Stevie Nicks is the queen of mystique. Her husky voice gives warmth to the cold, witchy characters of dreams and novels. Nicks uses her own life to write songs about the power of women seeking freedom from damaging relationships. Fleetwood Mac was the perfect vehicle for her dark tales to live under the shimmer of accessible radio-oriented pop.
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She’s been a spiritual guide for listeners of multiple generations. Nicks’ songwriting is the sound of intuition where she narrates stories grounded in the ordinary, yet draped in supernatural visions. In her youth, she had an old-soul wisdom that permeated throughout her writing.
Revisit here her five most enchanting moments with Fleetwood Mac.
5. “Gold Dust Woman” from Rumours (1977)
The mysterious woman in “Gold Dust Woman” is Nicks. At the time of Rumours release, she hid the metaphor’s object. She later admitted the song is about her struggle with cocaine use. The folk song slowly turns into itself, until it fades in chaos. There’s an alluring pathos in her voice. Such bleakness never sounded so good. Rumours is built on broken relationships. But “Gold Dust Woman” is Nicks focusing on her self-destruction. She shrouds her inner turmoil in mystery and comes out the other side sounding like a goddess.
Well, did she make you cry
Make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love?
And is it over now, do you know how?
Pick up the pieces and go home
4. “Landslide” from Fleetwood Mac (1975)
Buckingham Nicks wasn’t successful and the duo—Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham—were dropped from their record label. Nicks was visiting a friend in Colorado when she wrote “Landslide.” The dreams of her youth were crashing with the responsibilities of getting older. The Rockies were the perfect metaphor for the avalanche of real life. “Landslide” is stunningly poignant. Nicks and Buckingham were broke. She was waiting tables and thought about leaving him. Two years after the failure of Buckingham Nicks, they released their first album with Fleetwood Mac.
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Well, I’ve been afraid of changing
Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
And I’m getting older too
3. “Rhiannon” from Fleetwood Mac (1975)
“Rhiannon” is based on a character Nicks found in the novel Triad by Mary Bartlet. It’s the perfect companion piece to her witchy on-stage persona. Live, she would perform the song like a kind of exorcism, according to Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood. Buckingham’s iconic guitar riff swirls and twists like black smoke from a snuffed candle.
Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn’t you love to love her?
Takes to the sky like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover?
All your life you’ve never seen
Woman taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever win?
2. “The Chain” from Rumours (1977)
Befitting the persistent tumult of Fleetwood Mac, one of their defining songs is built from fragments of rejected songs. “The Chain” is an assembly of spliced tape. Some of its pieces were taken from projects outside of Fleetwood Mac. The lyrics, written by Nicks, return to her failing relationship with Buckingham. “The Chain” is the last-ditch plea to save a dying relationship. Then there’s the epic bass break, leading the band into the song’s final section: Chain, keep us together (run in the shadows).
Listen to the wind blow, down comes the night
Running in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies
Break the silence, damn the dark, damn the light
And if you don’t love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you saying
You would never break the chain (never break the chain)
1. “Dreams” from Rumours (1977)
Rumours was the template for smooth edges and darkly complex sentiments. Nicks wrote the hazy “Dreams” in only a few minutes. Nicks presented the ballad to the band but they weren’t impressed. She demanded they record it anyway. “Dreams” is about losing what she had with Buckingham. It became Fleetwood Mac’s only No. 1 hit. But it’s not only about loss. The rain washes you clean. “Dreams” is also a rebirth.
Like a heartbeat drives you mad
In the stillness of remembering what you had
And what you lost
And what you had
Ooh, what you lost
Thunder only happens when it’s rainin’
Players only love you when they’re playin’
Women, they will come and they will go
When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know
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Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
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