Stevie Nicks Wrote a Ballad About Her Affair with the ‘Fifth Beatle’
Like practically every musician of her generation, Stevie Nicks was a fan of The Beatles. She wrote a song inspired by John Lennon’s death and enjoyed spending time with George Harrison. She also forged a very personal connection to the band when she had an affair with one of their longtime associates. Nicks wrote a song about their fleeting relationship.
Stevie Nicks wrote a song about an affair with a long-time Beatles associate
For the 1979 Fleetwood Mac album Tusk, Nicks wrote the song “Beautiful Child.” In it, she sang about her affair with The Beatles’ press officer, Derek Taylor. Taylor was such an important part of the band’s dynamic and day-to-day functioning that he became known as the Fifth Beatle.
“‘Beautiful Child’ was about a relationship I had with the royal road manager of The Beatles, whose name was Derek Taylor,” Nicks said in a Q&A at a screening of her film In Your Dreams. “It didn’t last very long, because he was married but it affected me very much, because he told me so many stories about the Beatles … The road managers are the ones who know everything, and so I learned so much from him about the whole world of The Beatles.”
While the relationship was short-lived, Nicks said that the amount information she learned about The Beatles from Taylor was “stunning.” In “Beautiful Child,” Nicks sings, “You say it will be harder in the morning/ I wait for you to say, just go/ Your hands held mine so few hours/ (I fell into love) But I’m not a child anymore.”
Stevie Nicks revealed the Beatle she liked best
Nicks was a fan of each of The Beatles, but she said she had the closest relationship with Harrison.
“I’ve met Ringo many times, and I knew George quite well,” Nicks said, per Far Out Magazine. “Because I knew him the best and because I had some nice moments with him. I’d have to say, George Harrison [was my favorite Beatle]. We spent some time just hanging out, and not really writing, but like pretending, trying.”
She said he was a person with whom one could feel close in a matter of minutes.
“He was handsome, he was debonair, and he was funny,” she said. “He liked Dave Stewart. They all have that certain je nais se quois that’s just so attractive and easy to be with. You didn’t know him, then you’ve known him fifteen minutes, and you feel like you’ve known him a long time.”
She had a number of relationships with big names in the music industry
Nicks’ most well-known relationship is her turbulent one with bandmate Lindsey Buckingham. The pair were together when they joined Fleetwood Mac and their breakup inspired many of the band’s songs. Nicks also had an affair with drummer Mick Fleetwood.
Nicks also had significant relationships with musicians Don Henley and Joe Walsh, songwriter Rupert Hine, and producer Jimmy Iovine. Her only marriage, however, was to someone outside the music industry. In 1983, she had a short-lived marriage to her friend’s widower, Kim Anderson. They decided to end their marriage after just three months.
