When Fleetwood Mac fans reflect on ‘Silver Springs’, they may not readily realise that this iconic track was ousted by another song during the recording of Rumours. What’s more, the song that replaced it was one Stevie Nicks vehemently resisted, refusing to sing, until, under pressure from her fellow band members, she reluctantly acquiesced.
Nicks’ inclusion in the band wasn’t entirely a deliberate pursuit. Her initial entry into the group was essentially a package deal with Lindsey Buckingham, her partner in their duo. An intriguing development, considering the fact that Nicks has since become the cornerstone of the band’s allure. However, when they were piecing together their seminal album, Rumours, Nicks found herself somewhat marginalised, with the others taking precedence in shaping the album’s direction.
‘I Don’t Want to Know’ was penned by Nicks back in 1974, before her Fleetwood Mac days, originally intended for the second album by her band Buckingham Nicks. Nicks initially expressed discontent when the decision was made to include the song on Rumours, a qualm stemming from the fact that she didn’t want it to take the place of ‘Silver Springs’, which she thought was a better song.
Recalling the situation, Nicks said: “Before I started to get upset about ‘Silver Springs,’ I said, ‘What other song?’ And he said, ‘A song called ‘I Don’t Want To Know”. And I said, ‘But I don’t want that song on this record.’ And he said, ‘Well, then don’t sing it.’ And then I started to scream bloody murder and probably said every horribly mean thing that you could possibly say to another human being, and walked back in the studio completely flipped out.”
She continued: “I said, ‘Well, I’m not gonna sing ‘I Don’t Want To Know.’ I am one-fifth of this band.’ And they said, ”You can either (a) take a hike or (b) you better go out there and sing ‘I Don’t Want To Know’ or you’re only gonna have two songs on the record.’ And so, basically, with a gun to my head, I went out and sang ‘I Don’t Want To Know.’ And they put Silver Springs on the back of ‘Go Your Own Way’.”
The bright, pop-infused melody of ‘I Don’t Want To Know’ reveals Nicks expressing a desire for her and her partner to discover the answers they seek in their relationship, irrespective of whether they stay together or part ways. This sentiment likely drew inspiration from her tumultuous relationship with Buckingham, and its hopeful tone stands in contrast to the majority of the sombre content on Rumours.
Despite the initial heated debate around its inclusion, Nicks has since warmed to the song. In a later interview, she said: “I happen to really like that song, and I love singing that song with Lindsey because that was one of our Everly Brothers singing things that was really close and tight and really fun to sing. So if ‘Silver Springs’ was going to be replaced with anything, ‘I Don’t Want To Know’ was a good replacement.”
