3 Songs That Stevie Nicks Almost Had a Bigger Hand In

Stevie Nicks probably has one of the most recognized voices, both lyrically and musically, in rock music. Who wouldn’t want her on their song? Here are three songs that Nicks was either offered, or almost collaborated on.

“Purple Rain” by Prince

Prince and Nicks had previously collaborated on songs like 1983’s “Stand Back”. However, when the pop star sent this rocker a cassette of his song “Purple Rain”, asking her to write lyrics, Nicks felt intimidated.

“It was so overwhelming, that 10-minute track … I listened to it and I just got scared,” Nicks told The Guardian. “I called him back and said, ‘I can’t do it, I wish I could. It’s too much for me.’ I’m so glad that I didn’t, because he wrote it, and it became ‘Purple Rain’.”

“Insider” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (feat. Stevie Nicks)

Nicks is a big Tom Petty fan, which is an interest that started growing when she began working on her debut solo album, Bella Donna. The album ended up featuring several what would be Nicks classics, and “Insider”, a Tom Petty song, also came close to making the cut. 

Apparently, Nicks was a fan of the track. However, while recording harmonies on the song in the studio, she decided that it was probably better off in Petty’s hands.

“She walked back in and said, ‘How was it?’ I said, ‘It’s amazing,’” Petty told Musician. “She said, ‘I can tell by the look on your face, you don’t wanna give me this song. I’m giving it back to you right now.’ I really thought a lot of her for that.”

While this one didn’t end up on Nicks’ solo project, she did end up singing it as a duet with Petty.

“These Dreams” by Heart 

Written by Martin Page, who wrote “We Built This City” by Starship, and Bernie Taupin, “These Dreams” ended up being rock band Heart’s very first song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Before that, though, this song was offered to Nicks, who wasn’t interested.

“With ‘These Dreams,’ Bernie wrote a lyric that was initially called ‘Boys In The Mist’, Page explained to Songwriter Universe. “It was a lyric that he had originally given to Stevie Nicks. But Stevie wasn’t interested in it or wasn’t available to do it, so he sent it to me. I was able to convince him to change the title to ‘These Dreams’—he had written [those words] in the bridge. And he let me move it around.” 

Photo by: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

The post 3 Songs That Stevie Nicks Almost Had a Bigger Hand In appeared first on American Songwriter.