"Seven Wonders" is a song by British-American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Fleetwood Mac from their fourteenth
studio album, ''
Tango in the Night
''Tango in the Night'' is the fourteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 13 April 1987. It is the fifth and final studio album from the band's most successful lineup of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood ...
'' (1987).
Stevie Nicks sang lead vocals on the song, and it was written by
Sandy Stewart, with contributed lyrics by Nicks.
In the song, the singer remembers a love affair from her past. She sings that even if she should live to see the
Seven Wonders of the World
Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled from antiquity to the present day, in order to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural features and human-built structures.
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the o ...
, doing so would not compare to the beauty of that romance. The song was released in June 1987, by
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
, as the second
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
from ''Tango in the Night''. The song climbed to number 19 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 on 15 August 1987.
The single was also available on the
12-inch single
The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...
format, which included an extended remix, a dub mix and an instrumental, "Book of Miracles", which later became the track "Juliet" on Nicks' fourth solo studio album ''
The Other Side of the Mirror'' (1989). A limited edition 12-inch
picture disc
Picture discs are gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics that extend at lea ...
version was also released in the United Kingdom.
In the accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
, Nicks is singing in the center of a stage with the other members of Fleetwood Mac around her, playing their instruments and contributing vocals. On a background
diorama, sketches of seven 'wonders' are pictured, including the
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...
, the
Roman Colosseum
The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world to ...
, and the
Sphinx
A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon.
In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...
. Greek
pillars
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
are also placed around the stage.
Background and composition
Sandy Stewart wrote the song, recorded a demo, and sent it to band member
Stevie Nicks without a lyric sheet. Nicks misheard one of the lines in the first verse as "all the way down to Emmaline", a contribution that gave her a writing credit alongside Stewart. Nicks later said, "I had become so attached to the name Emmaline that we kept it in and she gave me a small percentage."
Reception
''
Cash Box'' said that "Nicks’ distinctive raspy voice buzzes over the song’s tranquil lyrics and sterling production."
Appearances in other media
"
The Seven Wonders", the season finale of ''
American Horror Story: Coven'', opened with Nicks performing the song. This helped the song to reach number 18 on the
''Billboard'' Rock Digital Songs
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
chart with sales of 13,000.
Track listing and formats
US 7-inch vinyl single (Warner Bros. Records 7-28317)
# "Seven Wonders" – 3:38
# "Book of Miracles" (Instrumental) – 4:28
UK 12-inch vinyl single (Warner Bros. Records W8317T)
# "Seven Wonders" (Extended remix) – 6:37
# "Book of Miracles" (Instrumental) – 4:28
# "Seven Wonders" (Dub version) – 4:32
Personnel
*
Stevie Nicks – lead and backing vocals
*
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...
– guitars, synthesizer,
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI (short for Computer Musical Instrument) is a digital synthesizer, sampler, and digital audio workstation introduced in 1979 by Fairlight.
— with links to some Fairlight history and photos
It was based on a commercial lic ...
, backing vocals
*
Christine McVie
Christine Anne McVie (; née Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of the band Fleetwood Mac.
McVie was a member of several bands, nota ...
– synthesizers, backing vocals
*
John McVie
John Graham McVie (born 26 November 1945) is a British bass guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock bands John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1964 to 1967 and Fleetwood Mac since 1967. His surname, combined with that of Mick Fle ...
– bass guitar
*
Mick Fleetwood
Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and occasional actor. He is best known as the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of t ...
– drums, percussion
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
1987 singles
Fleetwood Mac songs
1986 songs
Songs written by Stevie Nicks
Song recordings produced by Richard Dashut
Warner Records singles