Stevie Nicks has just released her first original single in four years, “The Lighthouse.” A track she revealed she’s been working on since the rights guaranteed by Roe v. Wade were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022.
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The track, produced by Sheryl Crow and Dave Cobb, and Nicks, who also wrote it with Magnus Birgersson and Vincent Villuis, pulls “from her personal reflections and experiences,” and “is meant as a battle cry to current, past, and future generations of women during this pivotal moment in history,” as per the song’s official press release.
Speaking about the genesis of the song, Stevie said, “I wrote this song a few months after Roe V Wade was overturned. It seemed like overnight, people were saying ‘what can we, as a collective force, do about this.’ For me, it was to write a song. It took a while because I was on the road. Then early one morning I was watching the news on TV and a certain newscaster said something that felt like she was talking to me, explaining what the loss of Roe v Wade would come to mean. I wrote the song the next morning and recorded it that night."
She continued, "That was September 6, 2022. I have been working on it ever since. I have often said to myself, ‘This may be the most important thing I ever do.’ To stand up for the women of the United States and their daughters and granddaughters, and the men that love them.” Adding, “This is an anthem.”
Throughout the anthemic song, Stevie lyrics reflect both outrage and hope. “All the rights that you had yesterday are taken away / And now you’re afraid / You should be afraid,” she sings. “Because everything I fought for long ago in a dream is gone.” Though adding, “Don’t let it happen again / I have my scars, you have yours / Don’t let them take your power / Don’t leave it alone in the final hours,” later on in the song.
Her third non-album single in a row, "The Lighthouse," follows up another socially conscious track, “Show Them the Way,” released in 2020, and written with then-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in mind. In between, the Fleetwood Mac alum and two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer dropped a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” in 2022.
Nicks will most likely perform “The Lighthouse” during her appearance as the featured musical guest on Saturday Night Live on October 12, during which Ariana Grande will take on hosting duties. This will mark Stevie’s first return to SNL since December 1983, when she was promoting her second solo album.
Listen to "The Lighthouse" below.