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In the 1980s, Stevie Nicks and Prince formed a friendship marked by mutual admiration and a shared desire to collaborate musically. Nicks, inspired by one of Prince’s songs, penned a track and invited him to contribute. During his visit, Prince surprised Nicks with an unexpected display of another talent.
Stevie Nicks said Prince impressed her with a surprising talent
Nicks recounted how the genesis of her song “Stand Back” occurred during her honeymoon when she heard Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” on the radio. The song left such a profound impression on her that she asked her husband to stop the car so she could begin composing. Upon completing her song, she reached out to Prince, asking him to join her on the track.
“I told him, ‘I wrote it with your song in mind. You might not have realized, but I wanted to be honest. How do you feel about that?'” Nicks shared, according to Louder Sound. Prince responded positively, and Nicks expressed her admiration for the synthesizers in “Little Red Corvette,” inviting him to play on her piece.
Prince spent a brief yet productive session in the studio with Nicks. Before departing, he gave an impromptu demonstration of his basketball prowess.
“It all unfolded within about an hour,” Nicks recalled. “Afterwards, I watched him play basketball outside, performing tricks like a Harlem Globetrotter—spinning the ball on his finger and making impressive backward shots. He finished with a few more baskets and then took his leave.”
“It all happened in about an hour,” she said. “I remember him playing basketball outside afterwards like one of the Harlem Globetrotters, spinning the ball on his finger and throwing it backwards into the net. He shot a few more baskets and was gone.”
Stevie Nicks thought Prince wanted a romantic relationship with her
This was not the only time Nicks crossed paths with Prince. He inspired several of her songs, and they built up a friendly relationship. She believed he wanted something more, though.
“Prince and I were just friends,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I think he would have been happy to have had a relationship.”
She respected him too much as a musician, though. Nicks said she knew if they broke up, they’d fall out of touch.
“I really wanted a musical relationship, and I had smartened up, even then,” she said. “You’ll break up and never speak again. But he wasn’t interested in just that.”
Nicks told Rolling Stone that she and Prince always had a “crazy respect” for each other.
She said she still talks to the late artist
Nicks said that while she cherished her friendship with Prince, she has some regrets about it. They never performed “Stand Back” together despite her desire to.
“The saddest thing of all is Prince and I never played that song onstage together,” she said. “And that just breaks my heart. I guess we all think we’re immortal — I always thought we had plenty of time. I should have told Prince 10 years ago or 15 years ago, ‘Hey, Prince, we should do this song onstage together — some night, some city, call me.’”
Still, she said she sometimes feels Prince’s presence on stage with her.
“I feel like Prince is with me,” she said. “When I’m nervous, I’ll talk to Prince. In my solo act, when I do ‘Moonlight,’ I wear this white wolfy coat — I put this coat on and I try to transform into a Dire Wolf from Game of Thrones. And before I go on, I always say, ‘Walk with me, Prince.’”
