“Seven Wonders” is Track 2 on Tango in the Night, Fleetwood Mac‘s 14th studio album. Written by Sandy Stewart with additional lyrics by Stevie Nicks, it was the album’s second single, reaching No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. (Lyrics | Discography)
About the Song
Stevie Nicks first received a demo of “Seven Wonders” from singer-songwriter Sandy Stewart. “The first song I gave to Tango was a demo my good songwriter friend Sandy Stewart had played for me called ‘Seven Wonders.’ I gave the tape to Fleetwood Mac at a Halloween party in L.A. (in 1986) to plant a seed, and when it came time for me to sing it live in the studio, I was somehow inspired to sing very different words that instantly transformed the song for all of us. In 300 subsequent takes, I could never sing those unwritten words of mine again, and the original live version we luckily preserved became the second hit from Tango !” (White, 1990, p. 622).
Release
As the second single from Tango in the Night, “Seven Wonders” reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 2 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The single was backed with the b-side “Book of Miracles,” an instrumental track that was later used for the song “Juliet” (from Nicks’s 1989 solo album The Other Side of the Mirror.)
Marty Callner directed the “Seven Wonders” promotional video, which supported the single’s release.
Jellybean Benitez, a prominent DJ of the era, remixed “Seven Wonders” for dance club play. Warner Bros. issued the remixes on commerical and promotional 12″ vinyl records (WBR 0-20746):
- Seven Wonders (Extended Version) 6:38
- Seven Wonders (Dub) 4:32
Versions
“Seven Wonders” is included on the following Fleetwood Mac releases:
- Tango in the Night (1987) – Fleetwood Mac, Album Version
- Seven Wonders – Fleetwood Mac, 7″/12″/CS, Album Version
- Seven Wonders – Fleetwood Mac, 12″, Extended Version, Dub Version
- Greatest Hits (International Edition) (1988) – Fleetwood Mac, Album Version
- The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac (2002) – Fleetwood Mac, Album Version
- 50 Years Don’t Stop (2019) – Fleetwood Mac, Album Version
- Tango in the Night (Deluxe Edition) – Fleetwood Mac, Early Version, Album Version, Extended Version, Dub Version, 24/96 Stereo Audio
Lyrics
So long ago
Certain place
Certain time
You touched my hand
All the way
All the way down to Emmiline
But if our paths never cross
Well, you know I’m sorry but
If I live to see the seven wonders
I’ll make a path to the rainbow’s end
I’ll never live to match the beauty again
The rainbow’s end
So it’s hard to find
Someone with that kind of intensity
You touched my hand
I played it cool
And you reached out your hand for me
But if our paths never cross
Well you know I’m sorry but
If I live to see the seven wonders
I’ll make a path to the rainbow’s end
I’ll never live to match the beauty again
The rainbow’s end
So long ago
It’s a certain time
It’s a certain place
You touched my hand and you smiled
All the way back you held out your hand
If I hope and I pray
Ooh, well it might work out someday
If I live to see the seven wonders
I’ll make a path to the rainbow’s end
I’ll never live to match the beauty again
If I live to see the seven wonders
I’ll make a path to the rainbow’s end
I’ll never live to match the beauty again
If I live to see the seven wonders
I’ll make a path to the rainbow’s end
I’ll never live to match the beauty again
(Sandy Stewart/Stevie Nicks) © 1987 Sweet Talk Music/Three Hearts Music (ASCAP)/Welsh Witch Music (BMI) admin. by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Reference
White, T. (1990). Rock lives: profiles and interviews. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
