Video Classics: 'Gold Dust Woman' - Fleetwood Mac

To honor WNEW's legendary Firecracker 500, every day we are highlighting the music that populated the 1991 and 1996 lists, with classic videos, live performances and little-known facts about the songs and how they came to be...

As gold prices rise ever higher, Video Classics thought it would be apropos to feature a gold-themed song that also had a meteoric rise (and apologies for the strained attempt to tie current events to classic rock).  In any event, the song in question rose from spot #402 on the 1991 Firecracker 500 all the way up to spot #261 on the 1996 list: Fleetwood Mac's Gold Dust Woman. Check out this live 1977 performance in Japan ...

Released on their album Rumors, Gold Dust Woman is considered by some to be a signature song for Stevie Nicks from her Fleetwood Mac era, though Rhiannon might be a bit more well-known to others. Of course, the song itself could probably stand to be a little more well-known to Nicks herself, judging by this response given to on an Spin interview with Courtney Love:

"You know what, Courtney? I don't really know what ‘Gold Dust Woman’ is about. I know there was cocaine there and that I fancied it gold dust, somehow. I'm going to have to go back to my journals and see if I can pull something out about ‘Gold Dust Woman.’ Because I don't really know. It's weird that I'm not quite sure. It can't be all about cocaine."

Regardless of what it is actually all about, it remains one of the rare B-Sides to make the Firecracker 500 (it's A-Side was You Make Loving Fun).

Have memories of this song or the Firecracker 500? Add your thoughts to the comments below or take a look at Video Classics past...

Comments

[matt]

Fascinating (and not totally surprising) that she doesn't remember the motivation for the song. Stevie Nicks rules either way. Great post!