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]
The Nightmare
Stevie Nicks Lyrics
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She fell through the ivory morning
Deep into the waters
Of the one she called love
She paled in the wake
Of what some call a dream
But, you cannot know a dream
Till you've known the nightmare
When I stood with you against the storm
And I tried once again
Well, I said, "I'd like to leave you
With something warm"
How many times
Drowning in the sea
Drowning
That was when the dream took her prisoner
And she knew the dream was over
But, the nightmare was not over
Still some call that a dream
The nightmare... the nightmare
Well, you cannot know a dream
When you turn away
You don't know
You'll never care
The night is not your friend
And you have not had her
And when the nightmare ends
But, you never understand
When you're gone
She wakes up calling out
Oh, calling out
As children may cry as she will
Anytime, oh, anywhere
Blinded by the light of the day
She has known the nightmare
So about the moon and her sisters
How dare he take them prisoner
Well, if she had flung out her heart against him
Then in all of her wisdom
Oh, well that was a mystery
That was when the dream took her prisoner
And she knew the dream was over
But the nightmare was not over
Somewhere in her ancient ways
She walks through the night
And then she tries to get through the day
Some will never know
Or share any kind of dream
The nightmare
This is not the world
This is not the world
This is not the world
The nightmare
She wants him to fight, anytime, anywhere
She wants him to stand up
She wants him to win
This is not the world
This is not the world
This is not the real world
Blinded by the light of the day
Blinded by the light
She was blinded by the light of the day
Blinded by the day
"The Nightmare" by Stevie Nicks is a haunting song full of metaphorical lyrics. The song tells the story of a woman who falls deeply in love with someone, only to later realize that the love she thought she shared with them was just a dream. As she slowly wakes up, she realizes that the nightmare isn't over, symbolizing that the pain and heartache she feels is a reality she can't escape.
The lyrics convey a sense of longing and frustration that reflects the pain of unrequited love. The woman in the song is searching for someone to help her escape her nightmare, but nobody can help her. She is alone in her pain, and the only way to escape is to confront it head-on. The song's use of metaphor and repetition leaves a lasting impression, and the dream-like quality of the lyrics adds to the song's overall sense of mystery and intrigue.
Line by Line Meaning
Thrown down through the arms of sleep
She fell into a deep sleep
She fell through the ivory morning
She lost track of time while asleep
Deep into the waters of the one she called love
She was deeply in love with someone
She paled in the wake of what some call a dream
She was shaken by a disturbing dream
But, you cannot know a dream till you've known the nightmare
You cannot appreciate good dreams without experiencing bad ones
When I stood with you against the storm
When we faced hardships together
And I tried once again
And I attempted to comfort her
Well, I said, "I'd like to leave you with something warm"
I wanted to leave her with positive thoughts
How many times drowning in the sea
How many times did she feel overwhelmed
That was when the dream took her prisoner
That was when the nightmare had a hold on her
And she knew the dream was over
And she realized the nightmare was real
But, the nightmare was not over
The effects of the nightmare lingered on
Still some call that a dream, the nightmare... the nightmare
Some refer to nightmares as dreams, but they are not the same thing
Well, you cannot know a dream when you turn away
You cannot appreciate dreams if you ignore them
You don't know, you'll never care
You will never understand or empathize
The night is not your friend
Nighttime can be difficult for some people
And you have not had her
You have not experienced the difficulties she has faced
And when the nightmare ends
When the bad dream is over
But, you never understand
But you don't comprehend
When you're gone she wakes up calling out
She feels alone and scared when you leave
Oh, calling out as children may cry as she will
She cries out for comfort and reassurance
Anytime, oh, anywhere blinded by the light of the day
At any moment, she is blinded by reality
So about the moon and her sisters
So regarding celestial bodies
How dare he take them prisoner
How could anyone control them
Well, if she had flung out her heart against him
If she had stood up to him with all her courage
Then in all of her wisdom
Then she would be regarded as wise
Oh, well that was a mystery
That would be quite an enigma
Somewhere in her ancient ways
Somewhere in her ways of old
She walks through the night
She is up all night
And then she tries to get through the day
She tries to overcome her fears when the sun comes up
Some will never know or share any kind of dream
Some individuals will never experience the beauty of dreams
She wants him to fight, anytime, anywhere
She wants someone to stand up for her
She wants him to stand up, she wants him to win
She wants someone to successfully overcome her fears and the nightmare
This is not the world, this is not the world, this is not the real world
This is not the ideal world that she wants
Blinded by the light of the day, blinded by the light
Overwhelmed by reality
She was blinded by the light of the day, blinded by the day
She was overwhelmed by the brightness and the difficulties of reality
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVIE NICKS, CHRIS NICKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind