Stevie Nicks’ names her “favourite person to sing with, ever”
It was the inner heart of conflict that made Fleetwood Mac so compelling. The soap-opera backdrop to a catalogue of songs lamenting over heartbreak, betrayal and forbidden lust meant every syllable was delivered with emotive colour. While the technical term for their three-part vocalists is indeed “harmonies”, there was nothing harmonious about the fractured relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham in particular.
The pointed glances to one another on stage were built upon years of personal history, then poured into the seminal record Rumours. It was almost a sad twist of fate for Nicks that the man with whom she shared a long but tumultuous relationship became somewhat of a creative counterpoint for her. The music gods had decided that whether she liked it or not, she would forever be linked to Buckingham in a creative capacity, providing her with a voice that paired so perfectly with his.
But luckily for Nicks, despite all the initial reservations, in Fleetwood Mac bandmember Christine McVie, she not only found a spiritual companion, but another, more trusting voice in which she could sing alongside. Together, the three of them created the legacy of a band that would define the beauty of three-part harmonies and become the envy of artists across the globe, trying to capture the alchemic genius of shared vocals.
Nevertheless, we all know artists harbour a deep level of insecurity. After all, that’s what makes them such poignant purveyors of emotional complexity. So naturally, despite their own world-conquering ability, members of Fleetwood Mac equally envied the work of their peers, and upon the semi-dissolution of the band and the start of their separate individual endeavours, they exercised their curiosity to work with other artists.
In Nick’s case, she used her independence to book some studio time with the likes of Don Henley, Tom Petty and Kenny Loggins, but it was a more unlikely artist that she heralded as her favourite.
The country band The Chicks didn’t necessarily swim in the same circles of opulent rock as Stevie Nicks, but they garnered her attention nonetheless. The band performed a cover of Nicks’ seminal track, ‘Landslide,’ which ultimately led to a memorable opportunity for Nicks and Maines to perform the song together.
But while the encounter would have undoubtedly served as a pinch-me moment for the band and their vocalist Natalie Maines, it was in fact Nicks who came away with an indelible mark of influence. She said, “Natalie Maines is my favourite person to sing with, ever.” She added, “I could happily be a part of the Chicks. Even though they’re billed as country artists, they’re very rock ‘n’ roll.”
While Nicks is quick to praise The Chicks and their rendition of her song, it is in fact ‘Landslide’ itself that both transcends genres and history. It’s a timeless track that straddles the sensibilities of both genres, with its country-laden finger-picking melody and bruised tenderness of a rock. While many, like The Chicks, have come and gone to deliver their own unique spin on it, it’s a quintessentially Nicks track that proves why she is an artist so many now wish to share the stage with.
