Fleetwood Mac is a legendary rock band that emerged in the late 1960s and achieved significant success in the 1970s and beyond. The band was known for their unique sound and harmonies, which combined elements of rock, pop, and folk music. One of their most notable songs is "Rhiannon," often referred to as the "Witchy Woman." Released in 1975, "Rhiannon" quickly became a fan favorite and helped propel Fleetwood Mac into mainstream success. The song was written by Stevie Nicks, who was inspired by a novel she had read about a Welsh witch named Rhiannon. Nicks was captivated by the character and felt that it resonated with her own experiences and emotions.

How Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks Became the New Age “White Witch”

The idea of Stevie Nicks as Fleetwood Mac’s “white witch” is particularly poignant as the second wave of feminism rolled into the ’70s.

Popular music performers are “involved in a process of double enactment,” “writes socio-musicologist and critic Simon Frith, “they enact both a star personality (their image) and a song personality, the role that each lyric requires, and the pop star’s art is to keep both acts in play at once.” In the case of Fleetwood Mac‘s Stevie Nicks, her astrological star personality and song personality have become intrinsically fused. Nicks has become associated with a “witchy” aesthetic through the song “Rhiannon”, and she has built upon this image.

In the 1970s, a spiritual and philosophical movement synthesized occult influences, medieval medicine, and indigenous traditions, often referred to as “The New Age”. Fascinations about the New Age have remained popular in the forms of reading tarot, crystal healing, and moon rituals, each of which is notoriously feminine rites. However, most of the musical figures displaying this occult persona in the ‘70s were men (e.g., Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath). In 1972, the Eagles released their #9 hit “Witchy Woman”, encapsulating the essence of the archetypal New Age woman and perpetuating the feminine association with the occult. Through Don Henley’s voice, we only hear the woman’s physical description and rumours surrounding her love life, but we do not get to hear from the Witchy Woman directly. Therefore, it was about time that Nicks hit the charts in 1976 with “Rhiannon” which reached #11.

“This is a song about a Welsh witch,” is how Stevie Nicks prefaces “Rhiannon” in live performances. Straightaway, this evokes the mystical folk tradition in which this character originates. Nicks first read about Rhiannon in 1973’s Triad: A Novel of the Spiritual by Mary Leader. However, the character is originally found in the Mabinogion, a four-branch collection of Middle Welsh (12th-14th century) prose folk stories. Although Nicks was unaware of this while writing the song, she didn’t necessarily deviate from the canon, which included birds, flight, and love as major tropes. In later performances, she delves further into the folklore through her stagecraft, as the backdrop of the stage during the song depicts wild horses running through a stream, alluding to the fact that Rhiannon, in the Mabinogion, is thought to be of close relation to the Gaulish horse goddess, Epona.

The mystical connection between bygone muse and poet fits into a long tradition of mythical interactions in literature. For instance, William Blake’s 1810 epic poem Milton, describes how the spirit of John Milton came through Blake’s left foot to walk with him. In 1976, Nicks explained her experience with Rhiannon thusly: “I’m sure that I was there at the time, and ‘Rhiannon’ somehow came through me.” This spiritually enlightened side that Nicks often shared (and continues to share) with interviewers aided in her association with New Age thinking. More explicitly, a lyrical and musical exploration of “Rhiannon” shows how she has become fused with the persona of a powerful, mysterious woman – traits that have often been associated with witchcraft throughout history.

The opening guitar riff for “Rhiannon” oscillates between A minor and F major, which in a Western musicological sense creates a slight dissonance that evokes feelings of eeriness. Within this sonically supernatural space, the opening lyrics use simile to liken Rhiannon to “a bell through the night”, which associates her with music, and “a bird in flight”, which identifies her with the natural world. The idea of the woman as a “bird in flight” is particularly poignant given the context of the ’70s, as the second wave of feminism, which began in the ’60s, was still rolling into the next decade. Nicks’ bird is not caged with the intention of entertaining. Rather, she “rules her life” and chooses who her lover will be. The bird imagery unintentionally links the song to the mythological Rhiannon, as in the Mabinogion, the Adar Rhiannon are the three birds who can “wake the dead and lull the living to sleep”, which is a concept that is intrinsically woven into Nicks’ song.

