Seven Wonders (song) explained

Seven Wonders
Cover:Seven Wonders single.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Fleetwood Mac
Album:Tango in the Night
B-Side:Book of Miracles
Released:June 1987
Recorded:1986
Genre:Pop rock
Length:3:38
Label:Warner Bros.
Prev Title:Big Love
Prev Year:1987
Next Title:Little Lies
Next Year:1987

"Seven Wonders" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their fourteenth studio album, Tango in the Night (1987). Stevie Nicks sang lead vocals on the song, and it was written by Sandy Stewart, with additional 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, doing so would not compare to the beauty of that romance. The song was released in June 1987, by Warner Bros. Records, as the second single from Tango in the Night. The single became the second of four US Top 20 hits from the album, peaking at number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on 15 August 1987.

The single was also available on the 12-inch single 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 version was also released in the United Kingdom, where the single reached number 56.

In the accompanying music video, 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 Roman Colosseum, and the Great Sphinx of Giza. Greek pillars are also placed around the stage.

Background and composition

The song was written by Sandy Stewart, who had already co-written three tracks with Nicks for her 1983 solo album The Wild Heart. Stewart recorded a demo of "Seven Wonders" and sent it to 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."[1]

Reception

Cash Box said that "Nicks’ distinctive raspy voice buzzes over the song’s tranquil lyrics and sterling production."[2] The Guardian and Paste ranked the song number 20 and number ten respectively on their lists of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.[3] [4]

Appearances in other media

"The Seven Wonders", the season finale of , opened with Nicks performing the song. This helped the song to reach number 18 on the Billboard Rock Digital Songs chart with sales of 13,000.[5]

Track listing and formats

US 7-inch vinyl single (Warner Bros. Records 7-28317)

  1. "Seven Wonders" – 3:38
  2. "Book of Miracles" (Instrumental) – 4:28

UK 12-inch vinyl single (Warner Bros. Records W8317T)

  1. "Seven Wonders" (Extended remix) – 6:37
  2. "Book of Miracles" (Instrumental) – 4:28
  3. "Seven Wonders" (Dub version) – 4:32

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1987)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 23
Belgium (Ultratop 50)[7] 27
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 17
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[9] 8
Germany (Media Control)[10] 47
Ireland (Irish Singles Chart)[11] 28
Netherlands (Dutch Single Top 100)[12] 28
New Zealand (Official New Zealand Music Chart)[13] 49
Spain (Promusicae)[14] 44
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[15] 56
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 19
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)13
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)2

Year-end charts

Notes and References

  1. Fleetwood Mac's 50 Greatest Songs. Rob . Sheffield. Christopher R. . Weingarten . David . Browne . Jon . Dolan . Corinne . Cummings . Keith . Harris . 11 July 2017. Rolling Stone. en-US. 26 May 2019.
  2. Single Releases. Cash Box. 13 June 1987. 8 August 2022. 9.
  3. Web site: Fleetwood Mac's 30 greatest songs – ranked!. Alexis. Petridis. The Guardian. 19 May 2022. 18 October 2023.
  4. Web site: The 30 Greatest Fleetwood Mac Songs. Matt. Mitchell. Paste. 7 August 2023. 18 October 2023.
  5. Chart Moves: John Legend, Sara Bareilles Hit New Highs; Imagine Dragons Close In On Coldplay Hot 100 History; Daft Punk's 'Lucky' Grows Post-Grammys. Billboard. 1 March 2014. 9 February 2014.
  6. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book. St Ives, NSW. 1993. 0-646-11917-6 .
  7. Web site: ultratop.be Fleetwood Mac – "Seven Wonders". nl. Ultratop. Hung Medien. ASP. 5 May 2013.
  8. Top Singles - Volume 46, No. 22. RPM. 5 September 1987. 5 May 2013.
  9. Adult Contemporary - Volume 46, No. 24. RPM. 19 September 1987. 5 May 2013.
  10. Web site: Single Search: Fleetwood Mac – "Seven Wonders". de. Media Control. 20 February 2013.
  11. Web site: Search the Charts . . 3 May 2010. enter "Fleetwood Mac" into the "Search by Artist" box, then select "Search".
  12. Web site: dutchcharts.nl Fleetwood Mac – "Seven Wonders". Hung Medien. MegaCharts. ASP. 5 May 2013.
  13. Web site: charts.nz Fleetwood Mac – "Seven Wonders". Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. ASP. 5 May 2013.
  14. Book: Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. 1st . September 2005. Fundación Autor-SGAE. Spain. 84-8048-639-2.
  15. Web site: The Official Charts Company – "Seven Wonders" by Fleetwood Mac Search . 6 May 2013. The Official Charts Company.
  16. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r7409/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic: ''Tango in the Night'': Charts & Awards: Billboard Albums ]. allmusic.com. 2 May 2011.
  17. Book: Billboard Magazine – Year End Charts of 1987 . Nielsen Business Media . Inc . 26 December 1987.