Amazon Prime Video’s collaboration with Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company, “Daisy Jones & The Six”, has become massively influential since its release earlier this month. The show stars Riley Keough as the titular Daisy Jones alongside Sam Claflin, Sebastian Chacon, Suki Waterhouse, Josh Whitehouse, Will Harrison, Camila Morrone, Nabiyah Be, Tom Wright, and Timothy Olyphant. Set in 70s Los Angeles, the popular television adaptation is based on the book of the same name written by author Taylor Jenkins Reid. Reid initially spoke about the story’s inspirations primarily coming from Fleetwood Mac, but recently revealed that she additionally took inspiration from a more contemporary band breakup-The Civil Wars.
The show is receiving praise for its period accuracy, costuming, and intricate details rooted in music history. Reid previously revealed that the fictional Six’s album, “Aurora”, was recorded at Sound City studios, which was the birthplace of the Fleetwood Mac’s American career, when Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were invited to join the famous rock band. The novel and TV show are loosely based on Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 album “Rumours”, which examined the complex interpersonal relationships between several of the band members. Reid specifically recalled seeing the infamous Fleetwood Mac reunion performance of “Silver Springs.” Many fans of the band joke that that the performance was so powerful that Stevie Nicks put a spell on Lindsey Buckingham with her vocals.
Fans of the book and TV show pointed to a chilling parallel between a scene of the fictional band’s final performance in the season finale and the infamous “Silver Springs” duet, which has amassed thousands of views on TikTok.
@daisyjonesandts parallels. #daisyjonesandthesix #djats #daisyjones #billydunne #primevideo #fleetwoodmac #stevienicks #lindsaybuckingham #foryou
Despite the obvious stylistic similarities between the Six and Fleetwood Mac, music history buffs pointed out a few stark differences in the love stories at play. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had known each other since attending Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California together, while “Daisy Jones & The Six” leads Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne met as adults signed to the same record label, while Dunne (Sam Claflin) was already married to his high school sweetheart Camila (Camila Morrone). The dynamic of the relationships in the show more closely mirrors that of The Civil Wars. Reid confirmed this inspiration to Entertainment Weekly.
The Civil Wars were a folk-country-rock fusion duo that was nominated for four Grammy awards and won three during their brief 2010s run. The pair additionally collaborated with singer-songwriter Taylor Swift on the track “Safe and Sound”, which was featured on “The Hunger Games” soundtrack. Reid’s surprising mention of this band sent fans of “Daisy Jones & The Six” down a rabbit hole, reminding the internet of why the successful band broke up. Swift recently re-recorded “Safe and Sound,” as it was part of her catalogue of music that was purchased by record executive Scooter Braun, and the duo recorded their original vocal contributions separately.
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https://www.tiktok.com/@ouiserb76/video/7215461342994582826?_r=1&_t=8b5DDrNLvkx
The Civil Wars broke up in 2014. One TikTok user named Olivia Muenter (@oliviamuenter) posted a video breaking down the correlations between the real life Civil Wars breakup and “Daisy Jones.”
@oliviamuenter #greenscreen HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS #daisyjones #thecivilwars #thecivilwarsbreakup
Joy Williams, formerly of the Civil Wars, spoke out about the breakup to Melissa Block of NPR shortly afterwards, saying “so many people assumed that we were married, which is not the case. We are married, but to other people. When we were writing that, the discussion was more about what I would call the ache of monogamy. I think a lot of songs have been written in the [vein] of, “It’s over, I’m leaving you,” or “I’m done with this,” or “I’m moving on.” But what I thought would be a refreshing take was that gray area you find yourself in when you’ve been in a long-term relationship, and you take a look at it and go, “It’s not like it used to be and it’s not great right now, but I want to work on it. And I want to work on it with you.”
Following the apparently literal civil war within the band, Joy Williams and John Paul White continue to release music as solo artists.