Retrospectively, Nicks has said, “The legend of Rhiannon is about the song of the birds that take away pain and relieve suffering… That’s what music is to me.” Her idea of Rhiannon being representative of the uplifting powers of music, coupled with the line, “She rules her life like a fine skylark,” evokes Percy Shelley’s 1820 poem, Ode to a Skylark. His poem also ponders the uplifting song of the bird, and it becomes a symbol of everything the poet longs to be, with a passion that never diminishes.

Nicks’ use of bird imagery in “Rhiannon” also begins to establish her own set of bird characters that have become synonymous with her oeuvre; the Adar Stevie Nicks, if you will. She frequently draws upon the skylark, the white-winged dove, and the nightbird. These three birds play unique roles in her songs, often appearing at moments of falling in love and moments of haunting.

Contributing to the overall mystical feeling of “Rhiannon”, she sings of transformation in the line: “She is like a cat in the dark, and then she is the darkness.” In Western folklore, black cats have been associated with witches as either a familiar or a witch that has shapeshifted into a black cat. They also have the reputation of being bad omens, depending on the direction from which they cross your path. The symbol of the black cat has been perpetuated in popular culture in the form of parody with Lucifer, the cat in league with the step-sisters of Disney’s Cinderella, and Salem, the sassy cat in the television show Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Since she understood Rhiannon from Leader’s Triad to be a witch, it makes sense that Nicks would draw on popular symbols of witchcraft. In live versions of the song, she sings of the exclusive conditions for Rhiannon to appear, “…when the sky is starless / Once in a million years a lady like her rises.” Associating the resurrection of Rhiannon with the stars picks up on the interest in the zodiac and astrology as an alternative to mainstream religion. Many of the people involved in witchcraft in the 1970s took “merely an interest in certain divinatory and magical “technologies”; tarot, astrology, crystals, and herb healing”. With references to celestial powers and the use of witch iconography (the cat), Nicks’ lyrics easily appeal to these magical technologies. It’s only natural that her music would be attractive to a metaphysically-inclined demographic.

A significant amount of time is added to live performances of “Rhiannon” to compensate for a moment that Mick Fleetwood has compared to “an exorcism”. Nicks seemingly becomes a vessel for Rhiannon’s spirit during the instrumental break into the final coda of the song. The screeching guitar solo (originally by Lindsey Buckingham) and the hypnotic keyboard vamp (originally done by Christine McVie) provide perfect opportunities for Stevie to enchant the audience by performing her now-iconic twirls and “exotic” hand movements, which are enhanced by her whimsical stage costumes.

One of the main differences between the recorded version and the live versions is how “Rhiannon” builds from a melodic chant to a powerful shouting of the lines “Dreams unwind, love’s a state of mind” and “Take me like the wind, baby, take me to the sky.” Through the song’s instrumental evocation and primal screaming in the coda, Nicks is magically transformed into Rhiannon before the eyes of the audience in live performances of the song; fully merging herself with the character she is singing about – a shift highlighted by starting the song from a third-person perspective and ending it in first-person.

By 1976, Nicks established her stage uniform; long, black, chiffon and velvet dresses with floating sleeves and shawls galore; reminiscent of the first image of Rhiannon in medieval brocaded silk. These stage costumes are purpose-built for embracing her femininity, contributing to the witchy aesthetic of her songs, and, in the case of many songs, mimicking flight. She embodies her lyrics about the bird in flight by using specific flapping motions with her draped sleeves.

Nick’s distinct image during the 1977-78 Rumours tour gave fans a fashion blueprint to follow when attending Fleetwood Mac or Stevie Nicks solo concerts. Mick Fleetwood mentioned that he noticed “hundreds- no, thousands- of girls dressed exactly like Stevie in black outfits, many sporting top hats, Stevie’s new stage costume, which they must have seen in magazines and on TV.” This appropriation ritual enacted by her fans allows them to feel part of the performance and part of Nicks’ personal “coven”. To this day, concertgoers are seen sporting Nicks-inspired looks from over the years, including top hats, shawls, and long chiffon sleeves.

