His song ‘That Girl Could Sing’, in particular, left a lasting impression on the musical icon, so much so that she wishes she had been its subject of inspiration.
“‘That Girl Could Sing’, one of my favourite songs because I always wanted to think that, even though I didn’t know Jackson Browne at that point, that he wrote that about me because, “Oh, I’m such a cool presence,” she said. “And when you take, ‘She was a friend to me when I needed one’, you remember those sentences and even the melody of those sentences.”
Nicks has also expressed her love for Browne’s song ‘Somebody’s Baby’ in the past, which was penned by Browne and Danny Kortchmar for the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. However, in terms of Browne’s impact as a whole, Nicks says he’s the one who taught her “about writing love songs”. Lyrically, however, Nicks’ inspirations reach far and wide, including the unmatched talent of singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. In Nicks’ eyes, Mitchell possessed the unique ability to “fit 50 words in a sentence and have them sound glorious without being rushed or crushed in”.
When discussing some of her greatest influences, Nicks always held The Beatles in high regard.
As she first started to hash out her own melodies for songs, the singer thought that what The Beatles created on their albums wasn’t too far out of her reach, telling Rolling Stone: “I was first starting to play the guitar, but I already knew I was going to be a songwriter.
I would sit on my bed and learn all these songs – not the incredible chords they used, but I could get through them.”
The Fab Four released countless songs over the years, but Stevie was adamant that one stood above all the rest: Yesterday.
The track, which was penned by Paul McCartney, is still one of the band's biggest and best-known songs of all time, but Stevie explained that the emotional core to the crooner is what makes it so profound and special.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, she explained: "I think Yesterday was very much a premonition of Paul of what was to come with Linda."
Stevie said Yesterday acted as a prophetic experience for Paul, adding it foretold him "finding his one great love, and then what it was to lose her". (Via Far Out)
Stevie followed up by saying: "It’s the perfect song.”
The singer of The Chain went on to praise The Beatles and their powerful songwriting prowess.
"I was first starting to play the guitar," she recalled, looking back on starting Fleetwood Mac. "But I already knew I was going to be a songwriter. I would sit on my bed and learn all these songs – not the incredible chords they used, but I could get through them."
