The 10 most underrated songs by Stevie Nicks

But they deserve it. Nick’s quality has never waned, even some of her latest work sitting on her 2011 album In your dreamsdeserves attention and recognition as well. Her lyrical voice remains sharp and powerful, still imbued with her poetic flair and unique language of witchy imagery and meaningful metaphors. Sonically, too, her music has forever evolved, embracing all corners of rock and pop, while remaining one of the most powerful voices around.

In an attempt to bring some of her most underrated tracks to light, this list is filled with stunning songs that may have fallen into the shadows of some of her most well-known anthems. From Fleetwood Mac album cuts to her soundtrack work, here are 10 Stevie Nicks songs that deserve more attention.

The 10 most underrated songs by Stevie Nicks

‘Storms’

Stevie Nicks bared some of her most vulnerable and tender emotions throughout her Fleetwood Mac discography. With the band rife with personal drama and inextricably linked to her love and grief for bandmate Lindsey Buckingham, it was a situation that regularly brought out the most heartbreaking and hard-to-process emotions, which Nicks poured into her lyrics.

But while people often talk about “Dreams” or “Landslide,” “Storms” is an underrated but still stunning song. On their 1979 album Tuskthe album title shows Nick’s self-reflection on her emotional nature, her ability to love and be loved, and how difficult the combination of the two can be. “But I was never a calm blue sea / I was always a storm,” she sings in one of the most beautiful lyrics ever written.

“For what it’s worth”

On her 2011 album In your dreamsNicks seemed to be finding herself again. “For What It’s Worth” feels like an anthem to that, inspired by the time she spent on the road during Fleetwood Mac’s comeback tours and her return to regular live performances in the late 2000s. The track seemingly takes her back to her youth pursuing her passion, along with the various situations and relationships that line her life’s path, and reflects on it all.

But lyricism aside, “For What It’s Worth” is musically brilliant, delivering a track that is just as catchy and creative as her earliest work. It proves that even in her later years, decades into her career, Nicks still has an undeniable and unwavering flair and talent.

‘Leather and lace’

“Don always treated me very special,” Nicks said of her bond with Don Henley of the Eagles, adding, “I think he found something in me that he probably hasn’t found since.” Their bond was very strong and became one of the most important and formative relationships in Nicks’ life.

On “Leather and Lace,” the two musicians sing about it together, merging the leather of Henley’s skirt with the lace of Nick’s floating, ethereal energy. It’s a perfect love song to capture a fleeting but striking romance between two music legends.

“Has anyone ever written anything for you?”

For this song of hers from 1986 Rock a little album, Nicks gets stunning and devastatingly meta with this love song about writing love songs. She tells a special someone to stop and listen to this song as clear proof of how important they are to Nicks, and writes them an ode as if it’s their love language.

Given her long history of writing songs for or about her loved ones, this self-aware moment addressing that very act feels like a very special song that deserves more attention. “I gave this to you / If it’s all I ever do / This is your song,” she sings, knowing her talent is a gift.

‘Blue Lamp’

As one of the most popular and recognizable voices in rock music, it’s always great when Nicks delivers a pure rock song. As far as her solo work goes, “Blue Lamp” is one of her best works, although it never got an official spot on any track list.

Instead, the track was used for the soundtrack of heavy metal, a 1981 science fiction anthology film. But while the film might be largely forgotten over time, that shouldn’t be the case with this song, as it’s full of great guitar lines, a solid melody, and a classically brilliant vocal performance from Nicks. But who would expect anything else?

‘If I were you’

But while it’s great when Stevie Nicks goes full rock, her pop songs from the 1980s are just as great, as she bridged the gap between her original rock decade and the new age of highly produced radio hits. “If I Were You” is one of the best offerings in this area, falling somewhere between Blondie and Duran Duran, pairing outdated synth keys with a stomping rock guitar.

Their third album is complete, Rock a littleis packed with underrated gold, as her solo efforts are so often overshadowed by Fleetwood Mac. But these tracks deserve as much of a place in her incredible musical legacy as anything she created within the band.

“How quiet my love”

In the same category as “Rhiannon,” “Gold Dust Woman” or “Sisters Of The Moon,” Nicks delivers another seductive, infectious hit here. As the track builds from a tender beginning to a massive climax, it has the same witchy spirit that informs so many of her best tracks. There’s something hypnotic about it, as if these big songs just bubble out of her as fully formed things, as natural to her as breathing.

On her debut solo album, all Bella Donna deserves more love. As an album, it was a statement. It was a clear indication that Nick’s talent went beyond just being in a band and that even without Lindsey Buckingham, she had what it took to be one of the most important and influential voices in music.

‘Sarah’

Perhaps the inclusion of this track is an excuse, as it’s a big Fleetwood Mac track. But the lyrical and musical power of “Sara” cannot be overstated and still hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves. As with all of Nicks’ best songs, the lyrics feel more like a poem being recited, and he manages to pack so much beauty and so many incredible images and lines into it. But as the band swells around them with one of their most textured and interesting instrumentals, their words are given the glorious and ethereal nest they deserve.

The story of “Sara” is also deeply tender and moving. On the one hand, the song seems to be about Sara Recor, the woman who married Nicks’ bandmate and ex-lover Mick Fleetwood. In this interpretation, the lyrics become a moving story about letting go and passing on the baton of love. On the other hand, the song is about the child she became pregnant with during her relationship with Don Henley. Nicks did not go through with the pregnancy, but once said, “If I had married Don and had the baby and it had been a girl, I would have called her Sara.” In this light, the song becomes a moving portrayal of love and sacrifice. Either way, it is one of her most powerful lyrical moments.

‘Angel’

When you think of Fleetwood Mac, you usually think of Rumors. Every album before and after lives in the shadow of this flawless classic. The 1979 album Tusk is full of underrated gold. The record came during a period of intense creativity for the band and grew into a massive double album, with the second record opening with this stunning track from Nicks.

While Lindsey Buckingham was obsessed with experimentation and post-punk while recording the record, Angel feels like Nicks is making her point and staying true to her own artistic voice. The lyrics are great, the music is solid, and it’s another great example of her unique approach to storytelling.

‘Crystal’

The song “Crystal” has a long history. It was first recorded for Buckingham and Nicks’ eponymous debut album and written as part of their romantic and musical partnership. Then, when the pair joined Fleetwood Mac, the song appeared on their first album with the group, with Buckingham singing lead vocals. Finally, Nicks recorded the song for 1998’s Applied Magic Soundtrack, she sings the lead vocals herself.

This story alone explains why “Crystal” feels so powerful. Since the lyrics themselves are about the evolving nature of love, saying “how love’s faces changed with the turning of the page,” the song seems to capture that fact perfectly. When Nicks recorded her vocal version, “Crystal” feels wonderfully meaningful and steeped in history, which makes it even better.

The 10 most underrated songs by Stevie Nicks:

• ‘Storms’
• “For what it’s worth”
• ‘Leather and lace’
• “Has anyone ever written anything for you?”
• ‘Blue Lamp’
• ‘If I were you’
• “How quiet my love”
• ‘Sarah’
• ‘Angel’
• ‘Crystal’

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