Mirror in the Sky: The Life and Music of Stevie Nicks

by Simon Morrison

Overview

A stunning musical biography of Stevie Nicks that paints a portrait of an artist, not a caricature of a superstar.

Reflective and expansive, Mirror in the Sky situates Stevie Nicks as one of the finest songwriters of the twentieth century.

This biography from distinguished music historian Simon Morrison examines Nicks as a singer and songwriter before and beyond her career with Fleetwood Mac, from the Arizona landscape of her childhood to the strobe-lit Night of 1000 Stevies celebrations.

The book uniquely:

• Analyzes Nicks's craft—the grain of her voice, the poetry of her lyrics, the melodic and harmonic syntax of her songs.
• Identifies the American folk and country influences on her musical imagination that place her within a distinctly American tradition of women songwriters.
• Draws from oral histories and surprising archival discoveries to connect Nicks's story to those of California's above- and underground music industries, innovations in recording technology, and gendered restrictions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520304437
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	174,274
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Simon Morrison teaches music history at Princeton University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Crystal Visions 
1. Stephanie
A.J. • Fritz • Van Nuys • Alabama

2. Stevie
"Landslide" • "Rhiannon" • Glunk Glunk • BDE • The White Album • Rumours • “Dreams” • Maryland • “I Don’t Want to Know” • Love and Hate • Tusk • "Angel" • "Sara" • “Storms” • Luna • Disappeared Years • The Kingston Trio • "The Goldfish and the Ladybug"

3. Bella Donna
"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" • Age of Seventeen • "After the Glitter Fades" • "Bella Donna" • Face to Face • Sharon and Lori • Ghosts • "Designs of Love" • “Gypsy” • The Wild Heart • "Beauty and the Beast" • "Stand Back" • Joe • "Don't Come Around Here No More" • Rock a Little • Live at Red Rocks

4. Sara 
"Welcome to the Room, Sara" • Tango in the Night • "Joan of Arc" • Rupert • The Nadir • Twister • Trouble in Shangri-La • Say You Will • Someone She Used to Know • In Your Dreams • Fred and Ginger • MusiCares

5. 24 Karat Gold
Except for Mabel • Mabel

Conclusion: A Thousand Stevies
Acknowledgments
Appendix 1: Demos 
Appendix 2: Fandom
Notes
Index

What People are Saying About This

Eddie Dalva

"A richly crafted yet never fawning biography of one of rocks most beloved and iconic artists. Awe inspiring in detail but never too technical, Morrison writes a highly accessible book for both the casual fan and the true aficionado. One comes away with a heightened appreciation for Nicks musical talent as well as her very unique journey. One of the best written and most articulate music biographies in recent memory."

Washington Post Sarah Kaufman

"Stevie Nicks the artist whirls to life in these pages, a woman fiercely committed to her own blazing imagination and powers of perception. With meticulous research, a light touch and understated wit, Simon Morrison charts the rise in influence of Fleetwood Mac's black-laced, iron-willed sylph, whose irrepressible freedom continues to haunt the past and present of popular music and female artistry."

Stuart Mitchner

"A warmly affectionate and discerning critical biography."

Editorial Reviews

"A richly crafted yet never fawning biography of one of rocks most beloved and iconic artists. Awe inspiring in detail but never too technical, Morrison writes a highly accessible book for both the casual fan and the true aficionado. One comes away with a heightened appreciation for Nicks musical talent as well as her very unique journey. One of the best written and most articulate music biographies in recent memory."

Eddie Dalva

"Stevie Nicks the artist whirls to life in these pages, a woman fiercely committed to her own blazing imagination and powers of perception. With meticulous research, a light touch and understated wit, Simon Morrison charts the rise in influence of Fleetwood Mac's black-laced, iron-willed sylph, whose irrepressible freedom continues to haunt the past and present of popular music and female artistry."

Washington Post Sarah Kaufman

"Written with respect and admiration, Mirror in the Sky analyzes Stevie Nicks’s music with care, noting how it expressed the sentiments of a generation."

Foreword Reviews

[E]nlightening . . . I enjoyed reading Mirror in the Sky . . . Most important, Morrison sent me back to Nicks’s catalogue, including gems I’d overlooked or missed."

Air Mail

"A warmly affectionate and discerning critical biography."

Stuart Mitchner

"[Morrison’s] narrative centers on Stevie’s remarkable gifts as a songwriter, musical artist, and visionary, which have been historically downplayed by journalists and even her musical partners. Delving into the 'fandom,' Mirror in the Sky is refreshingly different from past books on Stevie Nicks."

Stevie Nicks info site

"There are lots of music biographies out there, but few are as in-depth, intelligently written, and expertly researched as Mirror in the Sky. Penned by Simon Morrison, the book extends beyond a simple recap of the events, as it analyzes the songwriting craft of Nicks, places her within a greater artistic context of American folk and country, and dives deep into the archives to produce the most accurate account possible."

Consequence Sound

08/01/2022

This musical biography by music historian Morrison ((Princeton Univ.; Bolshoi Confidential: Secrets of the Russian Ballet from the Rule of the Tsars to Today)) surveys musical biography surveys the works of Stevie Nicks, starting with her childhood in Arizona and ending with the "Night of 1000 Stevies" tribute celebrations. Morrison walks readers through Nicks's career using her songs to ground his exploration, combining a deep dive into the writing, recording, and production of her most popular and more obscure songs, with a glimpse into her personal life. The iconic singer-songwriter and mystical diva has been a staple in the rock world for over five decades. Focusing not only her time with Fleetwood Mac and her personal and musical relationship with Lindsey Buckingham, Morrison also highlights Nicks's close collaborations with artists such as Tom Petty and Vanessa Carlton. Morrison's extensively researched biography does not shy away from Nicks's battles with addiction and emphasizes how as a woman musician, she has had to work harder and be better than the men around her. VERDICT Nicks fans will appreciate Morrison's care in the details of her songwriting and the song production, but the text may be a little dry and formal for readers looking to get more personal insight into Nicks, who was not interviewed for this book.—Rebekah J. Buchanan

Library Journal

2022-07-07
A scholarly account of the musical icon’s impact on rock.

Morrison, a professor of music history at Princeton and author specializing in 20th-century Russian and Soviet music, shows how writing about pop culture is not as easy as it may seem. He does well with the early part of Nicks’ life, using a framework of biographical details and previously published interviews to flesh out how and why she became a singer. Morrison also skillfully handles deep dives into the imagery of Nicks’ lyrics, providing more information about the legend of Rhiannon than most fans will want to know. “The main character in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, Rhiannon is an otherworldly woman who marries Pwyll, the mortal prince of Dyfed (South Wales),” writes the author. “Rhiannon is associated with three songbirds who accompany her; mythographers have also associated her with the Gaulish horse goddess, Epona.” Unfortunately, throughout the narrative, Morrison drops in long asides about subjects that are tangential to Nicks and her artistry, including a lengthy bit about cocaine and its origins and uses: “Cocaine is extracted from the paste of the leaves of the Erythroxylum coca shrub that grows in the Andes Mountains, and its use goes back over a millennium to ancient spiritual practices.” More problematic are the pages of detailed descriptions about recording sessions that don’t involve Nicks as well as snide, speculative comments about her behavior (“she asks to dash to the bathroom, presumably for a bump”) and that of others in her orbit. Furthermore, because some of Nicks’ collaborators spoke to Morrison, but she did not, there is often a feel of them being more responsible for the music than her—which is odd given that Nicks is the only woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice.

A dry biography that lacks the mystical sparkle and steely resolve of the superstar’s success.

Kirkus Reviews