Why Stevie Nicks Felt Her Songwriting Was Misunderstood by Prince

Stevie Nicks and Prince were great friends and musical confidants. Nicks often spoke of looking to Prince for songwriting advice or opinions on unreleased material. Once, however, Nicks got a little more advice than she bargained for. Learn more about the comment from Prince that made Nicks feel misunderstood by him.

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One of Nicks’ most famous solo songs, “Stand Back,” was deeply inspired by Prince’s “Little Red Corvette”. She wrote the song while listening to Prince’s earlier offering, so naturally, she called up her friend to test the waters.

“I called him and said, ‘Can you come to the studio and listen to this song? I’ve sung over your song and written another song, and you may hate it, and if you do, I won’t do it,’” Nicks recalled. “He came over to Sunset Sound, and he loved it — he played piano and guitar on it.”

The Time Stevie Nicks Felt Her Songwriting Was Misunderstood by Prince

Prince gave his okay, putting his stamp of approval on Nicks and her music. The Fleetwood Mac member even went as far as to say that Prince had feelings for her, beyond their mutual musical admiration.

“Prince and I were just friends,” Nicks once said. “I think he would have been happy to have had a relationship. But I really wanted a musical relationship, and I had smartened up, even then. You’ll break up and never speak again. But he wasn’t interested in just that.”

All in all, Nicks and Prince remained close throughout the years, but they did have blips here and there. Prince was an artist who wasn’t afraid of sexuality. He loved leading with that instinct, imbuing raunchy themes into most of his hits.

Nicks, however, was much more subdued in that department. Though she has many songs that are about love and lust, they are delivered with a light hand. Prince once tried to get Nicks to bump up her sexuality, to which Nicks had the perfect response.

“You have to write about sex, so you must not be intrinsically sexy,” Nicks reportedly told Prince. “I don’t have to write about sex because I am intrinsically sexy.”

Both of these artists operated in the way that was most natural to them. Prince was overtly sexual, and we loved him for it. Nicks keeps things more closed off, and we appreciate her unique outlook. Nicks couldn’t be Prince and vice versa. Luckily, their differences didn’t ruin their chances of forging a lifelong musical friendship.

(Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images)