Stevie Nicks on Rolling Stone "100 greatest songwriters of all time" list

[BlueDenimLamp]

See if your favorite songwriters made the list http://t.co/JFDnvQAqwZ pic.twitter.com/OzamAWOMMU

— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) August 13, 2015

Fleetwood Mac blew up in the Seventies thanks to three top-notch singer-songwriters — guitarist/producer/mastermind Lindsey Buckingham, bluesy songbird Christine McVie and the gypsy queen herself, Stevie Nicks. Her "Rhiannon," "Sara" and "Gold Dust Woman" were full of post-hippie witchy imagery, but under the gossamer surface, they were deceptively tough-minded accounts of heartbreak and betrayal in the L.A. heyday of free love and hard drugs. She and Buckingham were a couple when they joined Fleetwood Mac, but some of her greatest songs came out of the wreckage of their relationship — including the Number One "Dreams." "We write about each other, we have continually written about each other, and we'll probably keep writing about each other until we're dead," she told Rolling Stone last year. She remains undiminished as a writer, as she proved on her 2011 gem In Your Dreams. But her most famous song is still "Landslide," her acoustic lament for children growing older, written before she'd even turned 30. "I was only 27," she said. "It was 1973 when I wrote it, about a year before I joined Fleetwood Mac. You can feel really old at 27."

So Stevie made #53 but where are the others from FM past & present???

[Macfan4life]

53 is a good number but I think she should have cracked the top 50. To leave Christine McVie off this list is insulting. Chris had most of the Mac's hits. But consider the source. Rolling Stone put Lindsey Buckingham at #100 for guitarists. Insane!

[welcomechris]

She should have been higher than that.

[redbird]

She might have done better if she would've released more of her backlog when people were still paying attention. Also she is a great lyricist but not an amazing composer, while there are those who are both. I was expecting worse TBH; #53 is not bad at all.

[PenguinHead]

Does it really matter much? Rolling Stone's selective list is only slightly more valid than any of the numerous lists we make in this forum, but only because it's an established publication. It's all subjective. That said, on this list, Stevie has a very respectable standing at 53. That feels right to me.

As much as I love the distinct world she created with her songs, I have some reservation regarding her idiosyncrasies. Her literacy acumen has its limits, yet that is part of the essence of her mystique and uniqueness. Her conventions are peculiarity unconventional. Her moments of brilliant achievement have sustained her cultural status. With an earnest belief in her music, she has naturally attracted a legion of believers -- both heavyweight fans, and lightweight admirers.

[pattyfan]

Seeing as Taylor Swift (who wrote a song that contains the lyrics "We are never ever ever getting back together,We are never ever ever getting back together,You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me, But we are never ever ever ever getting back together, Like, ever.." made the top 100 and someone like Patty Griffin, who is widely lauded as one of the US's best songwriters and who gets covered all the time, didn't, you have to take this with a grain of salt. Great for Stevie, though I have the unpopular opinion that a lot of her songwriting credit should be given to other people (Lindsey, mostly) for arranging her songs. And interestingly enough, none of the song that were mentioned in the little write up were solo songs. I also agree that Christine should be there.

Kevin

[Macfanforever]

I'm glad to see the bulk of the great oldies songwriter are in the top 40 without any of the newer writers in top slots.

Yes Stevie should of gotten better numbers .Lindsey and Chris got hosed off the chart for some reason.That sucks for them.Plus some dont deserve to be be on the chart.

Its nice to see some of my favorite classic country writers are mentioned on the list.

[KarmaContestant]

You've got to take these lists with a grain of salt - they're generationally slanted, and intended for the under-30 crowd, which is the largest music buying demographic.

[Jondalar]

That's really good for her considering the number of god awful song she written.

[mylittledemon]

Originally Posted by BlueDenimLamp

She remains undiminished as a writer, as she proved on her 2011 gem In Your Dreams.

I guess they didn't listen to the same album as me. I dig the album as a whole, but the lyrics on several of the songs are... uninspired.

[sorcerer999]

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

I guess they didn't listen to the same album as me. I dig the album as a whole, but the lyrics on several of the songs are... uninspired.

Totally! Although I enjoy about 80% of the record, I really don't think it's her best, lyrically speaking.

[mylittledemon]

Originally Posted by sorcerer999

Totally! Although I enjoy about 80% of the record, I really don't think it's her best, lyrically speaking.

^Totally what I'm sayin.

[WildHearted]

Stevie, I love you, but you were not 27 in 1973, lol.

[sorcerer999]

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

^Totally what I'm sayin.

"Ooh it's so romantic...hey, it's so soulful..."

"I wanna dress up, I wanna wear beads, I wanna wear feathers and lace, I wanna brush by Anne Rice..."

"The only thing that they did together was TO make love..."

"It could not have been worse...you forgot yourself...it could not have been worse..."

...and don't even get me started on "Cheaper Than Pee"! I mean, come on now, Stevie!

[mitzo]

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

I guess they didn't listen to the same album as me. I dig the album as a whole, but the lyrics on several of the songs are... uninspired.

The music on 80% of the album is not hers. Mostly just lyrics from her. 24KG is so much richer and satisfying.