14 Best Stevie Nicks Songs

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Last updated on April 2nd, 2023 at 10:10 pm

Stevie Nicks is a legend in the rock and roll world. She began her career with nothing, then wound up as a singer in Fleetwood Mac. Eventually, she launched a successful solo career with many hit songs which are still popular today.

Take a look around and check if the room’s on fire, then get comfortable on the couch as we discuss the fourteen best Stevie Nicks songs of all time. Some of them and their meanings may just surprise you!

14. “Bella Donna”

Our first choice for the best Stevie Nicks songs is the tune that kicked off her solo career, “Bella Donna”.

This song came from the album of the same name and was written by Stevie Nicks herself, detailing a personal story. She was confident in the song’s success, and this song did become a hit!

“Bella Donna” set the pace for how Nicks would define love for the rest of her life. She was inspired to write it about her boyfriend’s mother, who loved a man involved in the 1973 Chilean coup.

The man was banished to France, and the mother never saw him again. “Bella Donna” captures that feeling of lost love and sets the pace for her first solo album.

If only there was a sweet music video to go along with this song!

13. “Has Anyone Written Anything For You?”

“Has Anyone Written Anything For You” is one of Stevie nicks songs from Stevie’s 1985 studio album Rock A Little. It was written by Stevie Nicks and Keith Olson and released in the wake of a tragedy.

Nicks wrote this song after hearing about the passing of Joe Walsh’s three-year-old daughter in a car accident. He wrote the song “Emma’s Song” for her. I

n response, Nicks, moved by the story, created “Has Anyone Written Anything For You?” It’s a tragic song and a heartfelt gift in pure grief and agony for those days you just feel unhappy.

12. “Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind”

“Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind” is one of Stevie Nicks songs from her 1994 album Street Angel. It was the very first single she released from this album. It was written by Stevie Nicks, Sandy Stewart, and Rick Nowels.

At its peak, “Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind” hit number fifty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

This song details a woman in love, fascinated with the dark nature of her love interest. Although she doesn’t know if he will reciprocate the feelings, she hopes love will love her back.

She desperately wants to be closer to him, but he is trying to pull away, much to her despair.

11. “Needles And Pins”

“Needles and Pins” is from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but Stevie Nicks is featured in the song. It was on the 1985 album Pack Up the Plantation: Live! It’s technically a cover song, originally performed by Jackie DeShannon.

It was also covered over the years by artists like the Searchers, the Ramones, and Gene Clark.

This song covers the natural anxious response of the singer when they see someone they love in public.

In some circles, however, “Needles and Pins” is also said to be about obsessions and a person being so in love they can’t get their image from their mind.

10. “Nightbird”

“Nightbird” peaked at number thirty-three on the Billboard Hot 100. It was written by Stevie Nicks and Sandy Stewart and is a deep, reflective piece based on a tragic moment in Stevie Nicks’s life.

The lyrics of “Nightbird” talk about the death of Nicks’ childhood friend, Robin Snyder Anderson. It’s an extension of another song about tragedy, “Edge of Seventeen.”

There are many topics touched on in “Nightbird” – the death of her friend, the difficulty of being a female in rock, and more.

9. “After The Glitter Fades”

Ninth on our list of Stevie Nicks songs is the iconic “After the Glitter Fades” from her debut 1981 solo album, Bella Donna.

It was the fourth and final single on her debut album. It was written by Nicks before she began her solo career.

“After the Glitter Fades” is a song that discusses the highs and lows of being famous. It was written before her solo career took off, so this song can be seen as a premonition of the things to come.

“After the Glitter Fades” details the wins and losses of balancing life as a creative professional.

8. “I Can’t Wait”

“I Can’t Wait” is a song from Nicks’ 1985 album Rock A Little. It was written by Stevie Nicks, Rick Nowels, and Eric Pressly.

The song was released as the lead single in Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, it ranked second in Germany and the US.

This song is one of Nicks’ most energetic tunes, designed to be about the craziness of love. She heard the track and knew she had to write a tune for it, and thus “I Can’t Wait” was born.

