Stevie Nicks Wrote This Song Because Mick Fleetwood Reminded Her of ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Stevie Nicks wrote many of her solo songs and Fleetwood Mac’s songs about her own life. For example, some of her classic rock tracks are about her relationship with Mick Fleetwood. One of her songs was inspired by both Fleetwood and the most famous non-Disney version of Beauty and the Beast.
This version of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ inspired a Stevie Nicks song
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nicks named some of her favorite of her own songs. She discussed the origin of these tracks. Notably, some among her own tunes were album tracks rather than major hits.
Nicks discussed the origin of her song “Beauty and the Beast.” “It was definitely about Mick, but it’s also based on the 1946 Jean Cocteau movie,” she said. The movie in question was the version of Beauty and the Beast directed by Jean Cocteau. That was the most famous film adaptation of the story before Disney released its version.
“I first saw it on TV one night when Mick and I were first together, and I always thought of Mick as being sort of Beauty and the Beast-esque, because he’s so tall and he had beautiful coats down to here, and clothes made by little fairies up in the attic, I always thought [laughs], so he was that character in a lot of ways,” Nicks recalled.
What happened between Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood
Nicks related to the story of Beauty and the Beast. “And also, it matched our story because Mick and I could never be,” she said. “A, because Mick was married, and then divorced and that was not good, and B, because of Fleetwood Mac.”
Nicks revealed what happened during her relationship with Fleetwood. “Lindsey Buckingham had barely survived the breakup of Lindsey and Stevie, much less would he not survive the relationship of Stevie and Mick,” she recalled. “So Mick told Lindsey, even though I thought it was totally the wrong thing to do, and two days later we broke up.” Nicks said dating rock stars is a bad idea.
How the world reacted to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and the song’s parent album
“Beauty and the Beast” was never released as a single, so it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Nicks released “Beauty and the Beast” on her solo album The Wild Heart. The Wild Heart peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 52 weeks. None of Nicks’ solo albums charted higher in the United States, with the exception of her chart-topper Bella Donna.
The Wild Heart was a hit in the United Kingdom as well. According to The Official Charts Company, the album reached No. 28 in the U.K., staying on the charts for 19 weeks. While “Beauty and the Beast” was not one of Nicks’ more famous songs, its parent album became an international hit.
