"Gypsy" by Fleetwood Mac

 The Meaning Behind "Gypsy" by Fleetwood Mac

    When I was preparing for my popular media presentation (scrolling on TikTok), I watched an overload of WitchTok. When I was presenting, I realized that "Gypsy" by Fleetwood Mac was in the background of 2 out of the 5 TikToks shown. I went back and looked at more of the TikToks I watched when selecting which ones to include in the presentation, and even more had "Gypsy" playing in the background. I've never thought about what the lyrics of this song mean, or if there is any relation to the title itself. 

    In my first search, I found that Stevie Nicks was actually rumored to be a witch. The song refers mainly more the feelings, than actual witchcraft or being a gypsy. The first line "So I'm back to the velvet underground, back to the floor, that I love, to a room with some lace and paper flowers, back to the gypsy that I was" refers to Nicks childhood when she worked at an underground boutique. She was always known to have a mystical aesthetic, she wore black clothes and flowy shawls. Beginning the song with the reference to her childhood influenced by lace and velvet undergrounds adds to the mystical stereotype. She continually says, "back to the gypsy that I was," refrencing the connection with past feelings and memories. While not explicitly witchcraft, and Stevie Nicks actually said multiple times she does not belive in witchcraft, she draws on the feelings and intentions of witchcraft. 

    Throughout the song, she says "lightening strikes, maybe once, maybe twice," which could be intrepreted as another mystical element of the song. She also sings "she is dancing away from you now," which could be a reference to when people were accused of witchcraft. In the trials acqusations often centered around dancing and ritualistic activities. The song itself is trance like, and Nicks vocals are swirly, almost adding to this 'gypsy' effect. The song reflects more on freedom and artistic indivudality more than it does witchcraft. The title comes as a refrence to her earlier life when she was nomadic and living more freeily. She referred to herself as a wandering spirit pre-fame and uses the word gypsy to refrence that feeling. The song is not related to witchcraft and the connections above are mearly coincidences, but what I found interesting was that 'gypsy' refers to a feeling of freedom. In class we discussed how modern day witch practices are completely different, it's more focused on setting an intention than actually practicing a ritual. Stevie Nicks does a great job capturing the feeling many feel when they are practicing something that allows them to express themselves, like witchcraft.