After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album Buckingham Nicks to little success, Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975, helping the band to become one of the best-selling music acts of all time with over 120 million records sold worldwide. Rumours, the band's second album with Nicks, became one of the best-selling albums worldwide, being certified 20× platinum in the US.[2]
In 1981, while remaining a member of Fleetwood Mac, Nicks began her solo career, releasing the studio album Bella Donna, which topped the Billboard 200 and has reached multiplatinum status.[3] She has released eight studio solo albums and seven studio albums with Fleetwood Mac, selling a certified total of 65 million copies in the US alone.[2]
After the release of her first solo album, Rolling Stone named her the "Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll".[4] Nicks was named one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time[5] and one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time[6] by Rolling Stone. Her Fleetwood Mac songs "Landslide", "Rhiannon", and "Dreams", with the last being the band's only number one hit in the US, together with her solo hit "Edge of Seventeen", have all been included in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[7] She is the first woman to have been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: first as a member of Fleetwood Mac in 1998 and then as a solo artist in 2019.[8]
Nicks has garnered eight Grammy Award[9] nominations and two American Music Award nominations as a solo artist. She has won numerous awards with Fleetwood Mac, including a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978 for Rumours.
The albums Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, and Bella Donna have been included in the "Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums" chart by Billboard.[10] Furthermore, Rumours was rated the seventh-greatest album of all time in Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time",[11] as well as the fourth-greatest album by female acts.[12]
Beautiful Child
Stevie Nicks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beautiful child
You are a beautiful child
And I am a fool once more
You fell in love when I was only ten
The years disappeared
Much has gone by since then
You touch
I have no choice
I have to stay
Ooh, I had to stay
Ooh, I had to stay
Sleepless child
There is so little time
Your eyes say yes
But you don't say yes
I wish that you were mine
I wish that you were mine
You say it will be harder in the morning
I wait for you to say, just go
Your hands, held mine so few hours
And I'm not a child anymore
I'm not a child anymore
I'm tall enough
To reach for the stars
I'm old enough
To love you from afar
Too trusting, yes
But then women usually are
(I'm not a child anymore)
I'm not a child, oh no
(I'm tall enough to reach for the stars)
I will do as I'm told
(I'm old enough to love you from afar)
Even if I never hold you again
(Too trusting yes, but then women usually are)
Hold you again
(Hold you again)
Sleepless child
There is so little time
(I will do as I am told)
Your eyes say yes
But you don't say yes
(Even if I never hold you again)
I wish that you were mine
(Hold you again)
I wish that you were mine
(Even if I never hold you again)
Well I wish you were mine
(Hold you again)
The song "Beautiful Child" by Stevie Nicks is a melancholic ballad about unrequited love and the pain of holding onto a past that can never be recaptured. The lyrics address a love that began when the singer was a young girl of ten, and has lingered into adulthood. The opening stanza establishes the theme of the song, with the singer acknowledging her foolishness for still being in love with someone who cannot return her feelings. The sadness of the situation is emphasized by the repeated use of the phrase "beautiful child," which both compliments the object of her affection and underscores her powerlessness to change anything.
The singer then looks back on the past, reminiscing about their shared history and the passage of time. The second stanza is particularly poignant, with the singer admitting she has no choice but to stay when her love touches her. The sense of wistful longing continues in the chorus, as the singer expresses her desire for a love that she knows can never be hers. She knows there is little time to pursue this love, but she cannot help the yearning she feels. The final stanza brings the song to a bittersweet conclusion, as the singer acknowledges that she is no longer a child, but she is still holding onto a dream that will never come true.
Line by Line Meaning
Beautiful child
Addressing the subject of the song as a beautiful child.
Beautiful child
Repeating the address of the subject of the song as a beautiful child.
You are a beautiful child
Acknowledging the beauty of the subject of the song.
And I am a fool once more
Admitting to feeling foolish in relation to the beautiful child.
You fell in love when I was only ten
Revealing that the beautiful child fell in love with the artist at a young age.
The years disappeared
Expressing how time has passed quickly since the beautiful child fell in love with the singer.
Much has gone by since then
Further emphasizing how much time has passed since their initial connection.
I bite my lip, can you send me away
Expressing the artist's internal struggle between staying with the beautiful child and leaving.
You touch
Acknowledging the power of the beautiful child's touch over the artist.
I have no choice
Confessing that the artist feels powerless to resist the beautiful child's touch.
I have to stay
Resigning to the fact that the singer will stay with the beautiful child.
Ooh, I had to stay
Repeating the artist's resignation to staying with the beautiful child.
