There are singers, and then there are forces of nature. Stevie Nicks belongs to the latter category. You don’t just listen to her songs—you enter them. Somewhere between myth and confession, velvet shawls and heartbreak, she carved out a space in rock history that no one else has ever quite occupied.
I’ve watched entire arenas fall silent when she steps to the mic, tambourine in hand, eyes closed like she’s summoning something ancient. Stevie doesn’t perform songs; she releases them.
Here are Stevie Nicks’ top 10 songs and collaborations, not ranked by chart math or streaming numbers, but by impact, endurance, and emotional gravity—the stuff that lasts long after the needle lifts.
1. “Dreams” (Fleetwood Mac, 1977)
Let’s start with the obvious, because sometimes the obvious is undeniable. “Dreams” is the only No. 1 single Fleetwood Mac ever had, and it still floats through the culture like a ghost that refuses to leave.
Written in a tiny vocal booth during the Rumours sessions, it’s deceptively simple—just a few chords, a hypnotic groove, and lyrics that cut clean: “Players only love you when they’re playing.” Stevie turned emotional wreckage into poetry, and the world recognized itself in the mirror.
This is the song that made her immortal.
2. “Rhiannon” (Fleetwood Mac, 1975)
“Rhiannon” is where the mythology begins. Inspired by a Welsh witch, the song introduced Stevie as something more than a singer—she was a storyteller with one foot in another realm.
Live, this song became a ritual. I’ve seen versions stretch past eight minutes, Stevie spinning like she’s possessed, the band chasing her energy. “Rhiannon” didn’t just define Fleetwood Mac’s new era—it defined her.
3. “Edge of Seventeen” (Solo, 1981)
That opening guitar line? Instantly recognizable. “Edge of Seventeen” is Stevie Nicks unleashing grief, resilience, and defiance all at once.
Born from the deaths of John Lennon and her uncle, the song is raw, pounding, relentless. This is Stevie proving she didn’t need Fleetwood Mac to roar. She could stand alone—and shake the walls doing it.
4. “Landslide” (Fleetwood Mac, 1975)
Few songs have aged as gracefully—or as painfully—beautifully as “Landslide.” Written during a moment of personal doubt, it’s Stevie stripped bare, asking the questions we all eventually face.
I’ve heard it covered endlessly, but none match the original’s quiet power. It’s not loud. It doesn’t need to be. “Landslide” whispers truths you don’t forget.
5. “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (with Tom Petty, 1981)
Some collaborations feel inevitable in hindsight. Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty were two sides of the same American coin—romantic, ragged, honest.
This song crackles with tension and chemistry. It’s not a love song; it’s a standoff. Petty’s grit and Stevie’s smoke intertwine perfectly, creating one of the best rock duets of the ’80s.
6. “Gypsy” (Fleetwood Mac, 1982)
“Gypsy” is Stevie looking backward and forward at once—nostalgia wrapped in melody. Written as a tribute to her early days with Lindsey Buckingham, it captures the cost of success without bitterness.
The swirling keyboards, the dreamlike chorus—it’s pure Nicks magic. This is the sound of someone remembering who they were before the world started watching.
7. “Leather and Lace” (with Don Henley, 1981)
Tender, exposed, and quietly devastating, “Leather and Lace” shows Stevie’s softer side without losing strength. Paired with Don Henley, the song becomes a conversation between vulnerability and protection.
It’s one of her most human recordings—no witches, no myth, just two people trying to understand love without armor.
8. “Gold Dust Woman” (Fleetwood Mac, 1977)
If “Dreams” is the calm aftermath, “Gold Dust Woman” is the storm itself. Cocaine, fame, paranoia, ambition—it’s all here, swirling in shadow.
Stevie’s voice cracks and snarls, turning the song into a warning and a confession. Decades later, it still sounds dangerous, like it might fall apart at any second. That’s the point.
9. “Stand Back” (Solo, 1983)
Inspired—legend has it—by Prince’s “Little Red Corvette,” “Stand Back” is Stevie embracing the pulse of the ’80s without losing her identity.
Synth-driven, danceable, and fearless, it’s proof that she could evolve with the times and still sound unmistakably like herself. Not many artists pull that off.
10. “The Chain” (Fleetwood Mac, 1977 – Collaboration Highlight)
While technically a band collaboration, “The Chain” deserves its place here. Built from fragments, tension, and unresolved anger, it’s the sound of Fleetwood Mac refusing to break apart.
Stevie’s vocals weave in and out of the song like a binding spell. When that bassline drops, you can feel the unity forged under pressure. It’s not pretty—but it’s powerful.
The Legacy That Refuses to Fade
Stevie Nicks didn’t just write songs—she gave permission. Permission to be mysterious. To be emotional. To be powerful without explanation. Every modern female artist who mixes vulnerability with strength owes her a nod.
I’ve watched generations discover her music for the first time, eyes wide, like they’ve stumbled onto something sacred. That’s the mark of a true original.
Gold dust doesn’t settle. And neither does Stevie Nicks.