Stevie Nicks has said multiple times that she is not a witch; however, her identification with the “Rhiannon” persona and her love of the fantastical at the peak of her fame has had a lasting effect on her career legacy. Over the years, Nicks’ material with Fleetwood Mac and her solo career have drawn upon enchantment for inspiration; References to “crystal visions” in “Dreams” pulled on the same metaphysical threads as “Rhiannon”, and “Sisters of the Moon” created a label for Nicks’ dedicated coven, 1981’s solo album Bella Donna transformed her into the “White Witch”, and the list goes on. The artistic world of Stevie Nicks is populated with witches, angels, romance, and mythical birds. She was not the first, nor the only one to engage with this sort of aesthetic, but she popularized it for women in an unprecedented way; soon after, Heart and Kate Bush were seen in the charts with similar artistic approaches.

Nicks has been given plenty of opportunities in film and television to engage with this witchy persona. She was asked to contribute music to Griffin Dune’s 1998 film Practical Magic, the story of two young witches and their struggle with love. She rerecorded the song she penned back in 1973, “Crystal”. Up until this point, on the Buckingham Nicks and Fleetwood Mac albums, Lindsey Buckingham was on lead vocals. That she makes it synonymous with her own voice, and therefore her own associations with the label of witchcraft take the magic of Practical Magic to the next level.

More recently, in 2014 and 2018, she was given a role as herself, “the White Witch”, in American Horror: Coven and American Horror Story: Apocalypse. Songs like “Kind of Woman”, “Gold Dust Woman”, “Rhiannon”, and “Seven Wonders” are featured in the background and in key moments throughout the series. In the show, the character Misty Day fashions herself like Stevie, with curled blonde hair and flowing shawls, complete with a crescent moon necklace.

This moon necklace is worn by fans all over the world, symbolizing their dedication to the White Witch and making themselves easily recognizable to fellow “Sisters of the Moon”. Through her life and music, Stevie Nicks has built a legacy that melds the hyper-masculine genre of rock ‘n’ roll with a feminine energy that has seemingly been charged by the moon, all originating with “Rhiannon”.

Works Cited

Davies, Sioned. The Mabinogion. Oxford University Press. 2005.

“Fleetwood Mac”. Behind the Music. VH1. 7 September 1977.

Frith, Simon. 1996. Performing Rites: On the Value of Popular Music. Harvard University Press.

Goldman, Vivien. “Fleetwood Mac: John and Christine and Stevie and Lindsay and Mick….,” Sounds 30 October 1976.

McLane, Daisann. 1980. “Fleetwood Mac: They Dared To Be Different”. Rolling Stone, 7 February 1980.

Truzzi, Marcello. 1974. “Towards a Sociology of the Occult: Notes on Modern Witchcraft”. Religious Movements in Contemporary America. Princeton University Press.

Fleetwood mac witchy woman

Just a quick question. is Joe Walsh's Witchy Woman about Stevie? I'm doing my research paper for Rhetoric and Culture on how religious groups and others have painted rock and roll and its artists in a devilish fashion. Rock and roll has always been the "devil," and part of my paper will of course feature Stevie being accused of being a witch, and therefore her song being banned at that religious school in 1998. So, I was wondering if the song is about her. By the way, if anyone knows where I can get information on the subject of the devil and rock and roll, I'd appreciate it.

are you referring to the eagles' witchy woman? i've never heard of joe walsh having a song by that title. but if it is the eagles' song you are referring to. no. that is not about stevie. that song was written and released before stevie joined fm and met any of the eagles. also. joe walsh was not yet in the band. from what i have heard, witchy woman was written partly about linda ronstadt who was hanging around the eagles at the time. the "raven hair" part matches her more than it matches stevie

Ummm. I know. it's nit-picky. BUT. Ronstadt just didn't "hang around the Eagles". it was actually vice-versa.

The Eagles started out as Linda Ronstadt's backup band.

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Among God's creations, two, the dog and the guitar, have taken all the sizes and all the shapes in order not to be separated from the man.---Andres Segovia

never knew that..thanks.

not a bad boss to start your career with.

The physical description suits Linda but she's not (nor ever has been) witchy by any stretch of the imagination. It must be about someone else. Rumour has it that the Eagles were hanging out with some really "witchy" people in the 70's associated with Anton LeVey up in Los Angeles. I heard that WW was about his daughter, but it could be a totally false rumour.

