Stevie Nicks recently offered a rare and introspective look into one of the most consequential periods of her personal and professional life, reflecting on the pivotal moment she nearly walked away from her creative and romantic partner, Lindsey Buckingham. Speaking before an audience at the City of Hope 2026 Music, Film and Entertainment Industry (MFEI) Spirit of Life Gala, the legendary singer-songwriter detailed the profound uncertainty that defined her early twenties and inadvertently birthed one of Fleetwood Mac’s most enduring masterpieces, Landslide.
The remarks, delivered during a performance introduction at the prestigious charity event, cast new light on the fragile beginnings of a partnership that would eventually reshape the landscape of modern rock and roll. While the romantic relationship between Nicks and Buckingham ultimately dissolved decades ago, their intertwined history remains a cornerstone of music lore. Nicks’ reflections not only illuminate the creation of a generational anthem but also underscore the resilience required to navigate the volatile intersection of art, romance, and professional ambition.
A Turning Point in Aspen: The Genesis of Landslide
Taking the stage at the City of Hope gala, Nicks transported the audience back to a snowy winter in Aspen, Colorado, long before stadium tours, multi-platinum certifications, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions became their reality.
"I wrote this song in Aspen, Colorado, when I was deciding whether or not Lindsey and I should continue," Nicks told the gala attendees. "Well, it was a long time ago, and 930,000 years later, we still continued."
At the time, Nicks and Buckingham were enduring a period of intense financial hardship and career stagnation. Following the commercial failure of their 1973 debut album as a duo, Buckingham Nicks, the pair had been dropped by Polydor Records. Living in relative isolation in a borrowed home in Aspen, Nicks found herself grappling with fundamental questions about her future. Should she abandon her musical aspirations and return to college? Should she end her tumultuous relationship with Buckingham?
Looking out over the snow-covered Colorado hills while her companions went out for dinner, Nicks decided to channel her anxieties into music. Armed with a Goya classical guitar—an instrument she has humorously admitted she could barely play, though she felt "it looked good"—she sat down to write.
"I’m like, okay, because I’m so poor that just sitting in this house when you’re looking out at this view is so fantastic, I’m going to write a fantastic song," Nicks recalled.
That writing session yielded Landslide. The track captured the raw vulnerability of a young artist facing a metaphorical winter, questioning her stability, her aging process, and the structural integrity of her relationship. Little did she know that the introspective composition would soon become a universal anthem for anyone navigating life’s unpredictable transitions.
Chronology of a Legendary Partnership
To understand the weight of Nicks’ reflections in Aspen, it is essential to trace the chronology of her relationship with Buckingham, which predated their tenure in Fleetwood Mac by several years.
The two musicians first crossed paths while attending high school in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s. Buckingham initially invited Nicks to join his psychedelic rock band, Fritz, as a backing vocalist. When Fritz disbanded in 1971, Nicks and Buckingham continued as a musical duo, eventually romanticizing their partnership and relocating to Los Angeles in 1972 in pursuit of a major recording contract.
Despite the release of Buckingham Nicks in 1973, the album failed to chart, leaving the couple financially destitute. Nicks took on various odd jobs, including working as a housekeeper and a waitress, to support them while Buckingham focused on his guitar work and production techniques.
The inflection point of their careers arrived in late 1974. British drummer Mick Fleetwood was searching for a recording studio in Los Angeles when he visited Sound City Studios. There, he heard a track produced by Buckingham called Frozen Love. Impressed by Buckingham’s guitar work and needing a replacement for departing guitarist Bob Welch, Fleetwood invited Buckingham to join Fleetwood Mac.
Buckingham agreed under one non-negotiable condition: Stevie Nicks came as a package deal.
In 1974, Nicks and Buckingham officially integrated into Fleetwood Mac, alongside core members Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, and John McVie. The newly minted lineup released their self-titled album in 1975, which propelled the band to international superstardom. Among its standout tracks was Landslide, written by Nicks in Aspen just months before their lives changed forever.
Navigating Heartbreak Behind Closed Doors
While Fleetwood Mac soared to dizzying commercial heights, the personal lives of its members were careening toward chaos. The intense pressures of touring, recording, and living in the public eye strained the romantic relationships within the band.
By 1976, the romantic relationship between Nicks and Buckingham officially came to an end. The breakup was emotionally agonizing, yet the band was contractually and creatively obligated to return to the studio to record their follow-up album.
The resulting project was Rumours, released in 1977. Widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, Rumours was essentially a musical battlefield where the band members processed their infidelities, heartbreaks, and resentments in real-time. Nicks famously sang lyrics directed at Buckingham, and vice versa, while recording tracks like Dreams and Go Your Own Way.
Despite the deep personal fissures, Nicks and Buckingham maintained a professional alliance. Their ability to compartmentalize their romantic history for the sake of the music allowed Fleetwood Mac to sustain a decades-long legacy of groundbreaking albums and sold-out arena tours, albeit marked by intermittent hiatuses and well-documented interpersonal friction.
Broader Impact and Cultural Resonance of Landslide
The enduring appeal of Landslide extends far beyond its origins as a personal diary entry written by a struggling young artist in Aspen. Over the past five decades, the song has transcended its era, becoming a touchstone of American popular music.
The track’s meditation on aging—encapsulated in the famous lines, "Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? / Can I handle the seasons of my life?"—has resonated across generations. It has been covered by numerous prominent artists, most notably the alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins, whose 1994 acoustic rendition introduced the song to a whole new demographic of listeners.
Furthermore, Nicks’ recent public reflections at the City of Hope gala highlight a broader trend in legacy music culture: veteran artists reclaiming the narratives behind their most famous works. As younger generations continue to discover Fleetwood Mac through streaming platforms and social media, anecdotes regarding the band’s formation provide vital context to a catalog that soundtracked the 1970s and 1980s.
The City of Hope MFEI Spirit of Life Gala, which served as the backdrop for Nicks’ remarks, is a major philanthropic event within the entertainment industry, raising funds for cancer research and treatment. Nicks’ decision to share such a deeply personal anecdote at a charitable gathering bridged the gap between her storied past and her ongoing cultural influence, reinforcing the timelessness of her songwriting.
Conclusion: A Legacy Forged in Uncertainty
Stevie Nicks’ revelation about nearly walking away from Lindsey Buckingham offers a sobering reminder of how close the music world came to missing out on one of its most potent creative pairings. Had Nicks decided to pack her bags and leave Aspen in defeat, the trajectory of Fleetwood Mac—and the American songbook—might have looked vastly different.
Instead, she chose to stay, picking up a Goya guitar she barely knew how to play and channeling her doubt into art. Decades later, as Nicks continues to perform on major stages and influence contemporary pop icons, Landslide stands as a testament to the power of perseverance. It remains a permanent monument to the exact moment a young woman stood on the precipice of the unknown and decided to face the music.
