Stevie Nicks-The Story Behind “Stand Back”

The story behind “Stand Back”.Stephanie Lynn Nicks (we know her as Stevie Nicks) was born on May 26, 1948, in Phoenix, Arizona. She has had a successful music career with the group Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. Nicks joined the band, Fleetwood Mac, in 1975 with her then-boyfriend Lindsay Buckingham.

Nicks sang lead on many Fleetwood Mac hit songs, such as “Rhiannon,” Dreams,” “Sara,” and several others. While remaining a member of Fleetwood Mac, Nicks started her solo career in 1981.

Her solo hits include duets like “Stop Dragging My Heart Around” with Tom Petty and “Leather And Lace” with Don Henley. She continued on her own with “Edge Of Seventeen,” “Stand Back,” “If Anyone Falls,” and others. So what is the story behind “Stand Back”?

The story behind the song and Prince

Stevie Nicks got married to her then-husband Kim Anderson the day she wrote: “Stand Back.” They were driving to Santa Barbra, and a new song by Prince came on the radio, and they pulled over somewhere and bought the tape. The song was “Little Red Corvette.”

She was humming the song when the idea for “Stand Back” came… Nicks said in an interview with Radio Personality Jim Ladd, “I can’t even tell you what the song is about. When “Stand Back was written, a lot was going on, so it’s not about one thing. It was written very quickly, and I really did hum to Little Red Corvette”.Stevie was also asked about the lyrics, “you’ll be standing in line.” Nicks says, “To be standing in a line, like a welfare line. To be standing in line to get money or something. It was another angry song”.

Prince became an essential part of the song. Nicks phoned him from the studio out of the blue, hummed a melody, and he listened. She hung up, and Prince came over within the hour. He heard again, walked over to the synthesizers set up, played brilliantly for twenty-five minutes, and then left.. Nicks says, “Prince spoiled me for every band I’ve ever had because nobody can exactly re-create, not even with two pianos what Prince did all by himself.” Nicks is credited as the sole writer, but she says that it belongs to Prince because he wrote and recorded the synthesizer parts, making “Stand Back memorable.

After Prince’s death, Nicks spoke to Billboard magazine and said that the pair never performed the song together while he was alive, and she was heartbroken.

“Stand Back” reached number 5 on the Billboard charts in 1983

Stevie Nicks was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2019(she was already in with Fleetwood Mac). She kicked off the ceremony with a performance of “Stand Back.”