And before that, Linda Ronstadt used to open up for my vocal coach, Carol McComb.

Just a little more trivia for you.

Linda's new duet with Bette Midler rocks. I wish Linda would record more traditional songs like that.

Why? Without your question I would have never known the eagles-ronstadt-connection.

Yes you would, just differently:

Don Henley worked with Stevie who worked with Waddy who worked with Linda. Voila, an Eagles/Ronstadt connection.
I love playing Six degrees from Stevie Nicks, don't you?

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�The hair went from perm to growing out perm to really bad growing out perm to almost straight to good straight to long straight to beautiful straight to a lot of work straight back to the perm.�

Don Henley worked with Stevie who worked with Waddy who worked with Linda. Voila, an Eagles/Ronstadt connection.
I love playing Six degrees from Stevie Nicks, don't you?

The personnel of the Eagles when they recorded "Witchy Woman":
Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner.

Bernie Leadon played guitar on Stevie's Street Angel album. then the Waddy/Linda way.

__________________
Among God's creations, two, the dog and the guitar, have taken all the sizes and all the shapes in order not to be separated from the man.---Andres Segovia

Heh, thanks gerald for giving me some sort of restitution on an obviously dumb question, but honestly I had NO IDEA the Eagles had different line-ups. I thought it was always the same four guys. oh well, I always learn best by saying something wrong and having it corrected. For example, in class a few weeks ago I tried answering in class what a Deist was, and ended up explaining an agnostic. Now I'll never forget what a Deist believes.

I've read in more than one source (Nancy's site, which I find very comprehensive and informative, to name but one), that the fantastic Henley/Frey/Walsh tune, "Life In The Fast Lane" from Hotel California, is actually about Lindsey and Stevie.

And when you read the lyrics, they so fit!

For just one line, Stevie is "terminally pretty".

Song of the moment - Why

A quick Eagles 101 course:

Original lineup: Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon

For the album Desperado: Same (J.D. Souther & Jackson Browne were "honorary Eagles" just for this album)

For the album On The Border: Don Felder came on board

After the album One Of These Nights: Bernie Leadon left & Joe Walsh joined

After the album Hotel California: Randy Meisner left and Timothy B. Schmit joined (making it the second time in their careers that Tim replaced Randy in a band. Tim took Randy's place in Poco when Randy left to co-found the Eagles)

Somewhere here recently, within the last few years, Don Felder was unceremoniously fired. he filed a wrongful termination lawsuit, I have no idea the outcome or status of that.

And there you have it.

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Among God's creations, two, the dog and the guitar, have taken all the sizes and all the shapes in order not to be separated from the man.---Andres Segovia

Is Stevie Nicks Really a Witch? How the Rumor Came to Be

Stevie Nicks is arguably the witchy woman. A large part of Nicks’ allure comes from her almost supernatural essence. From her long flowing gowns to her cryptic, spell-like lyricism, Nicks earned her witch comparison a long time ago and has done nothing but double-down on it in recent years.

Nicks was captivated by the character and felt that it resonated with her own experiences and emotions. The lyrics of "Rhiannon" evoke a sense of mystery and enchantment, reflecting the allure of the witch-like character. Nicks' distinctive and soulful vocals add to the song's ethereal and mystical atmosphere.

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Have you ever wondered how Nicks came to be thought of as a witch? If so, uncover the lore of Nicks’ reputation, below.

Stevie Nicks, the White Witch?

Since the onset of her career, Nicks’ fans have been on a witch hunt. Though she has never claimed to be a practitioner of the dark arts, in the minds of most of the world, Nicks is a witch. And it can all be traced back to the 1976 release of “Rhiannon.”

The track appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled record and has become one of Nicks’ signature songs. “Rhiannon” has been interpreted as an autobiographical track about Nicks’ witchier tendencies. Save maybe “Gold Dust Woman,” few songs in Nicks’ songwriting catalog feel as innate to her sensibilities.

She is like a cat in the dark
And then she is to darkness
She rules her life like a fine skylark
And when the sky is starless

Nicks has something nearly undefinable about her. Despite being one of the most recognizable faces in rock music, there is something mysterious about her. She has the power to draw an audience in with her enchanting if at times eerie, persona – which is exactly the type of woman Nicks describes in “Rhiannon.”

