I've always liked "Beautiful Child" from when I first heard it on "Tusk". Then the alternate version on the "25 Years" compilation came out and I completely flipped for it. I had felt it needed more percussion, that it was "missing something" despite the fact that I liked it, then I heard that version and knew I had gotten what I'd wanted all those years. I prefer to listen to the "25 Years" version over the "Tusk" version. (Just like Christine's "Brown Eyes"!!). :nod:

I really love this song...particularly at the end when she sorta contradicts herself. Like when she goes "I'm not a child anymore/I'm not a child I'm not/I'm tall enough to reach for the stars/I will do as I'm told/Even if I never hold you again/Too trusting yes but women usually are." I'm pretty sure that might have been the point...but either way this is a stunning song. And so sad it almost makes my heart break :distress:.

I adore this song, I mean listen to it on repeat for hours kind of adoration...
The lyrical contradictions are intensely moving for me, I think they belie the high echelon of emotion and tender vulnerability in this song...
I'd love to hear Stevie talk about it or indeed perform it live once more... For some reason it has always resonated for me and had me craving the lines in 'after the glitter fades' the loneliness of a one night stand is hard to take...

Beautiful Child is my favourite Fleetwood Mac song AND Stevie Nicks song.

I adore Beautiful child. It's always one of the tracks I immediately go for when I want to listen to some random Fleetwood Mac. Silver springs is another one that I will never, ever tire of.

I am ADDICTED to this version of Beautiful Child!! The instrumentation and vocal are superb.

Sometimes I agree with you. And I have felt this way since the first listen. It's the Mac song that makes me cry.


(Woman of a 1000 Years makes me cry too)

I love Woman of a 1000 Years!

For me, personally, this song always falls into that "tearjerker" category.

One of Stevie's best ever vocals.

Beautiful Child, Storms and Beauty and the Beast are the top three most devastating Stevie songs for me. If this song doesn't evoke emotion in you, you must be dead :lol:

After reading through this thread a few days ago I decided to revisit this song. Always considered it the weakest of Stevie's five Tusk songs... Wow I don't know what I was hearing before, I guess I never gave it much of a shot, but it's amazing. The instrumentation, vocals, and backgrounds are all spot on. I actually can't decide which version I like the best: studio, Live in Boston, or the heavier one included on the Alternate Tusk.

Makes me wish that the performance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2006 would be released in good quality... I have a feeling the strings added a lot to this one.

So thanks for reviving this thread! Only problem is that I can't decide which of Stevie's songs on Tusk is the weakest now that I'm falling over this one... maybe Angel? They're all great to me now.

I love this song sooooo much. On the Tusk liner notes Lindsey said something about how this one and Storms are his favorites and that they 'just kill' him and I couldn't agree more. I think it's so weird that those two, especially Beautiful Child, are some of Stevie's more 'forgotten' songs by a lot of people. With her Tusk songs everyone usually talks about Sara which is totally fantastic but these two just have this different quality to them, this sheer emotion.

But I wish she had just never said what Beautiful Child was about.

I love these two songs way more than Sara. Agree with emotion. Even Christine and the rest of the band sound emotional during these two songs. They grab you..

This has always been a favorite of mine ever since I heard it back in the day. Stevie's voice, the harmonies with Buckingham and McVie are amazing. When this song was brought to the live show years back I was thrilled. Stevie and Lindsey nailed it. All I can can say is Tusk...Tusk...Tusk. So many classics. Thank you for not doing " Rumours 2 " .

When they did it live in London in 2003 when I was there, hearing Brett Tuggle play that piano intro was my goosebumps moment of the night. I don't love everything on Tusk but that's definitely one of the better ones.