The One Song Stevie Nicks Had Trouble Singing

(Source: Far Out / YouTube Still)

Tue Jul 30 2024 16:30, UK

It’s no secret that Stevie Nicks has had an eventful life. From her early struggles for success with then-partner Lindsey Buckingham and her rise to fame as one of rock’s defining voices with Fleetwood Mac to her lasting legacy as a solo artist and the hardships she’s endured along the way, Stevie Nicks has truly done it all, seen it all, and sung it all.

For most artists, remembering “unforgettable” career moments is easy. For Nicks, however, her storied life and career have created a whirlwind of significant events and encounters that have shaped her as a person. While it’s well-known that Nicks is a legacy act, she also possesses a depth of knowledge and experiences that no amount of interviews will ever fully capture.

Still, it means that the moments she speaks about are like lightning in a bottle: extra pieces of the puzzle that will one day form the complete picture of Stevie Nicks. The core of her story would be the tumultuous Fleetwood Mac days and the fiery execution of Rumorsbut the magic of her artistic vision endured long into her solo work, including the 1985 release Rock a little.

At the time, Nicks had set her sights on making an album she would call an “unforgettable” moment, even if it meant scrapping previous material and the meaningless working title. Mirror mirror in favor of something that better aligned with her vision. Rock a little and the accompanying tour also formed an important part of Nicks’ career and ongoing cocaine addiction, as she struggled with the romance she harbored for artists who died young and got clean.

While working on “Talk to Me,” Stevie Nicks encountered a familiar challenge: emotional blocks that hampered her vocal performance. In the album’s liner notes, she reflected on how the song was “a difficult song to sing” because she struggled to capture the right emotional tone. Her breakthrough came one night when session drummer Jim Keltner came into the studio to record some drum overdubs, which ultimately helped her overcome the hurdle and find the song’s true voice.

As a result, what started as a feeling of being stuck between a rock and a hard place became one of her “unforgettable” moments; another speck of gold dust added to the pile of cherished memories. “He stayed to be an audience to kind of push me, to get me to have a great voice,” she recalled. “So I had someone to sing to, and I got the voice. I put some tambourine to it, and it was done forever. That was one of my unforgettable moments.”

For Nicks, such “unforgettable” moments aren’t always ones of pure euphoria—often they’re lessons learned when you least expect them, whether it’s enjoying an overwhelming moment of appreciation onstage or inadvertently allowing a friend’s company to inspire greatness. And that’s what makes Nicks’ life an ongoing series of magical events and encounters—she rarely strives to be a living, breathing embodiment of mysticism; she gives it in her magnetism and her ability to embrace the input of others.