weird that I'm not quite sure. It can't be all about cocaine. | ” |
In an interview for VH1's Classic Album series, Nicks offered further insight into the song's meaning:
| “ | "Gold Dust Woman" was my kind of symbolic look at somebody going through a bad relationship, doing a lot of drugs, and trying to make it. Trying to live. Trying to get through it. | ” |
Personnel
- Stevie Nicks – lead vocals
- Lindsey Buckingham – guitars, dobro, sitar, backing vocals
- Mick Fleetwood – drums, cowbell, electric harpsichord (processed), sound effects
- Christine McVie – Fender Rhodes, backing vocals
- John McVie – bass guitar
Cover versions
Hole version
| "Gold Dust Woman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Hole | ||||
| from the album The Crow: City of Angels | ||||
| B-side |
I Wanna Be Your Dog Spit | |||
| Released | June 11, 1996 (radio) ; July 1996 (single) | |||
| Format | CD single | |||
| Recorded | March 1996 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, grunge, punk rock | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Writer(s) | Stevie Nicks | |||
| Hole singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
A cover version by American alternative rock band Hole was released in 1996 as their ninth single on CD by Geffen. It was also featured on the soundtrack to The Crow: City of Angels and was produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars.
Charts
| Chart (1996) (Hole version) |
Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[4] | 87 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 31 |
Appearances in other media
- The original 1977 song appeared in 2011 as a downloadable track for the music video game Rock Band 3.
- A cover done by COPILOT Music and Sound was featured in the gameplay trailer and soundtrack for the 2016 Bethesda Softworks video game Dishonored 2.[5]
References
- ↑ Cath Carroll (2004-10-01). "Never Break the Chain: Fleetwood Mac and the Making of Rumours (The Vinyl Frontier series): Cath Carroll: 9781556525452: Amazon.com: Books". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
- ↑ Bosso, Joe. "Fleetwood Mac's classic album Rumours track-by-track". MusicRadar. Future plc. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ↑ Walsh, Barry. "Fleetwood Mac Rumours". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
- ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ↑ "Dishonored 2 E3 Gameplay Trailer – COPILOT Music + Sound".
