(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Mon 27 April 2026 19:06, UK
Stevie Nicks rose to prominence during the classic rock era of the 1970s as the lead vocalist in Fleetwood Mac, and did so with a perfumed brilliance that seemed to resonate far beyond what was expected.
Her journey with the band began in 1975, a time when she joined forces with her then-partner, Lindsey Buckingham, and she quickly established herself as a formidable singer and talented songwriter, elevating her status in the music industry.
What set Nicks apart during this period wasn’t just her voice but the mystique she cultivated around her persona. Blending vulnerability with an almost mythic presence, she became one of the defining figures of the era, someone who could command attention both through storytelling and sheer atmosphere.
In 1981, Nicks ventured into a solo career, unveiling her debut album to remarkable acclaim. The record not only reached the pinnacle of the Billboard charts but also achieved international sales success. Nicks became celebrated for her deeply personal lyrics, often delving into her own life experiences that she would typically keep private.
As a pioneer of blues-infused whimsical rock music, Nicks has curated a legacy based on songs that frequently delve into her personal endeavours and romantic relationships, a common theme among many accomplished musicians, allowing fans a glimpse into the intricate details of her involvement with various other musicians.
(Credits: Far Out / Fleetwood Mac)
One of these was Mick Fleetwood. Nicks’ romantic involvement with Fleetwood commenced in 1977 amid the Australian leg of their Rumours tour. At this juncture, Fleetwood was already wedded to Jenny Boyd, Pattie Boyd’s sibling. Fleetwood and Boyd had been married for seven years before he engaged in an extramarital relationship with Nicks, although Boyd herself had previously been involved with another band member, Bob Weston.
The latter part of the 1970s proved tumultuous for Fleetwood Mac due to escalating tensions stemming from romantic entanglements within the group. Nicks wrote multiple songs about Fleetwood, with several making it onto the band’s 1979 album, Tusk. In ‘Storms’, Nicks openly acknowledged her affair with Fleetwood as being less than wise.
Those personal dynamics didn’t just stay behind the scenes. Instead, they seeped directly into the band’s music, turning albums like Rumours and Tusk into emotionally charged documents where real-life heartbreak and tension were transformed into some of their most enduring material.
In the liner notes of the album, she reflected on this period: “Here’s that song in a nutshell: Don’t break up other people’s marriages. It will never work and will haunt you for the rest of your miserable days.”
Later, during an interview with The Guardian, she revealed its true meaning in the bluntest way imaginable: “Oh, that one was a – excuse my language – fuck-you to Mick,” she said.
Nicks added: “I sat at my piano, a feminist woman, and I wrote it, to say that nothing you or anybody else can do to me can change the fact that, as the opening line goes: ‘Every night that goes between / I feel a little less.’”
Another song Nicks wrote about Fleetwood, specifically the heartbreak she felt, was ‘Sara’. As the name suggests, the track addresses the moment she discovered he had been seeing someone else: a woman named Sara. Nicks still loved Fleetwood at the time and found herself devastated when she found out about his infidelity. The song is also rumoured to have lines about Don Henley, although she asserted in the liner notes that “Mick was the ‘great dark wing within the wings of a storm’”.
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