Stevie Nicks Considers These Originals ‘Songs That Went in the Gothic Trunk of Lost Songs’

Stevie Nicks wrote dozens of original songs for Fleetwood Mac and her solo project — even if some weren’t “good enough” to go on full-length albums. In fact, one collection performed live by Nicks was in, what she calls, the “gothic trunk of lost songs.” Here’s what we learned about the “Edge of Seventeen” performer.

Stevie Nicks released solo songs outside Fleetwood Mac

After creating music as part of the Buckingham Nicks duo, Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac, writing original songs for the rock band. Eventually, Nicks branched out to write, record, and release solo music. 

She continued to tour as a solo artist, making stops at Asbury Park’s Sea.Hear.Now Festival and Connecticut’s Sound on Sound Festival. She even performed songs that “weren’t good enough” to go on records.

Stevie Nicks said some of her originals went in the ‘gothic trunk of lost songs’

During an interview with the New Yorker, Nicks discussed the “24 Karat Gold” Tour and the origin of that era. For those live shows specifically, she highlighted “Gold And Braid,” “If Anyone Falls,” “Belle Fleur,” and other deep cuts. 

“Almost all of those were what I call ‘songs that went in the gothic trunk of lost songs,’” Nicks said. “For whatever reason, they didn’t go on records. It wasn’t because they weren’t good enough.” 

“It was because I didn’t like the way they were recorded, or there were too many songs, and when you’re putting twelve songs together, sometimes you have to lose a song that you really love just because you have too many slow songs and you need more fast songs,” she continued. 

She added that when creating a body of work, like a record, it’s not about “each separate song.” As a result, some are left on the cutting room floor. 

Some Stevie Nicks songs ‘traveled around the internet’ before she released official recorded versions

During the same interview, Nicks said that some of her recently released songs were in a suitcase she accidentally sold at a flea market in 1983. As a result, the songs have been “traveling around the internet.”

“A lot of people out in the audience knew the songs, but then there’s the next two generations that probably didn’t know them,” she added. “So I figured you just have to tell them the story of each one of those really unfamiliar songs: what it was about, who was involved, and when it was written, and build a story around it.”

Of course, Nicks earned recognition as a solo artist for “Edge of Seventeen.” For the “24 Karat Gold Tour,” the artist performed that original, as well as Fleetwood Mac’s “Gypsy,” “Gold Dust Woman,” “Rhiannon,” and “Landslide.” The live album is now available on most major streaming platforms.