Two giant music icons shared a deeply unique bond during the wild and colorful 1980s. Stevie Nicks was the beautiful lead singer of the famous band Fleetwood Mac. Prince was a young, pop-rock genius ruling the global pop charts. He became completely captivated by her mesmerizing stage presence and immense songwriting talent. He viewed her as a true kindred spirit.
Prince wanted to blend their musical chemistry with a romantic relationship. Stevie felt flattered by his intense attraction. She chose a completely different path instead. She looked him in the eye, and firmly turned down his erotic proposal. She knew a messy romance could easily ruin their musical ability to create magic together. She always saw Prince as a colleague and not a love interest.
Stevie Nicks – Her Prince Story
She learned that painful lesson from her own chaotic romantic history inside Fleetwood Mac. She famously stated that if they had dated, they would have completely lost their special musical partnership. There were huge lifestyle differences between them as well. Stevie was battling severe addiction while Prince was fiercely anti-drug. She once fell fast asleep on his kitchen floor after a long night out.
Their highly respectful friendship directly shaped three major hit singles. Stevie was listening to the radio on her honeymoon in 1983. She heard the famous Prince song Little Red Corvette and immediately wrote a brand new melody over the driving beat. She called Prince to tell him about the track. He unexpectedly showed up at her Los Angeles recording studio that exact same night.
He spent twenty five minutes completely improvising the iconic synthesizer riff for her song Stand Back. He took zero album credit but quietly accepted a fifty-fifty royalty split. Following that massive success, Prince sent Stevie a cassette tape containing a ten minute instrumental track. He asked the beautiful singer to write the official lyrics for it.
Stevie Nicks – Stand Back (Official Music Video) [HD Remaster]
The massive scale and sheer emotional depth of the track completely scared her. She became deeply worried she would ruin his masterpiece. She turned the song down and told him she did not even know where to start. Prince took the cassette tape back and wrote the lyrics himself. That legendary track became his definitive signature anthem, Purple Rain.
Their bond remained a highly flirtatious and fiercely platonic friendship built on deep mutual respect. Nicks described Prince as an ethereal figure who would appear and disappear like a beautiful dream. They functioned primarily as late night phone confidants. They would talk for hours about life and the heavy pressures of the music industry.
Prince – Purple Rain (Official Video)
They kept strict personal boundaries throughout their entire lives. Stevie even walked out of the Purple Rain movie premiere because a scene upset her. The deep underlying love between them remained completely unbreakable until his tragic passing. Stevie frequently notes that she still feels his bright presence on stage every single time she sings Stand Back.