7 Greatest Stevie Nicks Songs

We’ve all probably jammed out to a song by Stevie Nicks before. Between her solo work and her time with Fleetwood Mac, she’s released over fifteen albums filled with great tunes.

Known as the reigning queen of rock and roll, Nicks has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. In fact, she’s one of only a few women to be able to make that claim.

With her prolific catalog, it’s hard to narrow down to her best hits. But we managed to find what many people consider seven of her greatest tunes.

Let’s check them out!

About Stevie Nicks

Stephanie “Stevie” Nicks began singing duets with her grandfather in her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, at just four years old. In 1964, Nicks received a guitar for her sixteenth birthday and wrote her first song, I’ve Loved and I’ve Lost, and I’m Sad But Not Blue. Though her family moved frequently, one thing remained constant: she made music wherever she lived.

Nicks joined the band Fritz with her high school boyfriend, Lindsey Buckingham. The group played many shows from 1968 to 1970, including opening for artists like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. 

The young couple released an unsuccessful duo album under the name Buckingham Nicks in 1973. In need of money after their album flopped, Nicks began cleaning houses and waiting tables while Buckingham toured with the Everly Brothers. 

In 1974, Buckingham received an invitation to join the group Fleetwood Mac. However, he refused to do so without his girlfriend. Thus, the pair joined Fleetwood Mac. Three of the first four albums Nicks and Buckingham recorded with the band reached number one in the United States.

When Stevie Nicks began a solo career in 1981, she released her album Bella Donna. It went to number one on the Billboard 200 chart in September 1981.  

She’s also won two Grammy awards for her work with Fleetwood Mac and has been nominated several times for her solo albums. Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Then, in 2019, Nicks was inducted a second time for her solo works. She made history when she became the first woman to receive two inductions. 

#1 Edge of Seventeen

About the Song: Edge of Seventeen has been called one of the greatest songs of all time. Tom Petty’s first wife, Jane, told Nicks that the couple met at the age of seventeen. Due to Jane’s thick southern accent, Stevie thought she said edge of seventeen, giving Stevie Nicks the title of a hit.

She initially set out to write the song about Tom and Jane but ended up writing it about the death of her uncle. The white dove she sings about symbolizes the soul leaving the body after death. 

Greatest Lyric: 

Just like the white-winged dove,
Sings a song, sounds like she’s singing,
I said ooh, baby, ooh, said ooh

First Appearance: Released on her album Bella Donna in 1981, Edge of Seventeen reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

#2 Talk To Me

About the Song: Chas Sanford wrote the song Talk To Me, and Nicks’s producer discovered it while looking for her next big hit. Originally, she hated the song because it proved difficult to sing, but she loved the lyrics and agreed to record it. Good thing she did; it went on to become one of the most successful singles from her solo career. 

Greatest Lyric:

Let the walls burn down, set your secret free
You can break their bounds 'cause you're safe with me
You can lose your doubt 'cause you'll find no danger here

First Appearance: Released in 1985 on her album Rock a Little, Talk To Me peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. 

#3 Leather and Lace 

About the Song: Nicks recorded this song as a duet with Don Henley of the American rock group the Eagles. Henley and Nicks both have iconic voices, making this tune very popular. It peaked at number six on the charts, where it stayed for several weeks. 

Greatest Lyric:

Sometimes I'm a strong woman
Sometimes cold and scared and sometimes I cry
But that time I saw you
I knew with you to light my nights
Somehow I would get by

First Appearance: Nicks originally wrote Leather and Lace in 1981 for Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter’s duet album of the same name. When the duo didn’t end up using the song, Nicks went on to record it with Don Henley for her 1981 album Bella Donna.

#4 Landslide

About the Song: Rolling Stone named this Fleetwood Mac hit one of the best songs of all time. Stevie Nicks wrote it while contemplating whether to continue pursuing music or return to school for a different career. 

The song also become a fan favorite, and the band played it at almost every show. In recent years, The Smashing Pumpkins and The Dixie Chicks covered the popular tune.

Greatest Lyric:

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

First Appearance: Fleetwood Mac debuted this single on their self-titled album released in 1975. The track reached number 50 on the chart, while the album climbed to number one on the Billboard 200.

#5 Gypsy

About the Song: Nicks wrote this song for inclusion on her debut solo album about her times as a struggling artist. However, when she heard that her childhood best friend was dying of leukemia, she decided to hold on to the song and record it with Fleetwood Mac instead. The band recorded the track as a tribute to her friend, Robin Snyder Anderson.

Greatest Lyric:

She is dancing away from you now
She was just a wish
She was just a wish
And her memory is all that is left for you now

First Appearance: Nicks wrote Gypsy in 1979 but didn’t release it until 1982 on Fleetwood Mac’s album, Mirage. In 2017, Nicks recorded a solo acoustic version of the song for the Netflix show of the same name. 

#6 Dreams

About the Song: When Fleetwood Mac recorded this song for their album Rumours, nearly everyone in the band was going through a breakup. Nicks and Buckingham, her boyfriend of eight years, finally split. Mick Fleetwood divorced his wife. The bass player John and keyboard player Christine had separated. The tension in the band inspired Nicks to write Dreams.

Greatest Lyric:

Oh, thunder only happens when it's raining
Players only love you when they're playing
Say, women, they will come and they will go
When the rain washes you clean, you'll know

First Appearance: Dreams became the first Fleetwood Mac song to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard 100 upon its release as a single in 1977. 

#7 Stand Back

About the Song: Stevie Nicks wrote Stand Back on her wedding day. She married her best friend’s widower. While the newlyweds drove up the California coast to begin their honeymoon, the song Little Red Corvette played on the radio. The couple stopped to purchase a tape player, and Nicks wrote Stand Back in the hotel room after being inspired by the Prince tune. 

Greatest Lyric:

No one knows how I feel
What I say unless you read between my lines
One man walked away from me
First, he took my hand, take me home

First Appearance: Nicks released Stand Back as her first single on her second solo album, The Wild Heart, in 1983. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and continues to be one of her fans’ most-loved songs. 

Stevie Nicks Continues to Prove Women Can Rock

Stevie Nicks has left a lasting imprint on rock and roll. She shattered the musical glass ceiling by proving that women can also be prolific rockers. Rolling Stone called her the reigning queen of rock in 1981, and we believe the title still applies today. 

What’s your favorite Stevie Nicks song? Let us know in the comments below.