Everyone can agree that being in a successful band has its benefits; yet, one may also argue that there could be many downsides to this kind of glory. A successful act is similar to a well-functioning body; if one part doesn’t work in harmony with the others, the system will eventually fail. So, it can be said that ‘harmony‘ is one of the secrets to a long and prosperous career.
Yet, this doesn’t mean that each band member needs to have the same qualities and characteristics to achieve that harmony. The combination of different ideas and varying colors encourages and ensures the uniqueness of a band. So, if the disputes are kept at a healthy dose, such as with the Toxic Twins, opposing poles can bring success.
The above reasons may explain why Fleetwood Mac had such a long, successful run since each member has incorporated their ideas into the band’s sound. However, not everyone’s ideas can be applied to each record, which can lead to heated disagreements. Despite their successful career, there was a time when Stevie Nicks expressed her disappointment regarding how the other band members often altered her work.
Why Did Stevie Nicks Feel Let Down By Fleetwood Mac?
It’s known that Nicks loves to compose songs and embellish them with personal lyrics. While the singer could shape the songs however she liked for her solo career, the case was different when she proposed some to Fleetwood Mac. Stevie believed that every time she would bring something to the table for the band, her tunes and lyrics would undergo various creative changes and end up significantly different.
At least, this was how Nicks explained their creative process when she was interviewed by ‘Off The Record’ radio show in 2000. The singer expressed that her songs would be processed by her bandmates, and the tracks would always sound different in contrast to her editions. Stevie admitted that she would feel upset about the thorough changes made to her tunes.
The musician said the following:
“My songs in Fleetwood Mac are always very different than they are when they’re just done by me because they change them. I am sometimes very sad at the way they change my songs.”
Stevie, however, also knew how to forgive. The musician disclosed that she would eventually grow fond of the final versions of these ‘processed’ songs, especially after putting her resentment aside. Nicks admitted that she would eventually like the changes that her fellow musicians made, and at the end of the day, she would agree that they weren’t so bad after all.
Nicks expressed her feelings as follows:
“I eventually get to like it, because I eventually forgive the fact that they changed it so much. And I decide that I kind of like what they did anyway and they weren’t such bad fellows after all.”
It seems clear that Stevie Nicks’ capability to put her resentment aside and listen to her bandmates’ views contributed to their improvement. Her tolerance, respect, and patience toward the other members possibly explain the sometimes challenging ‘harmony’ within Fleetwood Mac and how they managed to become as successful as they are even when creative disputes did take place.
