Sung by Stevie Nicks, “When I See You Again” is Track 11 on Tango in the Night (1987), Fleetwood Mac’s 14th studio album.
About the Song
Written by Stevie Nicks, “When I See You Again” was supposed to close Tango in the Night, but according to Christine McVie, the song was “a little too down and depressing” (White, 1987). So, the upbeat “You and I, Part II,” a collaboration between Christine and Lindsey Buckingham, became the album’s closer instead.
Interestingly, “When I See You Again” is the only Fleetwood Mac song, where both Stevie and Lindsey share lead vocals. Initially, they sang the song in unison at the end, but Stevie later removed her vocals so that it would sound like they were having a conversation. “I made him sing with me,” Stevie told Creem magazine in 1987. “I said, ‘Lindsey, you’re gonna sing on all my songs whether you like it or not — you have to sing this with me.’ So we went out and sang ‘If I see you again, will it be over? — we sang it in unison, then I snuck in and took my voice off. Otherwise, I’d have never gotten him to do it. See, Lindsey’s pretty shy and he’s singing differently there than he is on anything else on the record. He wouldn’t think to do that: to sing on my song at the end. He would think to sing with me, but wouldn’t want to end it. But that’s what I wanted, to leave people feeling they are really talking to each other.”
When I See You Again (Alternate Version – October 1, 1986)
Lyrics
When I see you again
Will it be the same
When I see you again
Will it be over
When I see you again
Will your great eyes still say
What’s the matter, baby
What’s the matter, baby
What’s the matter, baby, baby, baby
What’s the matter, baby
What’s the matter, baby
What’s the matter, baby, baby
So she walks slowly down the hall
There are many doors in the hallway
And she stares at the stairs
Ooh, there are many things to stare at these days
If she sees him again
Will your very best friend
Will your very best friend
Ooh, have been replaced by some other
What’s the matter, baby
What’s the matter, baby
What’s the matter, baby, baby, baby
What’s the matter, baby
What’s the matter, baby
What’s the matter, baby, baby
And the dream says I want you
And the dream is gone
So she stays up night on end
Well, at least there is a dream left
If I see you again
Will it be over
If I see you again
Will it be the same
If I see you again
Will it be over
Again and again
Over and over
(Stevie Nicks) © 1987 Welsh Witch Music (BMI) admin. by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Reference
Kordosh, J. (1987, September 1). Fleetwood Mac return without leaving. Creem.
White, Timothy (1991). Rock Lives.
