Say You Will (Fleetwood Mac song)

Last updated

"Say You Will"
Single by Fleetwood Mac
from the album Say You Will
Released16 June 2003 (2003-06-16)
Length3:50
Label Reprise
Songwriter(s) Stevie Nicks
Producer(s) Lindsey Buckingham, Rob Cavallo, John Shanks
Fleetwood Mac singles chronology
"Peacekeeper"
(2003)
"Say You Will"
(2003)
"Sad Angel"
(2013)

"Say You Will" is a song from British-American band Fleetwood Mac's 17th studio album, Say You Will (2003). [1] The song reached number seven on the US Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart and was performed live on Fleetwood Mac's Say You Will Tour. The song features vocals from American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, bass guitarist John McVie's daughter Molly McVie, singer Stevie Nicks' niece Jessica Nicks and Jessica's best friend Maddy Felsch.

Contents

Background

Nicks wrote "Say You Will" after the conclusion of a solo tour. [2] She had previously submitted 17 songs to Buckingham prior to the start of the tour for the rest of the band to work on in her absence. Upon her return, Nicks decided that she wanted to write some newer material to augment the older songs that she had pre-approved. In December 2001, she went to her house in Phoenix, Arizona and wrote four new songs, including the title track. [2] [3] She wrote the lyrics to the chorus first and later developed the verses on her piano. Nicks recalled that she struggled to create the melody for the chorus and resolved the issue by improvising one in her living room, which she captured on tape and later presented to the rest of the band in Los Angeles. [4] Nicks said the following in Performing Songwriter magazine in 2003:

That song is not just about Lindsey. It's about a movie I saw about Arturo Sandoval, the trumpet player...that was really my inspiration for that song. The chorus was written first, then I went back to write the verses... you have this great chorus that basically says, 'If you dance with me, you won't be mad at me anymore. We can be in a huge argument, but if we put on some music and start to dance, everything will be great.' Then I had to think about what to make the verses about. So I went back over all my relationships with people and think of different ways that I have felt when I wanted basically to burst into song and sing that chorus (laughs). Give me one more chance. That's what came out of it. It's funny because, we just did an interview the day before yesterday, and I don't think any of the band knows that that was the reason I wrote the song. [5]

The title track was one of the two compositions on Say You Will along with "Silver Girl" that included vocals and keyboards from Sheryl Crow. [3] It also features additional backing vocals from John McVie 's daughter Molly, Nicks' niece Jessica, and Jessica's friend Maddy Felsch. [6]

Track listing

Reprise Records – PRO-CDR-101137

  1. "Say You Will" (Single Remix Fade) – 3:49
  2. "Say You Will" (Single Remix Cold) – 3:36

Personnel

Additional personnel

Charts

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United States16 June 2003 Triple A radio Reprise [13]
23 June 2003 [14]

References

  1. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Say You Will - Fleetwood Mac - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. 1 2 Halbert, James (June 2003). "The Rumour Mill" . In Egan, Sean (ed.). Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac: Interviews and Encounters. Chicago Review Press (published 2016). p. 255. ISBN   978-161373-234-2.
  3. 1 2 Williamson, Nigel (May 2003). "Five Go Mad (Uncut)" . In Egan, Sean (ed.). Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac: Interviews and Encounters. Chicago Review Press (published 2016). p. 287. ISBN   978-161373-234-2.
  4. Nicks, Stevie (3 March 2003). "AUDIO: Stevie Nicks (2003)" (Interview). Interviewed by DeMain, Bill. Event occurs at 19:46-20:12, 30:08-31:50. Retrieved 16 September 2025 via Rock's Backpages.
  5. "More from Stevie Nicks". Performing Songwriter. May 2003. Archived from the original on 25 April 2003. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  6. Roubin, Olivier; Ollivier, Romuald (1 April 2025). Fleetwood Mac: All The Songs. New York: Black Dog Leventhal Publishers. p. 567. ISBN   978-0-7624-8630-4.
  7. "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  8. "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  9. "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  10. "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played AC Songs". Airplay Monitor . Vol. 11, no. 51. 19 December 2003. p. 25.
  11. "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. 19 December 2003. p. 22.
  12. "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. 19 December 2003. p. 47.
  13. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records . No. 1508. 13 June 2003. p. 26. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  14. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1509. 20 June 2003. p. 32. Retrieved 12 June 2021.

Bibliography

The Great Rock Discography. Martin C.Strong. Page 378. ISBN   1-84195-312-1