Stevie Nicks is an artist that has stood the test of time. As the decades change so does the public’s music taste, leading popular artists’ careers to rise and fall, but Nicks has been able to span generations in terms of her popularity
Nicks’ recently visited the Maine Savings Amphitheater for her performance with Vanessa Carlton. At age 74, you have to tip your hat to Nicks for her continued performances. Nicks is known for her style of dress and flowy scarves that twirl around her as she spins on stage. Her style has become something that can only be described as iconic. The air of mysticism that floats around Nicks and her music like an aura is something that has not escaped the notice of some avid fans. Her mystic nature has led some to speculate that she is a witch: a white witch even.
In addition to this strange speculation, Nicks has also become an icon for many women who hear her music and admire her talent. Nicks was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, twice. Nicks is truly a pioneer of rock, especially starting out in a decade when the industry was heavily male-dominated. In the ‘70s she became a stand–out in the male-dominated music industry because of her femininity and the fact that she was unafraid to create music that speaks to women.
Nicks has said in multiple interviews that she had to teach herself to act a certain way so that she would be more accepted by the men in the music industry. In an interview from 1981 by BAM Magazine, Nicks talked about her experience as a woman in the music industry.
“Some people see only a ‘chick singer.’ I keep persevering and doing what I do with the hope that someday people won’t care about any of that and instead they’ll look up and say, ‘You know, she really is a pretty good writer,’” Nicks said.
This is a disheartening but very real aspect of the music industry that women once had to deal with.
Then the BAM interviewer asked her about her unique, spiritual-like view of women in her music.
“I’m surrounded by men in this business so I need a little feminine comfort, and one way to find that is to write about how I exist in this world of men, how I deal with them and how they deal with me,” Nicks said.
A famous example of Nicks’ feminine, witchy music can be seen in the song “Rhiannon” which was written and performed by Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. There has been speculation the song is written about a woman who is a witch. “She is like a cat in the dark / And then she is the darkness / She rules her life like a fine skylark / And when the sky is starless.” These lyrics showcase the dark femininity of this woman and her fearlessness. The song is a powerful embodiment of fierce femininity and serves, to this day, a favorite of many.
Nicks may not be a witch, but she is a woman who is seen as non-conforming to typical societal roles for women. She romanticizes women and sings about them with an air of mysteriousness that speaks to the natural allure of the female spirit. Her music seems to be an homage to all that it is to be a woman untainted by male perception.
