Stevie Nicks’ romantic rollercoaster, in 20 recordings.
Crying In The Night
(Buckingham Nicks, Buckingham Nicks, Polydor, 1973)
Resurrected by Nicks on her 2016 tour, this song ostensibly warns against a heartbreaker and her wiles. There are indications, however, that Nicks is rooting for this “tarnished pearl”; a jubilation in her phrasing, a languid pleasure at the prospect of this emotional wrecking ball being “back in town”. Cry harder. VS
Frozen Love
(Buckingham Nicks, Buckingham Nicks, Polydor, 1973)
Fortuitously, Lindsey and Stevie already sounded like FM before they joined. Lo, an obvious shore-up shoo-in when Mick Fleetwood heard this shape-shifting, proggy blend of folk blues, dazzling AOR harmonies and feral lead guitar. The precocious holy grail of the Mac’s most combustible couple. Helpfully, Jim Keltner drummed. JMc
Rhiannon
(Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac, Reprise, 1975)
Essayed live by Buckingham Nicks as a pacy rocker, with FM this was far dreamier and hypnotically groovy, blueprinting Nicks’ atmospheric contributions to the group. Re: the titular Rhiannon. Nicks wasn’t aware at the time of the mythic Welsh figure; instead, she was inspired by the witchy presence in Mary Leader’s spooky 1972 novel Triad. TD
Silver Springs
(Fleetwood Mac, B-side to Go Your Own Way, Warner Bros., 1976)
“You will never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you,” Nicks vows in the final minute of her Buckingham break-up tirade, shouting her bandmate down. Inspired by a Maryland road sign, this vengeful beauty mightily traces what could have been irrevocably soured into what would never be. GHC
Dreams
(Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Warner Bros., 1977)
Written by Nicks in “10 minutes”, FM’s only US Number 1 is delivered as both blessing and curse. She fluently controls the break-up narrative, coolly suggesting she’s achieved enlightenment quicker than her former lover. The spare ‘Take 2’ on the album’s 2013 deluxe reissue underlines her vocal power, particularly on “What you had/ And what you lost”.
Gold Dust Woman
(Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Warner Bros., 1977)
Appropriating the name of Gold Dust Lane, Wickenburg, in her native Arizona, Nicks wove a narrative that was the story of Rumours in essence: broken hearts, too much cocaine. Originating as a folk song, it became something altogether darker and more soulful, Nicks writing in third person to distance herself from direct confession.
I Don’t Want To Know
(Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Warner Bros., 1977)
The Buckingham Nicks throwback that replaced the more harrowing Silver Springs on Rumours, this country-cousin showdown isn’t yet so mired in bitter recrimination that it can’t enjoy the fight. From the deceptively l