Sleepless child
Addressing the beautiful child as a sleepless child.
There is so little time
Expressing a sense of urgency due to the lack of time with the beautiful child.
Your eyes say yes
Noticing the beautiful child's eyes expressing agreement or desire.
But you don't say yes
Acknowledging that the beautiful child isn't expressing consent verbally.
I wish that you were mine
Expressing the artist's desire to have the beautiful child as their own.
You say it will be harder in the morning
Quoting something the beautiful child said about the future.
I wait for you to say, just go
Awaiting permission to leave from the beautiful child.
Your hands, held mine so few hours
Recalling a moment when the beautiful child held the artist's hand for a short time.
And I'm not a child anymore
Emphasizing that the artist has grown and changed since their initial connection with the beautiful child.
I'm tall enough
Asserting the artist's physical maturity and ability to reach for their goals.
To reach for the stars
Using a metaphor to express the singer's aspirations in life.
I'm old enough
Asserting the artist's emotional maturity and ability to love.
To love you from afar
Accepting the reality that the singer may not be able to physically be with the beautiful child.
Too trusting, yes
Admitting a possible flaw in the singer's character.
But then women usually are
Offering an explanation for the singer's trust, which is informed by societal expectations and gender roles.
(I'm not a child anymore)
Repeating the previous line to emphasize the artist's maturity.
I'm not a child, oh no
Reiterating the artist's maturity and independence.
(I'm tall enough to reach for the stars)
Repeating a previous line for emphasis.
I will do as I'm told
Acknowledging that the singer will follow instructions or requests that the beautiful child gives them.
(I'm old enough to love you from afar)
Repeating a previous line for emphasis.
(Even if I never hold you again)
Accepting the possibility that the artist may never physically be with the beautiful child again.
(Too trusting yes, but then women usually are)
Repeating a previous line for emphasis and explanation.
Hold you again
Expressing the singer's desire to hold the beautiful child again.
Sleepless child
Repeating a previous line for emphasis.
There is so little time
Repeating a previous line for emphasis.
(I will do as I am told)
Repeating a previous line for emphasis.
(Even if I never hold you again)
Repeating a previous line for emphasis.
I wish that you were mine
Repeating a previous line for emphasis.
(Hold you again)
Repeating a previous line for emphasis.
I wish that you were mine
Repeating a previous line for emphasis and longing.
(Even if I never hold you again)
Repeating a previous line for emphasis.
Well I wish you were mine
Concluding the song with a reaffirmation of the artist's desire for the beautiful child.
Contributed by Alexander W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@karlstoll6659
This is my favorite Fleetwood Mac song. I hope that people discover it since it never gets played on the radio. I think it's every bit as beautiful a melody as Silver Springs or Landslide only more bittersweet.
@keithjetton4932
My wife played this on the radio quite a bit before she retired as DJ. I'm sure only select markets played it. She was never afraid to, and always dedicated it to her son.
@vickirutherford1992
I think it’s a very beautiful song too❣️
@alancanfield4019
I remember the album came out and I bought it the day it was released at my favorite record store in Royal Oak Michigan. It is the the best song on the album and that is saying a lot. It is a fantastic album.
@brent139
444 COMPASS ISMIEL THE LION #1
@teresabhales4826
I totally agree. Doesn't get the recognition it deserves.
@michele21auntiem
My baby was stillborn in 1985. I knew before they induced labor that he was gone. But still had to stay on labor and delivery floor hearing and seeing babies that were fine. Seeing happy little families. I was alone. And after the birth never got to hold my little one or touch my baby. This song got me through. That and my dog. I couldnt leave my dog. I have no idea how many times i have heard this. But it helps, an elegy to my child.
@SidsCardShop
Michele C-F: I am so sorry for your loss, and the never-ending sadness of your experience. Your baby was an innocent soul and is with Jesus; if you surrender yourself to Jesus, receiving His forgiveness and gift of eternal life, you will be blessed with someday holding in your arms the adult from which God has evolved your baby - he is still yours. The Bible states that when we see Jesus we will be like Him, and He was 32 or 33 years old when He Ascended, so we can expect to be an approximation of that age. Which sounds really good to this worn-out 80-years old man. God bless you, Michele.
@michele21auntiem
@SidsCardShop Thank you. I was baptised in 1976. I am a Christian. I now understand the people i have known close to death.
@marinaassanti3415
@Michele C-F Anche il mio bimbo è nato senza vita. Piccolo angelo Federico.
Conosco il tuo dolore. E, come te, sono cristiana. Sono due Angeli del Cielo.
A me è successo nel 2002.