Yesterday was the birthday of STEVIE NICKS.  If you are a member of the “Boomer” generation, those born right after WWII, odds are that you know that Nicks is a member of Fleetwood Mac a premier rock band of the Age of Aquarius.  To a millennial person born in the 80s or a gen Z individual, perhaps that is ancient history if known at all.   Nevertheless I draw attention to Nicks, because her music and that of Fleetwood Mac changed the world.  I make the assertion without apology.  Listening and pondering the melody and the lyric of those songs my outlook on everything has shifted subtly but surely.  That is how the arts do their job.

So happy birthday Stevie.  May the gods be kind to you on your 73rd birthday.  You’ve made a difference.

Dreams

By Fleetwood Mac

Now here you go again
You say you want your freedom
Well, who am I to keep you down?
It’s only right that you should
Play the way you feel it
But listen carefully to the sound
Of your loneliness

Like a heartbeat… drives you mad
In the stillness of remembering what you had
And what you lost…
And what you had…
And what you lost

Thunder only happens when it’s raining
Players only love you when they’re playing
Say… Women… they will come and they will go
When the rain washes you clean… you’ll know, you’ll know

Now here I go again, I see the crystal visions
I keep my visions to myself
It’s only me
Who wants to wrap around your dreams and…
Have you any dreams you’d like to sell?
Dreams of loneliness…

Like a heartbeat… drives you mad…
In the stillness of remembering what you had…
And what you lost…
And what you had…
And what you lost

Thunder only happens when it’s raining
Players only love you when they’re playing
Women they will come and they will go
When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know

Oh, thunder only happens when it’s raining
Players only love you when they’re playing
Say women they will come and they will go
When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know, you’ll know
You will know, you’ll know

Lyrics composed by Stevie Nicks

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The line “Players only love you when they’re playing” is about Lindsey Buckingham. Stevie Nicks recalled to The Daily Mail in October 2009, “I walked in and handed a cassette of the song to Lindsey. …Even though he was mad with me at the time, Lindsey played it and then looked up at me and smiled. What was going on between us was sad. We were couples who couldn’t make it through. But, as musicians, we still respected each other – and we got some brilliant songs out of it.”  —  AZlyrics.com