Gypsy - Fleetwood Mac

Gypsy - Fleetwood Mac

4:24

single, 1982

Written by Stevie Nicks

An upbeat song of nostalgia, buoyed by some charming, chiming guitar lines.  It evokes Nicks' past in a rosy rearview, living with Lindsey Buckingham, where they slept on a mattress on the floor because they couldn't afford a bed.  "So I'm back to the velvet underground / Back to the floor that I love."  The "velvet underground" here apparently refers to a clothes store in the famous Haight-Ashbury district where some famous singers shopped for their leather and lace and so on.  They were rich and famous when this song came out, but the grass is always greener.

Oh Well (Pt. 1) - Fleetwood Mac

Oh Well (Pt. 1) - Fleetwood Mac

3:24

Then Play On, 1969

Written by Peter Green

An early example of blues mixing with some folk elements, going electric, and inching its way toward hard rock.  Its a capella vocals coming in between guitar parts is very reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog."  The lyrics are tongue in cheek,; probably not much thought went into them, though one part does remind me of Manfred Mann's "Don't Ask Me What I Say": "But don't ask me what I think of you / I might not give the answer that you want me to."