The Stevie Nicks song inspired by the ‘Twilight’ saga
Stevie Nicks is almost as renowned for her witchy aura as she is for her contributions to Fleetwood Mac. Between her flowy, gothic dresses, her mystical songwriting and even an appearance on the witch-themed American Horror Story: Coven, the frontwoman holds an undeniably mystical quality.
Though many may associate Nicks with witchcraft and magic, her own interest in fictional fantasy leans more towards vampires than witches. The Fleetwood Mac frontwoman is a self-proclaimed Twilight enthusiast, having declared her love for the Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson fronted-film series on more than one occasion.
Nicks’ passion for Twilight went far beyond reading the books or watching the movies – the series inspired her to start making music again. With the dawn of the new century, Nicks put out her sixth solo record, Trouble in Shangri-La, in 2001, followed by a Fleetwood Mac record titled Say You Will in 2003. She then didn’t realise a full-length album until 2011, all because she felt inspired by Twilight.
In 2011, she penned a track inspired by the story, leading to her seventh studio record, In Your Dreams. Fittingly titled ‘Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream)’, the song blended Edward and Bella’s fictional love story with her own real-life relationship with Fleetwood Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham.
According to Nicks, in Spinner UK, she wrote the first and third verses in the middle of the 1970s, during her relationship with Buckingham. “Some call her strange lady from the mountains, well, yes, and others say she’s not really real”, she sings in the first verse, presumably referring to herself.
By the third verse, the male love interest is introduced as Nicks sings, “He loves her, but he loves his life alone as well”, a line she explicitly stated was about her relationship at the time. “People would think that was written about Edward, but it was written about Lindsey”, she clarified.
Over 30 years after she wrote the verses about her relationship with Buckingham, Nicks saw Twilight: New Moon and was inspired to write about Edward and Bella’s relationship, interspersing it with her own. “The second verse,” she explains, “‘She’s lonely, lost, and disconnected’ – was written in Brisbane right after I saw the movie. So the song, really, is ancient times up to today. The chorus – ‘It’s strange, she runs from the ones she can’t keep up with’ – is all about the love affair between Bella and Edward.”
“So this really is an ancient song that encompasses my strange and everlasting relationship with Lindsey Buckingham and Bella and Edward, all mixed into one,” she concludes. After she finished the track, Nicks was inspired to write a whole album around it, leading to In Your Dreams.
“If it hadn’t been for your movies… I would never have made those albums because I was so staunch in my belief that it was over,” she once told Twilight star Taylor Lautner during an appearance on The Late Late Show. It seems that we have Stephanie Meyer to thank for Nicks’ continued contributions to music.
