Stevie Nicks and Buckingham came a long way after their venture started all the way back in the late 1960s. Nick’s started making progress with her music when she joined the band Fritz in 1968 where she learned a lot of things about commercial music.
Lindsey and Stevie met during Stevie’s senior year at Menlo-Atherton High School in California. Both left their home to study at San José State University but dropped out to pursue their passion for music. That’s when they made their appearance with the rock band Fritz. However, the band disbanded in 1972 and they became a duo and released Buckingham Nicks which was not successful.
After that, in late 1972, Lindsey was on tour with the Everly Brothers to play the guitar. At the same time, Nicks wrote two of her most loves songs ‘Landslide’ and ‘Rhiannon’. Forward to 1974 and that’s when producer Keith Olsen introduced the pair to Mick Fleetwood. Initially, Buckingham was the only one invited to the band but he insisted that the duo was a package deal. Mick agreed and it was one of his best decision. Later on, her strong and emotive vocal style also caught his attention. Fleetwood Mac then became one of the best bands in the history of rock.
Stevie, being such a great vocalist, and musician has shared her own fair share of her favorite songs. Everyone is inspired or influenced by someone else, and when she first started it was the same for her. While promoting her album, In Your Dreams back in 2011 she shared some songs which are her favorites.
The very selection was Eagles’ ‘Witchy Woman‘ which was released in 1972. Explaining her choice, she said, “The Eagles were famous before Lindsey and I moved to Los Angeles, We drove to LA, and I remember listening to that song, thinking what a great song it was, and of course, I’m sure as all women my age did at that point, we were all hoping that we would actually be the witchy woman. Premonition-wise I would come to know Don Henley quite well. In fact, even do know who the actual witchy woman was; it was someone who became a very famous jeweler.”
She even revealed that Lindsey and she both found great inspiration in The Eagles since they enjoyed their music and their skillful blending of country and rock & roll. She thinks that ‘Witchy Woman’ is just the perfect mix of country and rock and roll.
Another iconic singer she talked about was Kate Bush. She picked her 1985 hit song, ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)‘. She revealed when she first heard the song she was like, ‘Oh I wanna record that song someday’. Stevie appreciated Kate’s song and admired how much of a great writer she is. She even said, “I just really loved her because she was a woman songwriter, and she was really standing out from the fray… a real serious writer who could compare with any of the guys. And then you’d see her in her videos, she’s kind of like a ninja. So she was tough, and yet she was a beautiful dancer. And she wrote beautiful songs. She wrote interesting, on-the-edge songs. As a writer, I really respected her because of that.”
Nicks displayed a broad taste spanning the decades later in the discussion, with picks from Pat Benetar to Justin Timberlake. Her list also consisted of artists like Jackson Browne, The Beach Boys, and Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. Here is the full list.
Stevie Nicks’ Favorite Songs
- Eagles – ‘Witchy Woman’
- Kate Bush – ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’
- Dan Fogelberg – ‘Same Old Lang Syne’
- Pat Benetar – ‘Love Is A Battlefield’
- Jackson Browne – ‘Somebody’s Baby’
- Chicago – ‘Hard Habit To Break’
- The Beach Boys – ‘Sail On, Sailor’
- Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’
- Vanessa Carlton – ‘A Thousand Miles’
- Justin Timberlake – ‘Cry Me A River’
