Stevie Nicks Is A ‘Twilight’ Fan Just Like You—How Her Favorite Reads Inspired Her Hit Songs
Stevie Nicks isn’t just a musician—she’s an avid reader too! Check out her favorite reads.
Key Takeaways
- Stevie Nicks enjoys books such as 'The Twilight Saga' and 'Wuthering Heights'.
- The singer has often been inspired by her favorite reads to write some of her hit songs.
- Stevie Nicks loves thorough novels, poetry, and short stories alike.
Stevie Nicks has always had a special way with stringing words together to create some of the most memorable soundtracks to everyone’s lives. From the songs she wrote with Fleetwood Mac to her solo work, the legendary singer has penned some of the most incredible lyrics of all time.
But did you know that in between writing this iconic music, Nicks spends her time enjoying the same books as you? The musician has detailed her love for reading and a few specific book series, including the Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer.
For Stevie Nicks, reading has always been more than a hobby—it’s a source of artistic inspiration. The singer has often drawn from the novels, short stories and poetry she loves, channeling their themes, characters and emotions into some of her most iconic songs.
Learn more about her go-to reads and find out how they have inspired her to be more creative in the studio.
‘The Twilight Saga’ by Stephenie Meyer
One of Stevie Nicks favorite book series is the collection of Twilight novels written by Stephenie Meyer. With four books in the main saga—Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn—and three companion novels, Nicks has been busy enjoying the addictive, vampire stories and being inspired by them.
“‘Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream),’ a song on my new album, was written about New Moon,” Nicks shared. “The song is about what happens when a relationship breaks down or, more specifically, when you are abandoned in some way. I could totally relate to that. I think that Meyer’s stories are magnificent and I’m amazed at how she built her complex world. Writing a song seems much simpler than writing a novel—a song is just five verses and a chorus! I think the love story between Edward and Bella is going to live on forever, like Beauty and the Beast.”
‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Brontë
With more than 20 film and TV adaptations of Wuthering Heights, the classic story between Heathcliff and Catherine has been told in a number of ways—including a song by Nicks. While she was inspired to write “Wild Heart” after watching an adaptation of the story on the big screen, she’s been a fan of the books since her college days.
“I first read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights when I was in college in California in the late 1960s,” Nicks shared. “They are two of my favorite books because they’re just so brilliantly written. The beauty of both these classics is that they were fantastic when I was a teenager and they still appeal to me now as a 63-year-old woman.”
While those classic novels left a lasting impression on Nicks, literature wasn’t her only creative influence. Film also played a major role in shaping her songwriting. In fact, the singer has shared that seeing Wuthering Heights inspired her to write the title track for her 1983 album, Wild Heart.
“I’d written “Wild Heart” early on,” Nicks recalled. “I remember singing it during a Rolling Stone cover shoot for Bella Donna [which came out in 1981] and I wrote it completely and utterly about the movie Wuthering Heights. I wrote it about Heathcliff and Cathy, and the fact that they were one person, that they couldn’t be together and they couldn’t be separate, and about the power and the drama of the closing death bed scene… All those amazing things he says to her.”
Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
While Stevie Nicks is often drawn to dark, romantic novels like Twilight, her literary tastes also extend to classic poetry and gothic fiction. Among the writers who have left a lasting impression on her is Edgar Allan Poe, whose haunting works—including ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ (1843), ‘The Raven’ (1845) and ‘Annabel Lee’ (1849)—have not only captivated Nicks as a reader, but also inspired her creatively.
“I think it was required reading that you read Edgar Allan Poe, and I just fell in love with that poem [‘Annabel Lee’],” Nicks shared in her documentary, In Your Dreams: Stevie Nicks. “It’s like, who writes words like that… When I was 17, I read all his poems, and I just sat down with my guitar, and I started going in more of the ‘Landslide’ kind of [style]… very simple guitar song, and I just put it away for a future time.”
Nicks wrote a song of the same name in high school, which she didn’t release until 2011, at age 63, when she rediscovered it in her vault. The lyrics are mostly a direct adaptation of the poem, though she made a few changes to fit a melody. While the song didn’t chart on the Billboard Hot 100, “Annabel Lee” has become a fan-favorite.
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