Written by Stevie Nicks, “I Don’t Want to Know” is Track 9 on Rumours, Fleetwood Mac‘s eleventh studio album.
About the Song
“I Don’t Want to Know” replaced the fully recorded track “Silver Springs” on Rumours. At over four-and-a-half minutes in length, “Silver Springs” didn’t fit on the record due to the space limitations of vinyl at the time. So the shorter “I Don’t Want to Know” was used instead.
Drummer Mick Fleetwood broke the news to Stevie. “Mick took me outside in the parking lot and said ‘Silver Springs’ in not gonna go on the record, and another of your songs, ‘I Don’t Want to Know’ is, so we have to do a vocal on that, and I’m really sorry but it’s just the way it is, it’s got to be.
“I happen to really like that song, and I love singing that song with Lindsey (Buckingham) because that was one of our Everly Brothers singing things that was really close and tight and really a lot of fun to sing. So if [‘Silver Springs’] was going to be replaced with anything, [‘I Don’t Want to Know’] was a good replacement” (Nicks, 1997).
Lyrics
I don’t want to know the reasons why
Love keeps right on walking on down the line
I don’t want to stand between you and love
Honey, I just want you to feel fine
I don’t want to know the reasons why
Love keeps right on walking on down the line
I don’t want to stand between you and love
Honey, I just want you to feel fine
Finally baby
The truth has come down now
Take a listen to your spirit
It’s crying out loud
Tryin’ to believe
Oh, you say you love me, but you don’t know
You got me rocking and a-reeling
Oh, oh, yeah
Uh, huh
I don’t want to know the reasons why
Love keeps right on walking on down the line
I don’t want to stand between you and love
Honey, I just want you to feel fine
I don’t want to know the reasons why
Love keeps right on walking on down the line
I don’t want to stand between you and love
Honey, I just want you to feel fine
Finally baby
The truth has been told
Now you tell me that I’m crazy
It’s nothing that I didn’t know
Trying to survive
Oh, you say you love me, but you don’t know
You got me rocking and a-reeling
Hanging onto you
Oh, oh, yeah
Uh, huh
I don’t want to know the reasons why
Love keeps right on walking on down the line
I don’t want to stand between you and love
Honey, take a little time
I…I don’t want to know
(Stevie Nicks) © 1977 Welsh Witch Music (BMI)/Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Reference
Nicks, S. (1997). I don’t want to know. Fleetwood Mac Rumours: classic albums [DVD].