Silver Springs by Fleetwood Mac

Album: The Chain (1977)

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Stevie Nicks wrote "Silver Springs" after her breakup with Lindsey Buckingham, the band's guitarist and her longtime boyfriend. She wanted to make sure he would never forget about her: "I'll follow you down till the sound of my voice will haunt you."

In 2009, she told Rolling Stone: "It was me realizing that Lindsey was going to haunt me for the rest of my life, and he has."

You can hear Buckingham's message to Nicks on the "Go Your Own Way," written around the same time.
Nicks got the idea for the title when she saw a sign for Silver Spring, Maryland (just north of Washington, DC) while driving with Buckingham. The name was, to her, so beautiful that she wrote it into the song.

Note that the song title adds an "s" to the city, so it's "Silver Springs."
"Silver Springs" is one of Fleetwood Mac's classic songs, but it was banished to a B-side when it was released in 1977. The song was recorded for their Rumours album but didn't make the cut. Back then albums had to be carefully culled because there was only so much space on a vinyl record, and Rumours was overflowing with great songs - it became one of the best selling albums in history.

So "Silver Springs" was available only as the B-side of the singles "Go Your Own Way" and "Don't Stop." It got some FM radio play and the band played it on the European leg of their 1977 tour, but it really gained traction when they put it in the setlist for their 1997 The Dance tour, which reunited their classic lineup, bringing Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham back to the fold. The song has grown more popular with time, reaching a new audience through streaming. Fleetwood Mac continued to play it live into the 2010s.
This song really takes its time, building slowly with two verses and a pre-chorus before that famous chorus finally comes in at 2:15:

Time cast a spell on you, but you won't forget me
I know I could have loved you
But you would not let me

We get an instrumental break, and then the chorus returns with these lines added:

I'll follow you down 'til the sound of my voice will haunt you
Give me just a chance
You'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you

The song never gets very loud but it sure makes a statement.
Stevie Nicks used to check into hotels on the road under the alias "Miss Silver Spring."
"Silver Springs" was bumped off the Rumors album by another song Nicks wrote called "I Don't Want To Know," which the rest of the band liked better and fit better on the album because it was shorter. Stevie was very upset with the decision and considered refusing to sing "I Don't Want to Know" in protest.
"Silver Springs" finally appeared on an album in 1992 when it was included on Fleetwood Mac's The Chain box set. It was also released on their 2002 greatest hits album, and on the DVD-A release of Rumours that same year, appearing on the tracklist where it would have gone on the original album if they didn't hit space constraints.

In 1997 is was included on their live album The Dance, with this version released as a single in some territories.
During this song's performance on Fleetwood Mac's 1997 DVD The Dance, halfway through the song while singing, Stevie turns towards Lindsay and appears to be singing directly to him. It was as if she was reminding him who the song was about. Once they locked eyes, you could see and feel the emotions they must have felt many years ago when they dated and eventually broke up. A very intense moment.
Stevie Nicks appeared on two episodes of the TV series American Horror Story: Coven, including the finale, where she performed "Seven Wonders" to open the show. Later in the episode, this song was used to underscore a scene where a witch is sent to burn at the stake.
The various compilations that include this song often use different mixes. On the 2004 2-disc Rumors reissue, you'll find a longer version.

