Taylor Swift has seen firsthand the music industry’s obsession with “the next big thing.” She sings about it in “Clara Bow,” a track off her latest album The Tortured Poets Department. Swift uses the titular 1920s “it girl” and the legendary Fleetwood Mac frontwoman Stevie Nicks to illustrate the song’s message.The “Fortnight” singer has called both women “archetypes of greatness.”
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Clara Bow died in 1965, but Stevie Nicks is still going strong. This past weekend, the “Edge of Seventeen” singer was in the audience for Swift’s first live performance of “Clara Bow.”
Taylor Swift Dedicates Live Song Debut to Stevie Nicks
The “surprise song” has become a highly-anticipated staple of Swift’s billion-dollar “Eras” tour. Following her sprawling 44-song setlist, the pop star performs two additional songs during a mini-acoustic set.
Stevie Nicks watched from the audience as Swift sang her praises while preparing for the acoustic set during Sunday’s (June 30) show in Dublin, Ireland.
“A friend of mine is here… who has really been one of the reasons why I or any female artist gets to do what we get to do now,” the 14-time GRAMMY winner said of Nicks. “She’s paved the way for us, and she’s mentored so many artists that you don’t even know she’s doing it. She’s just become friends with so many female artists, just to be a guiding hand. I can’t tell you how rare that is.”
Swift then formally dedicated the next performance to her “hero” as she began singing a mashup of “Clara Bow” and “The Lucky One” (off 2012’s Red.) You look like Stevie Nicks / In ’75, the hair and lips, Swift sang. Half moonshine, full eclipse.
See Stevie Tear Up During This Song
Swift followed the “Clara Bow” performance with “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” from 2022’s GRAMMY-winning Midnights. A camera caught Stevie Nicks wiping tears from her eyes in the VIP tent.
[RELATED: Behind the Meaning of “You’re On Your Own Kid” by Taylor Swift]
Nicks has previously mentioned the track’s crucial role in her healing process after losing best friend and bandmate Christine McVie. The Fleetwood Mac keyboardist and vocalist died in December 2022 at age 79.
“stevie nicks crying during yoyok i will never recover from this,” one emotional Swiftie wrote on X/Twitter.
Featured image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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