Stevie Nicks Solo Top 10 Rock Songs
For a band founded in the 60’s by accomplished musicians Fleetwood Mac had a remarkable lack of success. That changed when Mick Fleetwood and the McVies (John and Christine) came across two struggling California musicians, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.
The two were romantically involved, but that would end, acrimoniously, giving both parties plenty to write about.
Their one album “Buckingham/Nicks” had stiffed. Figuring there was nothing to lose, on either side, Buckingham and Nicks became the latest additions to Fleetwood Mac. The Blues were tossed and Fleetwood Mac turned toward Pop-Rock.
“Fleetwood Mac” and “Rumours” were among the ‘70s most popular albums and for good reason. “Fleetwood Mac” had Nicks spacey Welsh-witch ode “Rhiannon” and her seminal ballad “Landslide.”
For “Rumours” she contributed “Dreams,” “Gold Dust Woman” and co-wrote, with the band, “The Chain.”
With Fleetwood Mac albums becoming infrequent due mainly to band turmoil Nicks set out on a solo career.
The following is a list of her 10 Best Rock songs. Each entry is followed by the name of the parent album and the year of release.
10. Sorcerer – w/ Sheryl Crow (Trouble In Shangri-La – 2001)
“’Sorcerer’ was written in 1974, a year before Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac.
“It was really about the city of Hollywood and how strange it was to us. It was all about models and rock ‘n’ roll and drugs and scary people. I was a very, very prudish little girl from San Francisco who had strict parents,” stated Nicks
In ’84, Stevie gave the song to Marilyn Martin to record for the Streets Of Fire motion picture soundtrack.
Nicks finally recorded the song for the “Trouble In Shangri-La“ album. “Sheryl (Crow) challenged me to explore different areas of my voice,” Nicks recalled. “It was fun to do, and it wound up working so well within the song’s arrangement.”
9. Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind (Street Angel – 1994)
It was the first single from her solo album, “Street Angels,” although “Blue Denim” was originally slated to be the album’s first single.
Written by Rick Nowels and Sandy Stweart, the song peaked well out of the Top 40 in the U.S. though it made the Top 10 in Canada.
8. Talk To Me (Rock A Little – 1985)
The ’85 single became a big hit for Nicks, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and peaking at #1 on the Billboard‘s Top Mainstream Rock Songs chart also for two weeks.
7. If Anyone Falls (The Wild Heart – 1983)
The song was based on an instrumental synthesizer track called “The Last American,” written by singer-songwriter Sandy Stewart. Producer Gordon Perry sent the track to Nicks.
“The next thing I know, I’m on the phone and Gordon’s saying, ‘You can’t have it back,” Stewart told Record Magazine in ’84. “They want to use it on Stevie’s next album.”
6. Blue Denim (Street Angel – 1994)
Nicks wrote “Blue Denim” about her ex-lover and Fleetwood Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham.
“‘Blue Denim’ was probably written about Lindsey’s blue eyes because he’s the only person I know that’s got the real blue denim eyes. So it must have been for Lindsey,” Nicks noted in ’07.
5. Rooms On Fire (The Other Side Of The Mirror – 1989)
“‘Rooms On Fire’ is about a girl who goes through a life like I have gone through, where she finally accepts the idea that there never will be those other things in her life.” offered Nicks. “She will never be married, she will never have children, she will never do (that) part of life.”
The song topped Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.
4. I Can’t Wait (Rock A Little – 1985)
The song was written by Nicks, Nowels and Eric Pressly.
“To understand this song, you sort of have to let yourself go a little crazy,” explained Nicks. “Love is blind, it never works out, but you just have to have it.”
“My friend, Rick (Nowels) brought over this track with this incredible percussion thing and gave it to me asking me if I would listen to it and consider writing a song for it,” Nicks continued. “I listened to the song once, and pretended not to be that knocked out, but the second Rick left, I ran in my little recording studio and wrote ‘I Can’t Wait.’ It took all night, and I think it is all about how electric I felt about this music.”
3. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around – w/ Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (Bella Donna – 1981)
It was the only song on “Bella Donna” that was neither written nor co-written by Nicks.
“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” was a song that I had written the music and Tom had written the words,” Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell shared. “The Heartbreakers had recorded a version of it with (producer) Jimmy Iovine. I guess he asked Tom if she (Nicks) could try it… and when she decided to do it we used that track and she came in and sang over it. It became a duet.”
2. Stand Back (The Wild Heart – 1983)
Inspired by Prince’s “Little Red Corvette,” the song was written while Nicks was on her honeymoon (with Kim Anderson).
Prince worked on the song uncredited. “When I got there, her and Jimmy Iovine couldn’t figure out how to work the drum machine… because people were using live drums at that point… so I went down there and programmed it for them and pretty much played most of the song there in about twenty or thirty minutes,” recalled Prince.
1. Edge Of Seventeen (Bella Donna – 1981)
The lyrics express Nicks’ grief resulting from the death of her uncle Jonathan and the murder of John Lennon during the same week of December 1980.
While Nicks was singing about “white winged doves” (relating to the spirit leaving the body on death), her backing band pretty much lifted the guitar riff from The Police’s “Bring On The Night.”
“Edge of Seventeen” just missed out on the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #11.
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