Stevie Nicks on "The Lighthouse," her rallying cry for women's rights

On a travel to New York City earlier this period to look connected "Saturday Night Live" for nan first clip since 1983, Stevie Nicks said she was frightened to death. She said her first guidance erstwhile she sewage nan telephone to look connected "SNL" was, "Absolutely not. Because I was terrified to do it, 'cause it goes retired live!"

But she did look connected "SNL," and her capacity of "The Lighthouse" brought down nan house.

She says nan inspiration for her latest song, a rallying outcry for women's rights, struck a fewer months aft Roe v. Wade was overturned, and it took her little than a time to constitute nan opus and grounds it.

Smith asked, "It takes immoderate courageousness to measurement into nan waters of nan abortion debate. Why return nan risk?"

"Because everybody kept saying, 'Well, personification has to do something. Somebody has to opportunity something,'" replied Nicks. "And I'm like, 'Well, I person a platform. I show a bully story. So possibly I should effort to do something.' I was besides there. I was, been there, done that."

A 1975 image of nan stone set Fleetwood Mac (John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham). Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

In nan precocious '70s, Nicks was connected apical of nan world pinch nan legendary set Fleetwood Mac. She'd surgery up pinch her longtime partner and Fleetwood Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham, and she was romantically progressive pinch Don Henley of The Eagles erstwhile she recovered retired she was pregnant, and decided that, arsenic a touring musician, being a mother was not successful nan cards. 

In 1979 she terminated nan pregnancy. "In my younger life, I'd already decided I didn't want to person personification person their feelings wounded each nan time, and like, 'When are you comin' back?' 'Well, I don't know. I'll beryllium backmost erstwhile I get back,' you know?" Nicks said. "And not moreover having immoderate thought really large that Fleetwood Mac was going to get successful nan future, you know? And this is, like, ace individual and weird, truthful you cognize ... you tin edit this retired if necessary."

"I admit your sharing this communicative though," said Smith.

"Well, and it's a bully story, too. I show a bully story!" Nicks said. "I sewage pregnant. And it was like, Why? I person an IUD. I americium wholly protected. I person a awesome gynecologist. How travel this has happened? What nan heck?"

"So you took each nan precautions?"

"Yes. And I'm like, This can't beryllium happening. Fleetwood Mac is 3 years in. And it's big. And we're going into our 3rd album. It was like, Oh no, no, no, no, no, no."

Nicks said it would person "destroyed" Fleetwood Mac if she had had nan baby: "Absolutely, because galore reasons. I would've, like, tried my champion to get through, you know, being successful nan workplace each azygous time expecting a child. But mostly, having a kid pinch Don Henley would not person gone complete large successful Fleetwood Mac, pinch Lindsey and maine – we had been surgery up for 2 aliases 3 years. It would've been a nightmare script for maine to unrecorded through."

Fleetwood Mac was a postulation of stars, but Stevie Nicks was front-and-center. She was nan 1 who wrote nan band's only #1 azygous successful nan U.S., "Dreams," a opus that is still a deed coming connected streaming. 

But if "Dreams" is astir heartache and vulnerability, Nicks' caller opus is conscionable nan opposite: it's astir fighting for nan aforesaid reproductive authorities that she had.

Smith asked, "There are group who knock your choice, condemn your choice. Anything you want to opportunity to them?"

"I'd for illustration to know, truthful are you conscionable nan fewer guys who are making nan decisions for us?" Nicks replied.

Singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks. CBS News

She said nan choice, ultimately, "was mine. And you cognize what? If group want to beryllium huffy astatine me, beryllium huffy astatine me. I don't care. Had I made nan different choice, had I gone nan different way, I'd person been a awesome mom. I went this way, and I've done great."

Nicks would spell connected to caller heights arsenic a solo artist, becoming nan first female to beryllium inducted into nan Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, twice.  

Of people Nicks has had her stock of heartache arsenic well. The female she called her philharmonic soulmate, Christine McVie, died successful 2022, and Nicks was shattered.

"I wanted to spell and measurement in, beryllium connected her bed, and clasp her hand, and singing 'Touched By An Angel' to her until I was judge she heard it," she said. "And I didn't get to. And I didn't get to opportunity goodbye to her."

Nicks now ends her shows pinch a moving tribute to her champion friend. She sings, but can't bring herself to watch. "We person a really beautiful montage of her and me. I ne'er move astir and look. I can't, 'cause I'll commencement to sob. And if I commencement to sob, past I won't beryllium capable to decorativeness nan song. So, I conscionable don't look astatine it."

Stevie Nicks performs earlier a tribute to Christine McVie. CBS News

Nicks says that, though McVie is gone, she feels her beingness pinch her each nan time. She wears a necklace containing immoderate of McVie's ashes. "A small spot of her," Nicks said. "But arsenic important arsenic that is, she's successful my heart," she said.

Nicks says she really doesn't attraction whether her caller song, "The Lighthouse," is simply a deed aliases not; she conscionable wants group to listen. "Poets constitute what they write, and poets should not beryllium censored. Writers should not beryllium censored. This opus should not beryllium censored. It should spell retired into nan world and do what it's gonna do, possibly alteration immoderate minds. There is simply a God, and God gave maine this talent to singing and constitute and dance. So, I'm doing my job."

       
For much info:

• Stevie Nicks (Official site)

       
Story produced by John D'Amelio. Editor: Steven Tyler.

     
See also:

• From 2014: Mick Fleetwood plays on ("Sunday Morning")
• From 2014: Christine McVie connected rejoining Fleetwood Mac ("Sunday Morning")
• From 2014: Stevie Nicks connected Mick Fleetwood ("Sunday Morning")
• From 2020: Rock prima Stevie Nicks, successful her ain words ("Sunday Morning")

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• Stevie Nicks
• Fleetwood Mac