Comments: 28

Rnmorton from West Chester PaI love Stevie Nicks even with all of her self-centricity, I really do, but I'll always remember (in terms of the warped perspective of stars) her statement in an interview I saw years ago that in history one of the biggest mistakes ever was leaving Silver Springs off the Rumors album. As to sharing looks on stage, we saw the reunited Fleetwood Mac in say 2015 and Stevie did the same stare-down thing with Lindsey on Gold Dust Woman. Funny that the band finally blew up when Stevie had enough with Lindsey's smarmy comments about her behavior on stage. All that said, FM needs both Stevie and Lindsey, as we saw when the Lindsey replacements came to town.
Bj from Centreville, AlabamaThe live performance on The Dance was an amazing, gut-wrenching and deeply emotional performance. You can feel it move through your body not just listening, but watching it. Amazing.
Richard from Trenton, NjThis song is about a motorcycle that had nice shocks on it that were chromed. I think she wrote it about a Harley Softtail that wanted some nice after market parts and the sh--ty boyfriend didn't want to pay for them.
Mavis from Upper MidwestNot long before this song was released, I ran across the expression "silver spring" in a short story, used to describe a special, romantic spring. Since I read the book from which Stevie got the Rhiannon concept (Triad, by Mary Leader), I wondered if Stevie Nicks and I had the same taste in reading material. Anyway, I was working as an afternoon-drive disc jockey at the time and always looking for new tunes to intersperse with hits. This was one of them. I found a lot of truly good songs on B sides and as album cuts. The B-side tunes like this one helped set a mood.
Camille from Toronto, OhSilver Springs is an incredible song, and I agree, Andrew, that Rumours would have been even more amazing had it been added instead of Gold Dust Woman. Silver Springs is one of the most heart felt songs ever written and sung. I do not feel like it is a revenge song, though. Revenge is angry and means you want to get back at someone. These lyrics and tune make me feel sad, something is lost and will not be found again. The heartbroken singer knows undisputedly that there is/was a uniquely special bond with this relationship that could have trancended everything. Helplessly, she realizes that the other person does not recognize the magic they create as a couple, does not see its value, does not cherish it as she does. She knows he will never, ever find anyone or anything like her, like them together. At some point, he will know she is right, and her words will come back to haunt him. Stevie, the brilliant lyricist.
Camille from Toronto, OhFrom Wikipedia: "In a 1997 documentary on the making of Rumours, Richard Dashut, the engineer and co-producer, called it "the best song that never made it to a record album". I gotta agree!
Moe from Atlanta, GeorgiaFor those confused about the apparent contradictions between Lindsey's view of things in Go Your Own Way and Stevie's in Silver Springs, I believe that when considered together it is likely that Stevie did break up with Lindsey but for the reason that he cheated on her with another woman. When Lindsey refers to "shacking up is all you want to do" I suspect this refers to behavior by Stevie following the break-up not during the relationship. Regardless these two songs together by two band members about a real life situation is amazingly powerful stuff. Reality is that the energy and pain that Lindsey and Stevie experienced from their relationship sparked the best 2 to 3 year songwriting period of their respective careers. They truly were inspired by what they experienced together.
Andrew from London, United KingdomIf 'Gold Dust Woman' got replaced by 'Silver Springs,' it would have made Rumour ten-times better, in my honest opinion!

MY TRACKLIST FOR RUMOURS:
1) The Chain
2) Never Going Back Again
3) Don't Stop
4) Go Your Own Way
5) Dreams
6) Songbird
7) Second Hand News
8) Oh Daddy
9) You Make Loving Fun
10) I Don't Want to Know
11) Silver Springs
Thomas from Shallotte, Nc"Silver Springs" was NOT the B-side of the original issue 45 "Don't Stop" , as listed above. "Don't Stop" was released with "Never Going Back Again" as it's B-side. It was indeed the B-side of "Go Your Own Way", making it one of the hardest-hitting singles ever released with Lindsey Buckingham throwing a knock-out punch at Stevie Nicks on the A-side "Packing-up, shacking-up is all you want to do. If I could, babe I'd give you my world. How can I when you won't take it from me?" And then Stevie Nicks kicked Lindsey Buckingham deep in the groin of his heart with "Silver Springs"...but in a more tactful way that I am sure he didn't get at first, but as he heard the song more and more the meaning more than likely haunted him . Women have a knack of telling men off in a way that goes over our head at the time and later when we think about what was said it haunts us...I guarantee this song haunts Lindsey Buckingham.
Thomas from Macon, GaI'm surprised no one has commented on Lindsey's guitar solo in this song. I think it is one of the most beautiful pieces in rock music. My son plays guitar and when I showed him this video he was fascinated by the picking technique Lindsey uses. Lindsey started out playing Banjo when he was young and switched to guitar later. I've never seen anyone use a similar technique on electric guitar.
Keely from Grand Rapids, MiThis song was released on the B side of Go Your Own Way, on the 45...... I still have mine!!!
Tara from Nashville, TnThe best version , I think is the live from Boston one . It seems and I am sure Stevie has said that a lot if their songs were about she and lindsey and all the love triangles that the band had.
Jeff from Kingston, TnBest version of this song is from the album "The Dance".
I would like to send a shout out to Lindsey Buckingham for having an ego the size of Montana.
Without the breakup this song would not have been possible.
Paul from Washington Dc, DcOne of the saddest songs that I have ever heard in my life. Definite echoes of Edith Piaf. Stevie is one of the world's great musical treasures.
Betj from Lima, OhThis song is awesome. Beautiful lyrics, such a great meaning.
Pat from Albuquerque, NmI remember Silver Springs being played on the radio around the time Rumours came out, then faded off the charts and playlists. I also heard it played at a Fleetwood Mac concert around that time. I think it's the best song Stevie Nicks ever wrote, and she's written some great ones. Hopefully they'll keep playing Silver Springs in concerts.
Nora from Small Town , FlTime cast a spell on you...but you won't forget me...
(I was such a fool)
I know I could've loved you, but you would not let me..
(Give me one more chance)
I'll follow you down 'til the sound of my voice will haunt you..
(Haunt you)
You'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you..

