4 Songs From ‘Buckingham Nicks’ That Are Seriously Slept On

Before they joined Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks released Buckingham Nicks as a duo in 1973. Unfortunately, their debut project found very little commercial success. However, years later, some fans have come to love the songwriters’ earlier work, even though it wasn’t appreciated back then. Here are a few songs from Buckingham Nicks that might change your initial thoughts about the album.

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“Stephanie”

Buckingham wrote this one for Nicks, whose full name is Stephanie Lynn Nicks. There are no words, but there’s something beautiful about the guitar melodies that Buckingham uses in “Stephanie”. They paint a picture of the then couple’s early relationship for the listener. When Buckingham wrote this one, he was actually recovering from mono and was unable to get out of bed. “Stephanie” was a product of his boredom.

“Without A Leg To Stand On”

If you listen to this track, written by Buckingham, it’s obvious that the couple is singing about trying to make it in the music business and worrying whether or not they’re wasting their time on their dreams. In the first verse, they sing:

“I just need somebody / That I can lean on / Nobody wants to keep you / When you’re in love with the game.”

Given that these two were trying to find success in the 70s when they released this song, it makes sense that they would be inspired by such struggles.

“Long Distance Winner”

If you listen to the lyrics of this song, which was written by Nicks, “Long Distance Winner” clearly gives insight into her romance with Buckingham and perhaps some of the things that put stress on their relationship.

The song sings about someone who is difficult to change and “too hot to touch.”

“What the song is really all about is a difficult artist, saying, ‘I adore you, but you’re difficult,’” Nicks shared in 1998. “‘And I’ll stay here with you, but you’re still difficult.’”

“Races Are Run”

Although Nicks has never revealed what “Races Are Run” is actually about, some think it addresses some of her feelings about the band Fritz, a group she and Buckingham sang in as teenagers. Fritz actually did pretty well back in its day, opening for big acts like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.

“I think Lindsey (Buckingham) tipped me to that,” her bandmate Javier Pacheco once shared. “But just read the lyrics: ‘So many different types of people’… It was a song about a breakup, about people going their separate ways. I know Stevie had feelings for the band.”

It was after the band’s breakup that Buckingham and Nicks moved out to sunny L.A. to record demos and try to make it big.

Photo By: Jimmy Wachtel