Many of the best pieces of art come from the heart, influenced by events that occur in the artists' lives. For Stevie Nicks, one song, in particular, is a little too close to the bone, and she now refuses to play, due to her emotional connection to it.
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Stevie Nicks was staying in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York in September of 2001. She was getting ready for her upcoming tour, and just waking up for a beautiful day in the big city. As she decided what to do, she took a quick nap. Only a short time later, she was woken by her assistant to look out over a city under a cloud of gray, torn apart by the devastated Twin Towers.
Stevie Nicks recounts the emotional time ahead for her and the rest of the US population that has led her to write the song she can no longer sing. "I've never been a political person, but suddenly, I felt like I was in the middle of history, We were at the Waldorf with all these foreign diplomats. It was very scary. I watched people jumping from the Twin Towers on a Mexican TV channel. We put wet towels in the windows to keep out the burning iron smell." She told USA Today in 2003.
To be so close to the event hit home for the singer-songwriter. It stunned her, leaving her feeling scared and desperate. The emotional event is what inspired Stevie Nicks to eventually write 'Illume (9-11)' from Fleetwood Mac's last album, Say You Will.
Stevie Nicks Thought About Cancelling Her Tour
The events, and her proximity to them, were enough to shake her to her core. In the emotional interview, Stevie Nicks admits that she even considered canceling her upcoming tour. It was only due to the persuasion of her family that she managed to carry on.
Like many Americans, the tragedy stuck with her, and she struggled to shake it off. Throughout her tour, she looks back and remembers "It was hard to walk on stage and not burst into tears. I was almost hysterical. All my songs suddenly seemed to be about 9/11." The emotional event stuck with Stevie Nicks, worming its way into everything she was doing.
This event is what inspired her to write the third track, 'Illume (9-11)' as a sort of catharsis. Sometimes the best way to face an emotional is to delve into it with art. However, even now, looking back on the event is too raw for Stevie Nicks, and she still refuses to dig up those emotions on stage.
