The “magic” song Stevie Nicks delivered in one take
“To understand this song, you sort of have to let yourself go a little crazy. Love is blind, it never works out, but you just have to have it.” – Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks has endeared herself to the world with her witchy and wondrous music since her early collaborations with her “darling” Lindsey Buckingham. Of course, the singer’s influence extends far beyond her partnership with Buckingham, as many of her solo tracks have taken the world by storm.
Nicks’ third solo album, Rock A Little, required the singer to delve a little deeper before it became something she was happy with. Initially, she gave it the title Mirror Mirror, which accompanied a handful of songs that she wrote in 1984. However, she wasn’t particularly pleased with how it was all coming together and scrapped the songs in favour of a new batch in 1985.
Nicks released Rock A Little in November 1985, which experienced significant commercial success due to the instant popularity of singles like ‘Talk To Me’ and ‘I Can’t Wait’. The latter, in particular, is largely regarded as a staple of Nicks’ repertoire, especially the music video, which shows her dressed in her signature black clothing in front of a microphone with a tambourine.
In the liner notes of her 1991 compilation album, Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks, Nicks explained the process of recording ‘I Can’t Wait’ and the uniqueness she experienced during its recording session. She said: “I think this was about the most exciting song that I had ever heard. My friend, Rick, whom I had known since I was 18 and he was 13, brought over this track with this incredible percussion thing, and gave it to me asking me if I would listen to it and consider writing a song for it.”
Continuing, she added: “I listened to the song once, and pretended not to be that knocked out, but the second Rick left, I ran in my little recording studio and wrote ‘I Can’t Wait.’ It took all night, and I think it is all about how electric I felt about this music. And that night, that SATURDAY night, Rick and I went into a BIG studio and recorded it. I sang it only once, and have never sung it since in the studio. Some vocals are magic and simply not able to beat. So I let go of it, as new to me as it was; but you know, now when I hear it on the radio, this incredible feeling comes over me, like something really incredible is about to happen.”
However, although Rock A Little, along with songs like ‘I Can’t Wait’ enjoyed significant acclaim, it also marked a difficult time in Nicks’ life when she battled with addiction and the pressures of fame. Discussing the music video for ‘I Can’t Wait’, she once said: “I look at that video, I look at my eyes, and I say to myself, ‘Could you have laid off the pot, the coke and the tequila for three days, so you could have looked a little better? It just makes me want to go back into that video and stab myself.”
Nicks has acknowledged indulging in drugs during the production of all her music videos from that period, a decision she now regrets. However, despite her past struggles, music enthusiasts and fans still admire the songs and artistic quality of her videos as a testament to her sheer talent. Her battles with drug addiction are overshadowed by her enduring legacy, ultimately fading into the background where they belong.
