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Song Stories

“Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)”

Fleetwood Mac | 1975

After reading a novel about a Welsh witch named Rhiannon, Stevie Nicks not only wrote this song but she also altered her stage persona, taking to wearing black outfits with chiffon lace. "I see her as a good witch. Very positive," Nicks told Rolling Stone of the song's protagonist. "I sink into that whole trip when I'm onstage." Later, as people began to believe Nicks was a sorceress herself, she stopped wearing black for about three years. "I was freaked out that somebody would come and kidnap me because I was a witch," she said.

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Song Stories

“(We're Not) The Jet Set”

George Jones and Tammy Wynette | 1973

George Jones and Tammy Wynette were still married when they recorded the tongue-in-cheek "(We're Not) The Jet Set." The lyrics, written by Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock, who also penned Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," make fun of the good life by declaring, "We're not the Jet Set/We're the old Chevrolet set." Braddock recalled that while writing the song, he needed the name of a city that evened out the rhyme he had with "Riviera" and "Missourah." “I got out a Rand McNally atlas," he said. "In the first part are the maps. The last part is an alphabetical listing of cities. I wanted a rustic, small-time sound. I went to the listing for Missouri. And I found 'Festus.' I loved the sound of it."

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