10 Best Stevie Nicks Songs; From Gypsy To Gold Dust Woman
She is undoubtedly a legendary singer and here are the top must-listen Stevie Nicks songs.
Throughout the years, Stevie Nicks has been admired for her voice and the brilliant performances she has given on stage. With time Stevie Nicks' songs have marked their presence in top charts and also amongst the hearts of the songwriters fans.
Her legend cannot be spelled through words, but it can only be remembered through her endless achievements. A perfect example of it would be her two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
The best Stevie Nicks songs have led her to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist and also for her startling contributions with Fleetwood Mac.
This alone proves how legendary she has been over the years and how strongly she has portrayed herself in the music industry.
Let's run through time and visit the best Stevie Nicks songs. These are the tracks that don't just happen to be the ones that people listen to, but also the ones that the fans enjoy over a cold one with friends.
1.Gypsy
Release date: September 1982
This is actually a Fleetwood Mac song, but the one that has been the biggest hit, forever written by Stevie Nicks.
Stevie Nicks takes us on a journey into her pre-fame life with this song. She wants her fans to know that the free-spirited gypsy within her is still very much alive.
One can get a feeling of this emotion through the lyrics, “She was just a wish / And her memory is all that is left for you now.”
2. Edge Of Seventeen
Release date: February 4, 1982
This is kind of a morbid track and also that is surely one of the most loved Stevie Nicks songs. The singer named the track after an incident when Tom Petty’s then-wife, Jane told her about how they both had known each other since the “the age of seventeen.”
However, it was Jane’s southern accent that made Nicks think she was saying “edge of seventeen.”
Edge Of Seventeen talks about the death of Nicks' uncle and was even influnced by the murder of John Lennon.
3. Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?
Release date: May 12, 1986
This is another of the greatest and the most intelligent Stevie Nicks songs. The aforementioned track was written in response to Joe Walsh’s track called, Song for Emma.
Calling it a “committed song I ever wrote,” Nicks went on to portray the impact of Walsh’s song on her. Song for Emma is a track that speaks of Joe Walsh’s three-year-old daughter who had died in a car accident.
4. Landslide
Release date: July 1975
This is another song by Fleetwood Mac, and the one that comes from the Buckingham/Nicks era. A great one in Stevie Nicks' songs, Landslide has no other bandmates involved throughout its run.
5. Rhiannon
Release date: February 1976
This is one of the most loved and intense Stevie Nicks songs that is praised for its live performance. However, even its studio version is still loved by many. While introducing this song in her live concerts, Stevie Nicks had called it a song about “Welsh Witch.”
The song is inspired by a character that the artist found in a novel named Triad, by Mary Bartlet Leade.
6. Bella Donna
Release date: July 27, 1981
Bella Donna is the track that introduced Stevie Nicks as a solo artist to the world. This Stevie Nicks song was her debut solo single and went on to become the title track of her first album ever. The song somewhere talks about the struggle that Nicks had faced within a period of six years.
As per the songstress, the song is about making a lot of decisions, while also being the one that speaks of bringing a change in her life.
The artist while talking to Rolling Stone also stated, “You get to a certain age where you want to slow down, be quieter.” She even explained that the song is actually a “warning to myself and a question to others.”
7. Dreams
Released date: March 24, 1977
The best of the best Fleetwood Mac tracks and also a Stevie Nicks song, is the number one hit on the pop charts. With its timeless narrative, the song became popular again among music lovers in 2020.
As per Nicks, she had written this song in ten minutes. However, she has also stated that her bandmates weren't much thrilled about this particular song.
8. Stop Draggin’, My Heart Around,
Release date: July 8, 1981
When it comes to the top three Stevie Nicks songs, this particular track stands out as the highest charting song she has ever released. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The story behind this song is quite interesting - originally written by Tom Petty for the Heartbreakers album, producer Jimmy Iovine suggested that Stevie Nicks should sing it instead. This song ultimately led to Stevie Nicks' second induction into the Hall of Fame.
9. Silver Springs
Release date: December 20, 1976
This is surely a standout Stevie Nicks song. Although it didn't appear on the original version of Rumours, it was included on the deluxe edition of the same album. It is also a rendition from Nicks.
Its live performances have been appreciated a lot and the song is still remembered for its epicness amongst all the fans of Stevie Nicks. This is another song written by the songstress and performed by the legendary band Fleetwood Mac.
10. Gold Dust Woman
Release date: 1977
Stevie Nicks has herself stated that the song is about cocaine, during an interview with Courtney Love. Through the lyrics of the song, one can easily figure out that it is about someone who is going through a struggling phase of a bad relationship, while also doing a lot of drugs.
During her interview with Spin Magazine in 1997, Stevie Nicks stressed that the person in the song is just trying to “make it, trying to live, trying to get through it to the next thing.” The song was recorded in 1976.