What lyrics. talk about pain of love. I can relate to this song. It is always hard to forget someone you love so deeply, harder to forget them when they dont return the love. Time always passes but you never really forget the people you are/ were in love with. It can almost be a haunting obsession to some who are so stuck on finding love, or losing out on love that they could never have....great song
Bella from PretoriaYeah,Dessire,I also find it odd,because listening the lyrics of Dreams and Go Your Own Way,I also gained that she was the one to break up with him!Maybe she regretted it...hehehe. Just think how annoyed Stevie and Lindsey would be if they see how we're nosing into their relationship!
Sara Mackenzie from Middle Of Nowhere, Flthe ending is extended a little on the "crystal visions" cd!! very cool!! =^_^=
Adrian from Wellington, New ZealandIt sounds like the basis of an instrumental song called "Eleavator Beat" composed by Cameron Crowe's wife Nancy Wilson for the Vanilla Sky soundtrack, 2001.
Dessire from El Cajon, CaThis is a beautiful song. She said that she wrote this song to say what he couldve been for her. But its kind of odd cause she was the one to brake up with him. And The song wasnt put on the album beacause it didnt fit. The song was to long and well mick was the one to tell her that that song wasnt gonna be on " Sorry but thats just how it has to be" hahaha and he told her in the studio parkinglot but she was thrilled
cause she said it was one of the things she shared with lindsey. And actually she loved how the music turned out. And lindsey didnt actually want to help her. hahaha ah great song.. so ur bof broke up with u? HAHAHAHA and it is NOT another dreams.
Maria from Bloomington, InIn this song, Nicks sings "Really...I don't want to know," quite sarcastically. I wonder if this is a reference to this song being bumped off of Rumours in favor of I Don't Want to Know (my favorite FM song, incidentally) and Nicks' displeasure with the decision.
Holliee from Waterloo, Canada"Silver Springs" is sort of like another "Dreams" for Stevie. its a revenge song. it still bugs her that lyndsey got to put "go your own way" on the Rumours album, when she wanted to put "Silver springs" on it. for some reason "go your own way" got first dibs, even though to me, "silver springs" is so much more intense. she's still a little bitter about it. i love the original recording, it reminds me of a mermaid underwater. the live version is raw and engulfing. there's nothing like the passion between stevie and lyndsey.
Al from Stafford Springs, CtIn Stevie Nicks' songs, when she says "she" she usually is referring to herself. This is one of the few songs where she refers to herself as "I". This is one of her most personal and least vailed songs. Originally released as the b-side to "Go Your Own Way" in 1976, the song was to have appeared on "Rumours". When it didn't the song faded into obscurity. Gone, but not forgotten, it was revived for the 1997 reunion album and tour. When released as a single from 1997's "The Dance" it was once again paired with "Go Your Own Way".
John from Millersville, MdI live about an hour from Silver Spring as well, I never knew the song actually came from that, though.

Lauren, the live DVD of The Dance is intense. Stevie literally walks from her mic to Lindsey's and screams the song at him..."Never get away, Never get away, Never get away..."

It's pretty emotional.
Melissa from Seattle, Waomg i freakin love this song.. i think this song is the best "revenge" song of all time. i love that line that goes " i will follow u down to the sound of my voice that haunts you" she does this song with such emotion. she is feels her songs they are apart of her and a time period in her life. it is like her diary for us to hear.
Lauren from Denver, CoStevie did write this for Lindsey. She wanted him to know that he will never forget her - "I'll follow you down 'til the sound of my voice will haunt you" - she said she wanted him to hear her on the radio and never forget. If you've ever seen the live version on DVD from the Dance, all the emotions come out there. She performed that on that evening thinking she'd never sing the song live again and let loose for Lindsey. Also Silver Springs was left off Rumours for I Don't Wanna Know - some say Mick and Lindsey said it would not be on Rumours, some say just Lindsey. We'll never know. Great song!
Michael from Columbia, MdThe town is actually Silver Spring, MD..it's about a half hour from here...

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