Behind the Album: ‘Bella Donna,’ the Album That Proved Stevie Nicks Was a Solo Force

She has long since established herself as one of the premier female solo acts of her generation. But there was a time when Stevie Nicks seemed an iffy bet as she stepped out of the comfort zone of Fleetwood Mac to make her first record on her own.

That 1981 album Bella Donna quickly removed all doubts, as Nicks delivered artistic excellence in a package with plenty of commercial oomph. Here’s a look back at the wonders of this record and Nicks’ journey in creating it.

Solo Stevie

It certainly wasn’t a lack of exposure or acclaim that sent Stevie Nicks off to do her first solo album. Fleetwood Mac hit the ’80s as one of the biggest bands in the world, and Nicks’ contributions as a writer and singer meant a great deal to that success.

What Nicks was missing within that band was artistic control, as her songs were often toyed with by other band members (including her ex Lindsey Buckingham) before they made it onto wax. Not to mention her prolific creativity meant she had plenty of orphaned songs. Nicks took some time during a hiatus in the sessions for the Mac album Tusk to record solo, but not much came of those original sessions.

Once the tour for that album ended, she began the making of Bella Donna in earnest. Nicks drew on a vast backlog of songs, including one (“After the Glitter Fades”) she wrote even before she joined Fleetwood Mac. She also weaponized her producer/boyfriend (at the time) Jimmy Iovine to make the record happen.

Iovine’s work with Bruce Springsteen (as engineer) and Tom Petty (as producer) gave him access to some top players, including several of the Heartbreakers and Roy Bittan of the E Street Band. Other key performers on the album included Davey Johnstone of Elton John’s band, Don Felder of the Eagles, and studio ace Waddy Wachtel, whose unforgettable guitar part made “Edge of Seventeen” legendary the moment it was created.

But Iovine’s most important contribution might have been a song. Nicks had hoped Petty would write her one, and he initially penned “Insider” for that purpose before he decided he wanted to keep it. Instead, Iovine somewhat clandestinely handed over “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” to Nicks, having her sing over the band’s original demo. Petty wasn’t thrilled about the subterfuge, but it gave Bella Donna a massive boost.

The Musical Legacy of Bella Donna

On Bella Donna, Stevie Nicks managed to assert herself as a solo artist, while still giving plenty of room for her collaborators to make an impact. The slick, sleek rock that Fleetwood Mac preferred gave way to bolder flourishes and colors, in part because Nicks’ personality was bold enough to handle those extremes.

What other singer could hold their own like Nicks does amidst the drama of the arrangement to “Edge of Seventeen”? Petty might have given the bones to “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” but Nicks’ confrontational vocal provides its heart. Then she turns on a dime and coos tenderly along with Don Henley on “Leather and Lace.”

Nicks also manages to soar where other band artists going solo often stumbled: songwriting depth. Go past the hits, and you still have “After the Glitter Fades,” with its bittersweet view from the top, and “The Highwayman,” a touching allegory about lovers at cross purposes.

With Bella Donna, Stevie Nicks demonstrated she didn’t need the Mac mothership to sustain a thriving career. Don’t damn it with faint praise by saying it was a solid first try. This album is an ideal melding of singer/songwriter sensibility and rock bombast by an artist was a solo star in waiting all along.

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