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]
Nightbird
Stevie Nicks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was not ready for the winter
It makes no difference at all
'Cause I wear boots all summer long
My eye make up is dark and it's careless
Some circles around my eyes
Sometimes the real color of my skin
And when I call
Will you walk gently
Through my shadow
The ones who sing at night
The ones who sing at night
The ones you dream of
The ones who walk away
Capes pulled around them tight
Cryin' for the night
Cry for the night bird tonight
And so the winter is really here now
And the blankets that I love
I am surrounded sometimes
By too much love
And when I call
Will you walk gently
Through my shadow
The ones who sing at night
The ones who sing at night
The ones you dream of
The ones who walk away
Capes pulled around them tight
Cryin' for the night
Cry for the night bird tonight
And the darkened eyes
Through the net of the lace
In the darkness
It's hard to see her face
Pulls back the net
And you feel the touch
Of her fingers
And you see she turns the eyes
And you see the eyes of a night bird
The ones you dream of
Finally the night bird
Finally the night bird
Tonight
In Stevie Nick’s song, Nightbird, she speaks about her transformation through different seasons. The song starts in the summer where she becomes aware that fall is approaching her soon, and she is reluctant to accept that winter will come. However, she is not too worried because she wears boots all summer long, a sign that she is always prepared. The focus of the song then shifts to her appearance, where she explains that her dark and careless eye makeup may come across as a reflection of her inner battles. While the real color of her skin can be seen around her eyes when she doesn’t wear any makeup at all.
The chorus talks about the “ones who sing at night” or the “night birds” that she wants to call out to. She seeks their guidance as she walks through difficult times by asking that they walk gently through her shadow. She expresses a longing to be like those birds who walk away in their capes, crying for the night, yet free to fly away from their troubles. She is aware that the winter season is finally here surrounded by too much love, seeking comfort in a companion who can help her through.
Overall, the song is a beautiful metaphor about the changing of seasons, the challenges that come with that and seeking companionship in the form of a night bird.
Line by Line Meaning
And the summer became the fall
The changing seasons reflect the passage of time
I was not ready for the winter
I wasn't prepared for the upcoming difficulties
It makes no difference at all
The outcome will be the same regardless of my readiness
'Cause I wear boots all summer long
I try to be prepared for anything, even if it means being unconventional
My eye make up is dark and it's careless
I present myself with little regard for what others think
Some circles around my eyes
Signs of weariness are visible
Sometimes the real color of my skin
My natural state is often hidden
Is my eyes without any shadow
I am who I am without any facade or makeup
And when I call
When I reach out for help or companionship
Will you walk gently
Can you be kind and gentle with me?
Through my shadow
Support me even in my darker moments
The ones who sing at night
Those who understand hardship and find strength in it
The ones you dream of
Those who inspire and offer hope
The ones who walk away
People who leave behind their fears and doubts
Capes pulled around them tight
Burdened yet determined individuals
Cryin' for the night
Finding solace in darkness and chaos
Cry for the night bird tonight
Seeking comfort and reassurance in the night
And so the winter is really here now
The hard times have arrived
And the blankets that I love
The comforting things in my life
I am surrounded sometimes
Feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable
By too much love
Even love can be suffocating
And the darkened eyes
Eyes that have seen hardship
Through the net of the lace
Glimpsing hope through fragile layers
In the darkness
During hard times and uncertainty
It's hard to see her face
It's difficult to find clarity and reassurance
Pulls back the net
Peeling back the layers of doubt and uncertainty
And you feel the touch
Feeling a sense of connection and reassurance
Of her fingers
The touch of someone who understands
And you see she turns the eyes
Finding inspiration and hope in someone else's strength
And you see the eyes of a night bird
Recognizing the strength and resilience in oneself
The ones you dream of
The people who inspire us and give us hope
Finally the night bird
Finding strength and resilience within oneself
Finally the night bird
Ultimately becoming the strong and resilient person we dream of being
Tonight
Now, in this moment, during difficult times
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: NICKS, STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind