January 6, 2023     —–     Chart #177

Hey folks, welcome to another edition of Chart of the Week. Let’s get 2023 started right with a hit from one of the top bands in the 1970’s. “Gold Dust Woman” is a song from British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac‘s 11th studio album, Rumours (1977). The song 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 US).

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 Sheryl Crow as part of the early sessions for her 2001 Trouble in Shangri-La album. However, the track, “If You Ever Did Believe” was instead chosen as the theme song for the 1998 Warner Bros. film Practical Magic, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, and is only available on the film’s soundtrack album.

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 the final take, Stevie Nicks had wrapped her head (though not mouth) with a black scarf, veiling her senses to tap memories and emotions. 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 Nicks’s vocals, Fleetwood broke sheets of glass. According to producer Ken Caillat “He [Fleetwood] 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.”

The song’s title, “Gold Dust Woman”, comes from Gold Dust Lane, a street in Wickenburg, Arizona where Nicks spent time as a child. Slant Magazine critic Barry Walsh described the song as finding Nicks “at her folky (not flaky) best with one of her most poignant character studies”.

Live performance:  https://youtu.be/xzxSIMaMIZQ 

Hope your 2023 is off to a rockin’ start.

Keep rockin my friends,

Stan Bradshaw