It’s an electric, magical song, diving into the craziest feelings that come with love and how they make a person act.

7. “Rooms On Fire”

“Rooms on Fire” is from the later eighties, specifically the 1989 album The Other Side of the Mirror. It was written by Stevie Nicks and was the first studio release for this particular collection of songs.

This song is about a singer who has accepted that being a rock and roll star comes with losing a traditional life.

Stevie sings about knowing she will never have children or a traditional marriage in this phase of life. She will never have a deep love and she’s come to terms with it.

Although Stevie Nicks did get married at one point, it didn’t last, so this song really did come to fruition.

6. “If Anyone Falls”

Next on our list for Stevie Nicks songs is “If Anyone Falls.” It was written by Stevie Nicks with the help of Sandy Stewart, who wrote the instrumental track on a synthesizer.

Stewart attempted to make the song popular on her own first but failed and handed the reins to Stevie Nicks.

“If Anyone Falls” was the first song Nicks wrote with Sandy Stewart. They were writing about a particular person she was in love with at the time.

He was small and frail but a powerhouse to her simultaneously. She wrote this song about the strong bond of the union, speaking poorly about anyone who would dare to intrude.

5. “Edge of Seventeen”

Fifth on the list is “Edge of Seventeen”, a song from her debut solo album Bella Donna. This song debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the charts for 14 weeks.

“Edge of Seventeen” is a conglomeration of two tragic incidents. First, John Lennon was shot and killed in New York City. Then, Nicks’ uncle passed away after fighting cancer for many years. In pain, Nicks penned these gorgeous lyrics to put her emotions on paper and landed an excellent addition to her solo album.

While it’s a bit sad this amazing song came from such tragedy, it really is one of her biggest hits! (And one of our favorite songs!)

It is one of her few songs which most millennials will recognize, even if they don’t know who the singer is!

4. “Leather and Lace”

Perhaps the most iconic name in Stevie Nicks’s song list is “Leather and Lace” from her 1981 album Bella Donna. Originally, Nicks was commissioned to write the song by singer Waylon Jennings, who wanted to sing it with his wife at the time.

However, they broke up before it was done, and Nicks decided to keep the now personal song for her own use rather than sell it to Jennings.

“Leather and Lace” comes from a personal moment in Nicks’s life when she was dating Don Henley from The Eagles. He ended up singing the duet with her, creating a long-lasting hit.

It’s a song about being in love while in the same business as your loved one, detailing how to approach that love with care.

3. “Stand Back”

“Stand Back” is another of Stevie Nicks songs from her second studio album, 1983’s The Wild Heart.

It was released as the lead for the studio album and even received uncredited assistance from Prince on the synthesizers. She took advice from the legend on this song, even giving him part of the royalties from its success as a thank-you for his help.

This song is incredible because it seems to possess energy from an invisible source. She wrote it on an evening when she should have been enjoying her honeymoon, but instead, she found it in her heart to write.

Even Nicks doesn’t fully know what “Stand Back” is about. But she does say it’s many different things, all pulled together into one incredible song which has been on the minds of listeners for decades since.

2. “Talk To Me”

In second place is “Talk To Me”, a tune from her 1985 album Rock A Little.

This album came out in the 80s, pushing a different sound for Nicks. “Talk To Me” hit number four at its peak on the Billboard Top 100 and remained on the chart for eighteen weeks. It was written by Chas Sanford and has a more pop/rock tone than her other songs.

“Talk To Me” is one of Stevie Nicks songs that mentions an unfaithful lover, but the singer knows about it. In the song, Nicks sings lyrics that make her seem okay with the unfortunate circumstance. Rather than getting mad, she wishes her partner would open up and talk about what is going on.

1. “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”

Our top choice of Stevie Nicks songs is “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” from her 1981 album Bella Donna. This tune hit number three on the Billboard Hot 100 at its peak and remained on the chart for twenty-one weeks. It was written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell as a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song.

“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” is a duet between Nicks and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Although it wasn’t originally meant to be a duet, the pair pulled it off.

The song details a couple with a complicated relationship, and the varying tunes of Nicks and Petty pull off the hit perfectly.

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