Nicks was inspired to write the song after reading a book called Triad, which centered around a Welsh witch named, of course, Rhiannon. That inspiration paired with the fact that Nicks would often introduce the song with, “This is a song about a witch” at concerts, prompted fans to start connecting the dots.

Suddenly the sight of her feeling the music while on stage was interpreted as magical trances and spell casting. Her wardrobe was no longer a product of ’70s folk fashion and instead became the garb of a witch.

Though today Nicks wears her white witch badge proudly (having appeared in shows like American Horror Story, in which she fully leans into the occult) in the early days of the rumor, Nicks struggled with the comparison.

“In the beginning of my career, the whole idea that some wacky, creepy people were writing, ‘You’re a witch, you’re a witch!’ was so arresting,” Nicks told the LA Times in 2014. “And there I am like, ‘No, I’m not! I just wear black because it makes me look thinner you idiots.'”

By the late ’70s, Nicks started to distance herself from the witch motif in an effort to stop her more egregious haters from taking their concerns any further. A few years later, Nicks tapped back into her witchy aesthetic for the release of her debut solo album, Bella Donna.

“I do not believe in witchcraft as a natural philosophy at all,” Nicks told ET in the early ’80s (per Showbiz Cheatsheet). “I just think it’s fun. And I love black clothes and I love moons and stars and Merlin hats and Mickey Mouse. But no, I do not believe in that side of it at all.”‘

For better or for worse, Nicks will always have the witch rumor hanging above her head. As far as we’re concerned, we wouldn’t have Nicks any other way besides dressed in black, dealing out bewitching lyrics, and twirling with her shawl to help close out one of her stellar live shows.

(Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)

The steady and hypnotic rhythm of the music creates a trancelike effect, making it easy for listeners to get lost in the song's spellbinding qualities. The character of Rhiannon reflects Nicks' personal journey as a woman in the male-dominated rock music industry. She used the archetype of the witch as a symbol of feminine power and independence, challenging traditional gender roles and expectations. Nicks' portrayal of Rhiannon as a strong and mysterious figure resonated with many listeners, especially women, who found inspiration in her music. In addition to its musical and lyrical qualities, "Rhiannon" is also notable for its instrumental interplay. The band's signature lineup, featuring Lindsey Buckingham on guitar, Christine McVie on keyboards, John McVie on bass, and Mick Fleetwood on drums, showcased their exceptional talent and ability to create intricate and memorable melodies. Over the years, "Rhiannon" has remained a staple in Fleetwood Mac's live performances, serving as a crowd favorite and a reminder of the band's iconic status. The song's popularity also solidified Nicks' reputation as a talented songwriter and performer, with her unique ability to capture emotion and create captivating narratives. In conclusion, "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac is an enduring classic that showcases the band's distinctive sound and Stevie Nicks' songwriting prowess. The song's witchy and mysterious qualities continue to captivate audiences, making it a standout track in Fleetwood Mac's extensive discography..

Reviews for "The Witchy Woman Legacy of Fleetwood Mac: Inspiring Modern Witches"

1. Emily - 1/5 - I really didn't understand the hype surrounding "Fleetwood Mac Witchy Woman". The song felt incredibly repetitive and lacked any sort of depth or creativity. The lyrics were uninspiring and the melody was forgettable. The more I listened to it, the more bored I became. I don't understand why so many people enjoy this song when there are so many better options out there.

2. James - 2/5 - I have to admit, "Fleetwood Mac Witchy Woman" had a catchy beat that initially drew me in. However, as I continued to listen to it, I realized that it lacked substance. The lyrics were vague and the overall theme was unclear. It felt like the song was trying to be mysterious and edgy, but it fell short. I expected more from a band as acclaimed as Fleetwood Mac.

3. Sarah - 2/5 - I found "Fleetwood Mac Witchy Woman" to be a bit overrated. While the vocals were decent, the overall composition of the song felt lackluster. It lacked any memorable hooks or melodies. The lyrics were also quite repetitive and didn't offer much depth. Overall, I felt the song was forgettable and I don't understand why it has become such a popular choice among fans of Fleetwood Mac.

The Witchy Woman Fashion of Fleetwood Mac: A Closer Look