The 'Prince' and 'Stevie Nicks' Story You Probably Didn't Know

How the Purple One inspired Stevie Nicks' biggest solo hit from 1983

It was 1983, and Stevie Nicks was newly married, riding shotgun in a red Toyota Supra along the Pacific Coast Highway. The radio was playing, as it always did in those days before playlists and streaming, when Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” came through the speakers. For Nicks, it was more than just another song on the radio – it was an unexpected spark of inspiration that would lead to an extraordinary collaboration between two of music’s most enigmatic figures.

Designed by John Toma (NOSTALGIA NATION)

The Fleetwood Mac singer, known for her mystical persona and distinctive voice, found herself immediately captivated by the melody. As the California coastline rushed past her window, she began humming a complementary tune, weaving her own musical spell around Prince’s creation. The song that would eventually emerge from this moment was “Stand Back,” though at the time, it was just a melody taking shape in her head.

“I started singing along with his melody, adding words and fitting a whole new story over his song,” Nicks would later recall. The marriage that had brought her to that moment in the car wouldn't last – she and Kim Anderson would divorce just months later – but the song that was born that day would become one of her most enduring solo hits.

What happened next has become the stuff of rock and roll legend. Nicks, never one to ignore the call of creative inspiration, went straight to the studio. But she knew something important: her new song was intimately connected to Prince’s work, and she felt compelled to seek his blessing. It was both a matter of professional courtesy and artistic integrity.

Nicks picked up the phone and called Prince’s management. “I told them, ‘I’m recording a song that I wrote to Prince’s “Little Red Corvette,” and I'm going to need to know if he minds me doing that... and I'm going to send him the song.’” The audacity of the request wasn't lost on anyone – this was Prince, after all, an artist known for zealously guarding his creative work.

What happened next surprised everyone. Within the hour, Prince himself called back. Instead of sending lawyers or making demands, he simply asked, “When do you want me to come to the studio?”

The studio session that followed reads like a fairy tale of musical collaboration. Prince arrived at Studio 55 in Los Angeles, dressed impeccably as always. He went straight to the synthesizers, and without much discussion, began laying down the iconic synthesizer track that would give “Stand Back” its distinctive sound.

The entire process took exactly 25 minutes. Prince, in his characteristic enigmatic style, played the perfect accompaniment, listened to the playback once, and then vanished into the night like some musical phantom. He didn’t ask for credit, didn't request royalties (though Nicks made sure he received them), and didn't even stay to chat. He simply came, created, and disappeared.

“He was so uncanny, so wild,” Nicks would later remember. “He spoiled me for every band I've ever had because nobody can exactly re-create – not even with two piano players – what Prince did all by his little self.”

The resulting song, “Stand Back,” became one of Nicks’ biggest solo hits, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track perfectly married Nicks’ mystical rock sensibilities with Prince’s electronic funk influences, creating something entirely new yet familiar to fans of both artists. The synthesizer line Prince laid down became the song's heartbeat, driving it forward with an energy that was unmistakably his.

But the story doesn't end there. The collaboration, brief as it was, created a lasting connection between the two artists. Though they never performed together, their mutual respect and artistic connection endured. Prince even invited her to pen the lyrics for what would become one of the greatest songs of all time— “Purple Rain!” But Nicks was overwhelmed by the 10-minute track, stating it was too much for her, and that she got scared. So she called Prince back and said, “I can’t do it. I wish I could. It’s too much for me.”

Personally, I’ve always loved this story, and have sometimes wondered how cool it would be to see it made into a short mini-series on streaming.

Years later, after Prince's untimely death in 2016, Nicks would reflect on that day in the studio with characteristic mysticism: “I think that he was just a magical being that was put on this Earth to make people happy, to make music until the day he died. And he did that, he really did.”

The story of “Stand Back” remains a testament to the power of spontaneous creativity and artistic generosity. It began with a chance encounter on the radio, was born of respect and admiration, and resulted in a piece of music that would endure for decades. It's a reminder that sometimes the best collaborations aren't planned but simply happen when the right spirits collide at the right moment.

Whenever I listen to “Stand Back” on my playlist, I can hear the fusion of two distinct musical talents – Below is mashup of Stevie Nicks singing “Stand Back” over Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” I think you will enjoy.

Did you know this rock story, or was it knew to you?