Stevie Nicks’ 4 Absolute Favorite Albums
via @Stevie Nicks / YouTube
Stevie Nicks has always been more than just a singer. Her voice seems to belong to another realm—haunting, intimate, and poetic all at once. Over decades of recording and touring, she’s managed to cast a spell across generations. Whether she’s fronting Fleetwood Mac or charting her own solo path, Nicks isn’t just performing music—she’s channeling something far deeper and more elusive.
Behind that iconic shawl-draped silhouette is a lifelong student of music. Nicks didn’t just arrive fully formed; her artistry was shaped by the songs and records that moved her long before the spotlight ever found her. Her favorites are not picked from a place of trendiness or name-dropping. They are deeply personal choices—soundtracks to specific memories, pivotal moments, and private realizations.
To better understand Stevie Nicks as both a performer and a person, it helps to trace the musical compass that guided her. These four albums are not simply nostalgic favorites; they offer a glimpse into what shaped her voice, her lyrical style, and her unwavering sense of identity. Each selection gives us insight into the internal world of an artist who always seemed just slightly out of reach.
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Buffalo Springfield Again – Buffalo Springfield (1967)
The spark that lit Stevie Nicks’ rock and roll journey came from this album—and more specifically, the song “Rock and Roll Woman.” To her, it felt personal from the first listen. “Hearing this for the first time was like seeing the future,” she recalled. “‘And she’s coming, singing soft and low…’ When I heard the lyrics, I thought: that’s me! They probably wrote it about Janis Joplin or someone like that but I was convinced it was about me.”
This sense of instant connection was more than youthful fantasy—it was a signal. Nicks, still in high school at the time, had just moved to San Francisco and found herself in the heart of the Summer of Love. “By 1968 I was in a band with Lindsey. His family lived in the same gated community as us, and we would practise at his house. My mum and dad liked him.” Surrounded by the counterculture and immersed in psychedelic music, Buffalo Springfield’s sound seemed to narrate the moment she was living.
Listening to “Rock and Roll Woman” offered a kind of prophetic affirmation that would stay with her. The way the song blended feminine mystique with guitar-driven confidence mirrored the duality she would later embody in Fleetwood Mac. This album didn’t just introduce her to the sound of rock—it introduced her to the idea that she could belong in it.
Crosby, Stills & Nash – Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)
The spark that lit Stevie Nicks’ rock and roll journey came from this album—and more specifically, the song “Rock and Roll Woman.” To her, it felt personal from the first listen. “Hearing this for the first time was like seeing the future,” she recalled. “‘And she’s coming, singing soft and low…’ When I heard the lyrics, I thought: that’s me! They probably wrote it about Janis Joplin or someone like that but I was convinced it was about me.”
This sense of instant connection was more than youthful fantasy—it was a signal. Nicks, still in high school at the time, had just moved to San Francisco and found herself in the heart of the Summer of Love. “By 1968 I was in a band with Lindsey. His family lived in the same gated community as us, and we would practise at his house. My mum and dad liked him.” Surrounded by the counterculture and immersed in psychedelic music, Buffalo Springfield’s sound seemed to narrate the moment she was living.
Listening to “Rock and Roll Woman” offered a kind of prophetic affirmation that would stay with her. The way the song blended feminine mystique with guitar-driven confidence mirrored the duality she would later embody in Fleetwood Mac. This album didn’t just introduce her to the sound of rock—it introduced her to the idea that she could belong in it.
The harmonies of Crosby, Stills & Nash didn’t just impress her—they became her blueprint. Nicks wasn’t content to simply sing along. She immersed herself in every vocal layer, teaching herself the subtleties of each part. That kind of dedication would later allow her to effortlessly integrate her voice with those of Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham, forming one of rock’s most compelling vocal trios.
There’s also something deeper at play here: a desire for interconnectedness. Harmony requires collaboration, restraint, and attention to the voices around you—qualities that mirrored Nicks’ own growth as a performer. This album didn’t just influence her sound; it instilled a musical ethic that elevated her from soloist to essential band member.
Court and Spark – Joni Mitchell (1974)
While some albums sparked dreams, Court and Spark met Stevie Nicks in a moment of doubt. “Lindsey and I were coming to the end of our relationship, and I’d met someone else,” she admitted. At the time, she was struggling both emotionally and financially, working as a waitress and cleaning houses to make ends meet. Joni Mitchell’s 1974 record was the companion to that difficult chapter. “It was the only time I ever felt music might not work out,” Nicks confessed.
The album struck a nerve not just for its lyrical depth but for its emotional honesty. Mitchell’s songwriting didn’t sugarcoat the complexity of love or the vulnerability of ambition. It resonated deeply with Nicks, who was beginning to question whether the sacrifices of the music business were worth it. “I talked to my parents about going back to school, because I was tired of being a cleaning lady, a waitress and a rock’n’roll star at the same time. We were really poor.”
In hindsight, Court and Spark feels like a turning point. That same year, Mick Fleetwood would hear Buckingham Nicks and invite them both to join Fleetwood Mac. The contrast is stark: from contemplating the end to standing at the edge of her big break. For Nicks, this album remains a symbol of perseverance, one that reminds her how close she came to giving up—and how crucial it was that she didn’t.
Battle Studies – John Mayer (2009)
This pick stands apart from the rest—not because it lacks emotional depth, but because it’s associated with friendship, not struggle. Nicks discovered Battle Studies after a studio mishap delayed her own recording project, giving her a chance to take a much-needed break. “So me and four of my friends went on holiday, drove over the mountains and listened to this record all the time,” she said.
Unlike the other albums on her list, this one isn’t connected to her work as a writer. In fact, she avoids listening to music when writing because, as she put it, “You don’t want to end up rewriting something that’s already been written.” Still, Mayer’s album earned a special place in her memory because of the emotional atmosphere it created—one of rest, closeness, and joy, which is rare in the high-pressure world she often occupies.
Even if Battle Studies didn’t shape her voice or career trajectory, it reflects something else about Stevie Nicks: her emotional openness and her capacity to savor the present. It’s an album she associates with the people she loves, a reminder that music can also heal quietly, without demanding transformation. Sometimes, an album is important simply because it made life better—for a week, for a season, or for the soul.
