“Silver Springs” Lyrics & Meaning (Fleetwood Mac)

Silver Springs had a rough beginning.

It actually lost it’s spot on the album it was supposed to be on.

Instead, it ended up as a b-side.

The Silver Springs lyrics meaning may have had something to do with that.

While the inspiration behind the title is simple enough, the actual subject matter is heavy.

At least for the band itself. But that was the case for a number of Fleetwood Mac’s songs at the time.

And all for the same reason. Keep reading to learn what inspired the song, what the lyrics are about, and everything else you might want to know about Silver Springs.

 

Silver Springs Lyrics And Meaning

Silver Springs is a song performed by Fleetwood Mac. It was written by Stevie Nicks and was initially intended for the band’s 1977 album Rumors, but was instead relegated to the B-side of the single Go Your Own Way, which was mainly due to constraints on the album.

Even though the song was excluded from Rumors, Silver Springs still remains one of Nicks’ most notable songs, since it showcases her profound sense of loss after the end of a relationship.

The title of the song was inspired by Silver Spring, Maryland. It was a name Nicks found beautiful so she transformed it into a song.

Years after the song was released, it found its way back into the public eye, when Fleetwood Mac put it on their setlist and live album of The Dance in 1997. This performance created a new and deeper interest in the song, especially because the song was about Nick’s relationship with Lindsey Buckingham.

The live version of this song did so well it even earned the band a grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 1998.

The official music video for Silver Springs was uploaded onto the band’s YouTube in 2018. It’s a live performance of the track at the Warner Brothers Studios in 1997.

As of February 2020, the song had 2.6 million views. On the band’s Spotify, the song has had 20.4 million streams. This shows just how popular the song still is in modern times.

The popular book and TV show, Daisy Jones and the Six was also loosely based on the band, with the author taking inspiration from the relationship between Nicks and Buckingham. This inspiration specifically included the performances of Silver Springs and Landslide, because there was a lot of tension between the two ex lovers.

 

Silver Springs Lyrics

 

Verse 1

You could be my silver spring
Blue-green colors flashin’
I would be your only dream
Your shinin’ autumn ocean crashin’

And don’t say that she’s pretty
And did you say that she loved you?
Baby, I don’t wanna know

Verse 2

So, I begin not to love you
Turn around, see me running
I say, “I loved you years ago”
Tell myself you never loved me, no

And don’t say that she’s pretty
And did you say that she loved you?
Baby, I don’t wanna know, oh, no
And can you tell me, was it worth it?
Baby, I don’t wanna know

Chorus

Time cast a spell on you
But you won’t forget me
I know I could have loved you
But you would not let me

Chorus

Time cast a spell on you
But you won’t forget me
Well, I know I could have loved you
But you would not let me
I’ll follow you down
‘Til the sound of my voice will haunt you
Oh, give me just a chance
You’ll never get away from the sound
Of the woman that loved you
Was I just a fool?
I’ll follow you down
‘Til the sound of my voice will haunt you
Give me just a chance
You’ll never get away from the sound
Of the woman that loved you

Outro

Time cast a spell on you
But you won’t forget me
I know I could have loved you
But you would not let me
I’ll follow you down
‘Til the sound

 

Silver Springs Meaning

The meaning behind this song has to do with love and the end of a relationship. That relationship is Nicks’ relationship with Buckingham. Both Nicks and Buckingham were band mates which was why fans loved the song so much, although it definitely made it a very awkward split!

Silver Springs reflects just how tumultuous the relationship between Nicks and Buckingham was. Their relationship ended during the production of Rumors which created tension when within the band, especially when it came to creative direction.

This may have been another reason the song was left off the album, since it is about the unendurable loss that Nicks was feeling at the time. It was her bandmates, Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood, who had decided that the song would be cut from the Rumors album. Nicks, however, thought it was one of the best songs she had written.

The lyrics of the song illustrate how painful it is to lose someone you love, haunting memories of your relationship and hoping that the breakup was justified. It’s a song that we can all relate to, if we’ve ever experienced a breakup. We all experience the same feelings of heartache and longing.

Nicks had always been open about what the song was about and in an interview from 1998, she even spoke on the matter. She said “I wrote Silver Springs uh, about Lindsey. And I – we – were in Maryland somewhere driving under a freeway sign that said Silver Spring, Maryland. And I loved that name.”

 

Silver Springs Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts

Like many of Fleetwood Mac’s songs at the time, the Silver Springs lyrics meaning had to do with the failure of the relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. It affected the entire band and everything they did.

To be honest, I always found the lyrics pretty straightforward, so I was not surprised to learn their meaning. I guess I always knew it. What was new to me was the inspiration behind the title of the song. I agree with Nicks that it is a beautiful name.

For another song about a failed relationship, this time due to cheating, check out our breakdown of the Careless Whisper lyrics and their meaning.

For more from Fleetwood Mac, we also take a look at the Dreams lyrics meaning, and the meaning of the song Rhiannon.