Enchanted: The Influence of Stevie Nicks

While my husband was flying last night, I curled up in my chair and embraced the opportunity to watch a few movies which I knew would not interest him. At the end of the second movie, Stevie Nicks' unmistakable voice rang out, placing a smile on my face as I shut off the television and downstairs lights and headed up to bed. As I sat in bed listening to Stevie's second-to-newest album, In Your Dreams, I realized just how much her music has impacted my life. I associate almost every song on the album to some event in my life, or emotion that I felt during a rough patch.

Stevie has always been my favorite. Under the influence of my aunt and uncle, I became interested in classic rock during high school, and for Christmas one year, I acquired greatest hits albums of ZZ Top, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, and, of course, Fleetwood Mac. I remember listening to these albums, particularly Fleetwood Mac, incessantly. My love of Fleetwood Mac increased when I found a vinyl copy of Rumours and Stevie's The Wild Heart (among other classic rock albums) in my parents house. They promptly became my albums, and thus began both my love of vinyl and Stevie. In college, my collection grew to contain thirteen vinyl Fleetwood Mac albums and nine Stevie albums, five vinyl and four CDs, and the original Buckingham Nicks album. I blasted my vinyl Fleetwood Mac/Stevie collection so frequently that my college roommate is a fan of Stevie, too.

And truthfully, cranking my turntable's volume as high as I could without people complaining was one of my few solaces in college. And the lyrics brought me comfort in a chaotic environment. I cried through Beautiful Child as I struggled to get over a crush who had chosen another. I danced with one of my closest friends to Oh Diane. Trying to impress me with his sound system, a friend asked me what my favorite song was, and I replied Edge of Seventeen. Other times that I nursed my broken heart, I found comfort in Rose Garden and Love Is, among many others. I walked through the streets of Charleston, South Carolina listening to New Orleans on my iPod. Charleston was one of my grandmother's favorite places, and it was the last family vacation we would take with her; she died the following spring.

In my married life, Stevie's words continue to be inspirational.  I have broken into song countless times singing some Fleetwood Mac song, prompting concerned looks from my husband. I refrain from dancing while he is home, but when he leaves for a flight, all bets are off. Even as I was starting this blog a few months ago, I combined Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks songs that define me: Leather and Lace, for the two sides of my personality; Wild Heart, for my ever-changing, "wild" emotions; and Gypsy, for my restlessness and eclectic interests. Even now, I am sitting at my dining room table writing this blog post and listening to "The Other Side of the Mirror", which is, in my opinion, a highly underrated album.

Despite the big hair, this album will always be my favorite.

Beyond the elements of my personality that those songs remind me about, they remind me of who I am and where I've been. Stevie's songs are based on what she has experienced, which I think is why her songs are so meaningful to me. We all experience hardship, and we all find comfort in different things. Stevie's songs speak to my heart and comfort my soul. Some of her songs make me smile and others make me cry as they bring back memories of good times and bad. But they are also a reminder that there's always something more, always hope in everything.

Are all those tears necessary?
For all that pain that you carry,
You just send those tears away.
Come in and out of the darkness;
It’s a beautiful day.