The song and the blockbuster movie that reunited Fleetwood Mac: “This really was my story”
I take comfort in trashy movies. In fact, I have a hard and fast rule that anything with Keanu Reeves and filmed in the 1990s is a must-watch, but outside of that, I loosely allow myself to watch any ’90s action movie without judgment.
They are unashamedly unrealistic, and in the humdrum of daily life, I take solace in that. In these instances, character development and thematic intertwining are less relevant than bona fide stimulation, and if that came in the form of some unrealistic natural disaster, the better.
Perhaps my interest in these baseless films was born from my more engaged music listening habits. Records that ebbed and flowed through the nuance of sonic artistry antagonised the simplicity of my movie watching, forcing me to engage with every song. This was where I got my kicks, stemming all the way from my early days of interest in the likes of Fleetwood Mac.
They were the quintessential classic rock band for me to engage with. Played enough in the kitchen of my own home, but hiding sonic corners of discovery, way beyond the realms of Rumours. In their work outside of their opus, I could craft what is now an undying love for three-part harmonies, understand the structural essence of great songwriting and still, get my fix of lengthy guitar solos.
But something in their storytelling sprinkled in my love of salacious drama. Their musicality was combined with Hollywood-like tales of love, loss and betrayal, and so through their albums, all notes of my stimulus were hit.
But this all happened long before I was born, and so by the time I had flicked through their back catalogue, I was up to date on everything Fleetwood Mac. As we rolled into the ‘90s and the millennium, I would be a contemporary ear through which the updates could be told. But I never thought Hollywood blockbusters would brazenly be used as a reference point.
In 1995, Nicks was approached to write the soundtrack for the Hollywood epic, Twister. While most artists would see the opportunity as merely lucrative, Nicks saw something more human in the eye of the storm. Something she related to her journey as a musician.
“I had my friend Rebecca read the script,” Nicks explained in the liner notes of her 1998 box set, Enchanted. “She then gave me the Reader’s Digest condensed version so I could decide whether to do it or not. As she explained it to me, I realised that this really was… my story. It was about people who had extreme jobs… like chasing tornadoes, or being in a rock band. Anyway… I really handcrafted this song for the movie.”
Of course, Nicks’ life being like a tornado was largely down to the influence of her creative and romantic partner, Lindsey Buckingham. So it was only fitting that she reunited with him for the writing of the track, and together, the pair laid down ‘Twisted’. By no means their greatest song and definitely not the track that represents their whirlwind careers, but nevertheless, it is another chapter in what will be a never-ending Hollywood story.
