Prince-ly tribute from Nicks
NEW YORK — Stevie Nicks is trying to whittle down the set list for her upcoming solo tour, but one song that definitely made the cut is her 1983 hit Stand Back with Prince. Originally written as a compliment, now it will be a tribute.
The Fleetwood Mac singer, who heard Prince’s Little Red Corvette on her car radio and loved it so much she decided to write an answer song, hasn’t played Stand Back since Prince died in April.
“I will be singing it for the first time without Prince being on the planet,” she said. “That is going to be horrible, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to pay homage to my Little Red Corvette friend. I’ll sing it forever for him now.”
Nicks’ tour with The Pretenders — Canadian dates include Nov. 29 in Toronto and Dec. 9 in Vancouver — is in support of her 2014 album, 24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault. She never got a chance to promote the release since she spent most of Nicks has no current record deal the last three years on the road with — “I’m free to do whatever I want” Fleetwood Mac. — after delivering 24 Karat Gold to
Nicks promises songs from 24 Karat Warner Bros. It’s an album of orphan Gold as well as old favourites like songs, demos mostly written Dreams, If Anyone Falls, New Orleans, between 1969 and 1987. Bella Donna, Rooms on Fire “These were written during the Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around. days when everybody was pretty Stand Back will be there, fuelled high and crazy and there was a lot by the memory of her having lured of love affairs going on and a lot of Prince into the recording studio to breakups going on and just a lot of play keyboards on the song he inspired. emotion going on,” she said. She said one of her deepest The 68-year-old singer-songwriter regrets is never getting him to join said that there were many her onstage for a live version. reasons why the songs never got
Though Nicks and Prince were on any of her albums or those by friends, the two didn’t hang out Fleetwood Mac. In some cases, she much. One thing they disagreed didn’t like the arrangements and on was drug use. “He hated them. pulled them. Or they came out soulless. And he hated that I did drugs and So in 2014, she and producers that’s probably why we didn’t hang Dave Stewart and Waddy Wachtel out more,” she said. went to Nashville and re-recorded
“He was worried that I would die the songs in a matter of weeks. of an accidental drug overdose and When they were finished, she put my sadness is that he did die of an one CD in a gold box, wrapped it accidental drug overdose. He’s up in a red bow and delivered it to the there looking down, saying to me, front desk of Warner Bros. ‘Sweetie, I can’t believe it happened Then she rejoined the Fleetwood either.’ ” Mac reunion tour — which included the return of Christine McVie to the lineup after a 16-year absence.