By the early ’80s, Stevie Nicks was ready to get more out of her career than what Fleetwood Mac could afford her. Just a couple of years after the band released the seminal Rumours, Nicks decided to head out on her own, forging a solo career. Naturally, when Nicks’ bandmates heard about the impending release of Bella Donna they were scared she was jumping ship. Learn more about why Nicks scared her bandmates with her debut album, below.
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The Stevie Nicks Album That Scared Fleetwood Mac
You can ride high atop your pony
I know you won’t fall
‘Cause the whole thing’s phoney.
You can fly swinging from your trapeze
Scaring all the people
But you’ll never scare me
Nicks has earned her fair share of writing credits through her time with Fleetwood Mac. In fact, she penned some of the band’s most enduring tracks. However, she had to split the writing responsibilities with her bandmates, who equally wanted to tell their stories. Because of this, Nicks decided to embark on a solo career–albeit while staying in Fleetwood Mac.
Her first venture as a solo artist was Bella Donna, a 16-track record that added fuel to the “Nicks is a witch” fire. Though her parallel careers were a coup for Nicks fans, it made her bandmates fear the worst. According to Nicks, she had to reassure her fellow Fleetwood Mac members that she wasn’t going anywhere.
Fleetwood Mac Feared Nicks Would Quit
“When you’re in a band with three great writers, you only get one third of the writer thing,” Nicks once said. “So that’s the whole reason that I did a solo career. And that’s when I told Fleetwood Mac I was going to do that, they were of course terrified that I would do that record and then that I would quit.”
“I wanted to go around and hold each one of their hands and say, ‘Listen, my loves,’” Nicks continued. “I am never going to leave you. I just need a vehicle. I can’t, I have trunks of songs from 1973 that are never going to be heard. So the only reason I’m doing this solo thing is so that I can throw a few more songs out.”
Bella Donna proved to be a successful venture for Nicks. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 the year it was released. It primed her for a continued solo career, but Nicks still had plenty of songwriting mojo to lend Fleetwood Mac. Check out the title track from Bella Donna, below.
Bella Donna
And we fight for the northern star
No speed limit this is the fast lane
It’s just the way that it is here
And you say I never thought it could
Bella Donna we fight
For the northern star
(Photo by MPIRock/MediaPunch via Getty Images)
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