Lyrically Speaking: How Stevie Nicks channelled longing and love into ‘Landslide’
Even though listening to Fleetwood Mac is considered cool these days, they weren’t exactly seen that way back in their prime. A lot of their early stuff got overshadowed by the mainstream appeal of pop and rock, and the band’s later internal dramas didn’t shape their legacy as much as they do now. That said, doing so risks putting too much focus on these stories and overshadowing other songs, like ‘Landslide’.
Stevie Nicks definitely encountered challenges right from the start of her journey with Fleetwood Mac. She didn’t receive the warm reception you’d anticipate for a new member, and her entry into the group only happened at Lindsey Buckingham’s request. While today, many view Fleetwood Mac and Nicks as inseparable, back then, the Mac had a pretty fixed idea of what they thought a band should look like.
In the early 1970s, their success was questionable. It wasn’t until they dropped their self-titled album in 1975 that things really took off, with tracks like ‘Landslide’ leading the charge. A quintessential Fleetwood Mac tune and a remarkably timeless piece, this song has become one of the band’s most beloved works and a key highlight of their live performances.
The track’s poignant lyrics and Nicks’ raw, vulnerable vocals, which naturally evoke feelings of love, might lead you to believe that this is a love song. However, it actually delves into themes of uncertainty and turbulence. Nicks penned the piece during her time in Colorado, Aspen, during a time she desperately yearned for a career that she believed was permanently out of reach.
The backdrop for this introspection was Nicks and Buckingham’s disappointment after their record, Buckingham & Nicks, was dropped by Polydor. Nicks found herself contemplating the prospect of returning to full-time work or school, neither of which aligned with her aspirations. Despite glimpses of fame and fortune, the reality of her situation left her grappling with unfulfilled dreams.
As a result, ‘Landslide’ became more than just a poignant reflection, with a subtle sense of grief that feels akin to accepting loss and emerging from the other side. This is clear in the opening line as Nicks sings: “I took my love, I took it down / I climbed a mountain and I turned around / And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills / ‘Til the landslide brought me down.”
Nicks, of course, metaphorically reflects on the “mountain” as the obstacle she needed to overcome, only to confront a moment of self-reflection in the “snow-covered hills,” which grounded her once more. In the next verse, she explores the concept of love, posing questions like “Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides?” and “Can I handle the seasons of my life?” Despite these uncertainties, her vocal delivery exudes a sense of comfort, suggesting she may already have the answers. However, she expresses them through heartfelt lamentation, lending an authentic touch to her performance.
The next part is what makes the song feel like she could be singing about a lover, as she states, “I’ve been afraid of changin’ / ‘Cause I’ve built my life around you.” It’s a gorgeous line, one which could, in hindsight, be seen as referring to Nicks’ previous love affairs, but it could also be applied to the music career that she mourns. She crafted her life around a pipe dream, only to watch it become washed away.
The grief and acceptance creeps in as she continues, “But time makes you bolder / Even children get older / And I’m getting older too.” Although it may sound defeatist, there’s a beauty once again in her delivery, almost as if the lesson here is that going with the flow will attract exactly what you’re yearning for.
Even in the song’s final moments, as she repeats lines, Nicks manages to convey something deeply personal yet universally relatable to the listener. The metaphors woven throughout the work, such as the “snow-covered hills,” add an additional layer of poeticism to an already romantic piece, drawing us closer to the introspective journey it offers.
While the track is often linked to Nicks’ romantic past, thanks to her evocative vocals, it doesn’t neatly fit into the traditional “love song” category. Here, love manifests as longing and yearning, tinged with the sorrow of what might have been. However, what emerges from this exploration may prove to be more beautiful than anything we could have imagined.
