The Lines Stevie Nicks Removed From ‘Planets of the Universe’ About Her Break-up With Lindsey Buckingham
In addition to their roles in the band Fleetwood Mac, musicians Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are known for their tumultuous relationship off stage. Their breakup inspired some of their most popular music. In the song “Planets of the Universe,” Nicks ended up changing some of the lyrics that were about Buckingham.
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham broke up while in Fleetwood Mac
Buckingham and Nicks first met in high school. They started dating and worked together as a music duo before joining Fleetwood Mac in 1974.
When they joined Fleetwood Mac, their relationship was allegedly rocky, but they stayed together for the sake of the band.
“You just have to throw yourself into your song. I mean, I broke up with Lindsey in 1976. We’d only been in Fleetwood Mac for a year and a half, and we were breaking up when we joined Fleetwood Mac,” Nicks told The New Yorker.
She continued, “So we just put our relationship kind of back together, because I was smart enough to know that, if we had broken up the second month of being in Fleetwood Mac, it would have blown the whole thing.”
Stevie Nicks removed lines from ‘Planets of the Universe’
“Planets of the Universe” was originally recorded for Fleetwood Mac’s album Rumours, which was released in 1977. However, the first demo of “Planets of the Universe” ended up not being included on Rumours.
Nicks went on to release “Planets of the Universe” on her 2001 solo album Trouble in Shangri-La. In the version released on Trouble in Shangri-La, Nicks removed lyrics about Buckingham.
According to Music Spotlight Magazine, Nicks “removed those lines and others to lessen their sting and make the song more conciliatory.”
The original demo of “Planets of the Universe” was later included on the 2004 and 2013 deluxe reissue editions of Rumours.
Based on the demo, some of the pointed lines at Buckingham that were cut include, “And I don’t condescend to me/ Take your leave/ Take your leave/ Take your leave of me now/ Disappear into the air/ I wish you gone/ And I don’t care.”
Lindsey Buckingham blames Stevie Nicks for being fired from Fleetwood Mac
In 2018, Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac. The famous guitarist blames Nicks for his firing.
“It was all Stevie’s doing,” Buckingham told People Magazine. “Stevie basically gave the band an ultimatum that either I had to go or she would go. It would be like [Mick] Jagger saying, ‘Well, either Keith [Richards] has to go or I’m going to go.’”
People Magazine reports the Nicks denies Buckingham’s version of events and released a statement saying, “I did not demand he be fired. Frankly, I fired myself. I proactively removed myself from the band and a situation I considered to be toxic to my well-being. I was done. If the band went on without me, so be it.”
