Stevie Nicks’ favourite songs include tracks about her own life (Image: Getty)
Stevie Nicks has spent decades crafting a sound and image that’s entirely her own, blending rock, mysticism, and deeply personal songwriting.
From classic rock staples to unexpected pop hits, the legendary musician once shared her favourite tracks of all time on BBC Radio 2’s Tracks of my Years, in 2011.
It’s no surprise, then, that her favourite songs reflect her broad influences and deep appreciation for lyrical storytelling and musical craftsmanship. Here, we take a look at her playlist:
Eagles – ‘Witchy Woman’
Nicks’ relationship with the Eagles and their music predates her own rise to fame. Speaking about ‘Witchy Woman’, she recalled: “We drove to LA, and I remember listening to that song, thinking what a great song it was, and of course, I’m sure as all women my age did at that point, we were all hoping that we would actually be the witchy woman.”
Written by Don Henley and Bernie Leadon, the 1972 track has long been associated with mysterious, enchanting women – a definition that would later become synonymous with Nicks herself.
She also revealed that she knew the real-life inspiration for the song: “It was someone who became a very famous jeweller.”
“The Eagles were very inspirational to both Lindsey and I because we loved their singing, and we loved their ability to bridge country and rock and roll so beautifully”, she said.
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Kate Bush – ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’
Nicks has often spoken about her admiration for Kate Bush, one of the most inventive and independent female artists of her generation. She called ‘Running Up That Hill’ “one of those songs that, when I first heard it, I went, ‘Oh, I wanna record that song someday.’”
However, she ultimately decided against it: “You finally smarten up and go, ‘I can’t really do that song better than Kate Bush did, so I’m not gonna do it.’ Because if you can’t outdo her, then don’t bother.”
Nicks also praised Bush’s artistry, calling her “a real serious writer who could compare with any of the guys… She was tough, and yet she was a beautiful dancer. And she wrote beautiful songs. She wrote interesting, on-the-edge songs.”
Dan Fogelberg – ‘Same Old Lang Syne’
Dan Fogelberg’s ‘Same Old Lang Syne’ is one of the great storytelling songs of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Released in 1980, the song tells the autobiographical tale of Fogelberg running into an old flame at a grocery store on Christmas Eve. The two reminisce about their past, reflecting on the passage of time and the bittersweet nature of growing older.
About the track, Nick shared: “To this day, when that song comes on, it makes me cry. Because I think that we have all run into somebody that we absolutely loved a long time ago”.
“And you meet them and you’re older, but that’s when you go ‘Real love never dies’. Because it doesn’t matter that they’re older and it doesn’t matter that they don’t look exactly like they did when they were nineteen. They still have that light that attracted you in the beginning, and you feel that”.
Pat Benatar – ‘Love Is a Battlefield’
Pat Benatar’s ‘Love Is a Battlefield’, released in 1983, became one of the biggest anthems of the decade. With its rebellious lyrics and driving beat, the song is a declaration of resilience and independence, themes that Nicks has long embraced in her own career.
Benatar, like Nicks, was one of the few women in rock who carved out a space in a male-dominated industry. The song’s famous music video, featuring Benatar leading a group of women in a powerful dance sequence, only cemented its status as an empowerment anthem.
Jackson Browne – ‘Somebody’s Baby’
Jackson Browne has been a significant figure in Nicks’ musical world for decades. She has praised his songwriting ability, saying in an interview with Forbes: “From Jackson, I learned about writing love songs.”
Released in 1982, ‘Somebody’s Baby’ was Browne’s biggest pop hit, written for the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack. The song captures the youthful yearning of a boy who’s hopelessly infatuated with someone seemingly out of reach.
Apart from ‘Somebody’s Baby’, Nicks also showed love for another of his tracks – ‘That Girl Could Sing’ – jokingly stating: “I always wanted to think that, even though I didn’t know Jackson Browne at that point, that he wrote that about me because, ‘Oh, I’m such a cool presence.’”
Chicago – ‘Hard Habit to Break’
‘Hard Habit to Break’ was a major hit for Chicago in 1984. Known for their horn-driven rock sound in the ‘70s, the band had shifted toward a more polished, ballad-heavy style in the ‘80s.
The song, a powerful breakup ballad, features dual lead vocals from Peter Cetera and Bill Champlin. Its soaring chorus and emotional intensity align with the kind of raw, heartfelt music that has always appealed to Nicks.
The lyrics, ‘I’m addicted to you, baby / You’re a hard habit to break’, speak to a theme of love as something that lingers even after a relationship ends, a sentiment found in many of Nicks’ own songs.
The Beach Boys – ‘Sail On, Sailor’
Unlike the sun-soaked harmonies The Beach Boys are best known for, ‘Sail On, Sailor’ (1973) is a soulful, bluesy track that stands out in their catalogue. The song, written by Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, and others, tells the story of perseverance through life’s hardships.
On Brian Wilson’s official website, he quotes Nicks as saying the song has the power to “make you think, ‘I need to go get on a boat and go out to sea,’ and I happen to love to sail”.
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’
Tom Petty was one of Nicks’ closest friends and collaborators. While their biggest hit together was ‘Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around’, she has always been vocal about her love for Petty’s songwriting.
Perhaps what makes her love for the track ever stronger is that the song was inspired by Nicks herself. On The Howard Stern Show, producer David A. Stewart of Eurythmics explained that he heard her say “don’t come around here no more” to her then-lover Joe Walsh after a row.
After getting inspiration from the interaction, he wrote the song and had Stevie and Tom work on it together: “We all went in the studio with me and David and Tom Petty and the next day I came in and Tom had done a vocal on it”, said Nicks. “And because I was extremely selfish and spoiled rotten, I got very angry and fired everybody and stormed out. I told Tom to keep the song, and I lost the song. I gave the song up.”
Vanessa Carlton – ‘A Thousand Miles’
Vanessa Carlton’s 2002 debut single, ‘A Thousand Miles’, became an instant pop classic, thanks to its memorable piano riff and wistful lyrics about longing for someone far away. It’s one of the more modern choices on Nicks’ list, showing her appreciation for newer artists who craft deeply emotional, well-written songs.
Right after the track’s ascent back in 2001, Stevie Nicks actually helped Vanessa Carlton deal with her newfound success. While appearing on the PEOPLE Every Day podcast with Janine Rubenstein, Carlton said: “Stevie Nicks, I have the great honor of calling her a very dear friend of mine — she’s really my mentor —and she said to me, this was years ago: ‘Vanessa, do you think there is any show that I play that I’m not playing ‘Landslide’?'”
“If you’re going to get on a stage, you are doing a service,” Carlton explained. “You are meant to give yourself and create a show and give people an experience, in addition to having your own experience. You know what I mean? So I think that that’s really what I was able to do.”
Justin Timberlake – ‘Cry Me a River’
Another more recent favourite of Nicks’, ‘Cry Me a River’, released in 2002, is one of Justin Timberlake’s most acclaimed songs. The track, inspired by his breakup with Britney Spears, is filled with heartbreak and revenge, making it one of the most memorable breakup anthems of the 2000s.
