“It’s a spirit calling”: why did Stevie Nicks stop performing one of her favourite songs?
Unlike some legacy artists, Stevie Nicks doesn’t shy away from her own hits. While some omit fan favourites from setlists in favour of drawing attention to lesser-appreciated gems, Nicks leans into her own magic. Even better is the fact that she performs them with the same passion and enthusiasm as she did decades ago, proving her effortless charm when it comes to keeping the fire burning.
Throughout the years, Nicks has remained committed to performing the songs she knows her fans have deep connections to. While some have shifted in meaning somewhat, especially after the passing of Christine McVie, this newfound poignancy only enhances her appeal, making her one of the most emotionally resonant artists of all time.
Perhaps what’s also most exciting about Nicks is that all of her setlists include favourites from all eras, blending in special moments during her Fleetwood Mac years with some of her most charming solo performances. When she played BST Hyde Park in London, for instance, she covered almost everything a fan could ever wish for, from the ever-endearing ‘Dreams’ to the blood-pumping ‘Edge of Seventeen’.
That said, there are some she seems to have ditched somewhere along the way despite her attachments to them, which feels slightly confusing at times when it’s clear what they once meant to her. ‘Nightbird’, for instance, was released as the third single from Nicks’ solo record The Wild Heart, and she once described it as her favourite song off the album.
However, since 1983, she has only performed the song twice: on Solid Gold and Saturday Night Live. The song itself is undoubtedly one of Nicks’ lesser-known masterpieces, showcasing her ethereal vocals in a way that feels simultaneously nostalgic and stuck in a magical moment in time. It’s easy to see why it became one of Nicks’ favourites, with a quintessentially Nicks-esque melody that feels somewhat reminiscent of some of her other hits, like ‘Gypsy’ or ‘Sara’.
However, the song never made it outside of these two performances which, in truth, seems so be something more to do with its modest commercial success rather than anything concerning Nicks’ diminished appreciation for it. After all, it ticks every box when it comes to Nicks’ artistic expression, but culturally, it just failed to hit the mark as much as her other hits did.
At the same time, its themes could have made it difficult for Nicks to perform it live. The song was written about the difficulties female musicians face and the death of her friend Robin Snyder Anderson, alongside the inevitability of pain and suffering. Considering all three of these strands, it likely felt too personal for Nicks to revisit, and she instead felt it was best left where it was: a perfect iteration of a specific moment in time.
As she explained in 1983: “This song does extend from ‘Edge of Seventeen’; it’s about the difficulties of female rock ‘n’ roll singers; it’s about my friend Robin, it’s about death, it’s a spirit calling. Wearing boots all summer long is like, always being ready for a flood or avalanche to happen, for the worst to happen.”
Concluding: “Because when you really look at life, all the money, material things and dreams we all search after could not save one small girl.”
