Years before Stevie Nicks ever made it to Hollywood and was called, along with Lindsey Buckingham, to join Fleetwood Mac in 1974, she wrote a song about a romanticized vision of Hollywood. By the early ’70s Nicks and Buckingham were still trying to work on their career and were dropped from their label shortly after the release of their 1973 debut, Buckingham Nicks.
At the time, Nicks and Buckingham were living at producer Keith Olsen’s house. Nicks was working as a housecleaner to help cover their rent, and Buckingham landed a job playing guitar with the Everly Brothers on tour. While he was away, Nicks also wrote two of her future Fleetwooc Mac oeuvres: “Landslide” and “Rhiannon.”
Early Premonitions
Many of Nicks’ earlier pre-Fleetwood Mac songs were premonitions of her future, including “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,” and “After the Glitter Fades.”
“They were poems I wrote before I joined Fleetwood Mac,” said Nicks, who later released “After the Glitter Fades” on her 1981 solo debut Bella Donna. “The lyrics are so telling.”
The latter track was one Nicks wanted to pitch to Dolly Parton but couldn’t track her down. “‘After the Glitter Fades’ was written in 1972,” said Nicks. “I seemed to have some idea what was going to happen, that I was really gonna face some really serious glitter and see some serious glitter fade.”
Nicks added, “I wanted [Dolly Parton] to do ‘After the Glitter Fades’ ’cause I really thought it would be perfect for her. And it got sent to her, and I don’t think Dolly ever really got it. I think if she’d ever got the song, she would have wanted to do it.”
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: The Ballad Stevie Nicks Wrote for Joe Walsh After an Unforgettable Car Ride With Him, “Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You”]
Lies and Loneliness
Nicks’ lyrics already foretold of the highs and isolation of living the Hollywood dream. Released as a single from Bella Donna, the song peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and even made the Country Chart (at No. 70).
Well, I never thought I’d make it here in Hollywood
I never thought I’d ever wanna stay
What I seem to touch these days has turned to gold
What I seem to want, well, you know I’ll find a way
For me, it’s the only life that I’ve ever known
And love is only one fine star away
Even though the living is sometimes laced with lies, it’s alright
The feeling remains even after the glitter fades
Well, the loneliness of a one-night stand is hard to take
We all chase something, and maybe this is a dream
The timeless face of a rock and roll woman while her heart breaks
Oh, you know the dream keeps coming even when you forget to feel
For me, it’s the only life that I’ve ever known
And love is only one fine star away
Even though the living is sometimes laced with lies, it’s alright
The feeling remains even after the glitter fades
Bella Donna, which also featured Nicks’ hits “Edge of Seventeen,” her Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers collaboration, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” and Don Henley duet, “Leather and Lace,” went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
[RELATED:Behind the Meaning, and the “Two Johns” That Inspired the 1981 Stevie Nicks Hit “Edge of Seventeen”]
Glen Campbell
In 1984, Glen Campbell covered Nicks ballad on his 40th album Letter to Home.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Most Popular
Comments / 0