Stevie Nicks shares powerful new single The Lighthouse, inspired by overturning of Roe v. Wade

27 September 2024, 09:58 | Updated: 27 September 2024, 10:32

Stevie Nicks has shared her powerful single The Lighthouse. Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Billy Joel & Stevie Nicks, YouTube/Stevie Nicks, Press

By Jenny Mensah

The Fleetwood Mac legend has unveiled her powerful protest single, which she says: "may be the most important thing I ever do".

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Stevie Nicks has shared her new single The Lighthouse.

After teasing the song this week, the Fleetwood Mac has unveiled the powerful new song, which was inspired by the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade which generally protected a woman's right to an abortion.

With the song comes an equally potent video, which sees Nicks inside the beam of a lighthouse as a storm surrounds her outside.

The visuals are interspersed with real-life scenes of protest from across the eras and features female actors who join her for a powerful march.

Watch the emotive and stirring video below:

Stevie Nicks - The Lighthouse (Official Music Video)

Nicks' song, which she has referred to as "the most important (she'll) ever do" certainly leaves no doubt over the icon's stance on female reproductive healthcare.

Though it begins fairly softly, by the time it reaches its powerful crescendo, Nicks has issued a call to arms, singing: "In the midnight hour/They'll slam the door/Make you forget/What you're fighting for/Put you back in your place/They'll shut you down/You better learn how to fight/You better say it out loud".

Speaking about the single, Nicks explained on social media: "I wrote this song a few months after Roe v. Wade was overturned. It seemed like overnight, people were saying “what can we, as a collective force, do about this…” For me, it was to write a song.

"It took a while because I was on the road. Then early one morning I was watching the news on TV and a certain newscaster said something that felt like she was talking to me~ explaining what the loss of Roe v. Wade would come to mean. I wrote the song the next morning and recorded it that night.

"That was September 6, 2022. I have been working on it ever since. I have often said to myself, “This may be the most important thing I ever do. To stand up for the women of the United States and their daughters and granddaughters ~ and the men that love them.

"This is an anthem."

The new material comes just as Stevie prepares to play Hersheypark Stadium in Pennsylvania on Saturday 28th September and also plots her appearance on Saturday Night Live on 12th October, where Ariana Grande will be taking over guest host duties.

With SNL known for making political statements over the years, it's likely that Stevie Nicks fans can expect to play her new single on the iconic sketch show.

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A post shared by Stevie Nicks (@stevienicks)

Nicks' new material and appearances comes after she graced fans on this side of the pond this summer, playing dates in Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester and delivered an unforgettable set at London's BST Hyde Park.

During the extra special show, the 76-year-old icon paid tribute to the late Tom Petty- her friend and collaborator who died in 2017, by performing his Free Fallin' anthem as well as Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - the song she originally recorded with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on her 1981 Bella Donna album.

She was joined by special guest Harry Styles on the track, who also joined her in a moving performance of Landslide on what would have been Christine McVie's 81st birthday.

Nicks has sung the Fleetwood Mac song in dedication to her former bandmate ever since she passed away in 2022.

"I asked Harry to do this," she told the crowd at the London park. "And it’s always heavy to ask someone to come and sing this song with you, when you’re singing about your best friend that died so suddenly and so sadly".

Watch a clip of the moving moment below:

Harry Styles joins Stevie Nick for Landslide at BST Hyde Park 2024

Referencing Styles' love of Fleetwood Mac and of McVie's songs, she added: "What I want you to know is that Christine was Harry’s girl and she was my girl, she was your girl. And she loved all of this. And today was her birthday, so, it’s taken me all this time to try to deal with this situation.

"One thing my mum used to say to me when I was little, when I was hurt, was ‘Stevie when you’re hurt, you always run to the stage’. And that’s what I have been doing ever since Chris passed away, I’ve been running to the stage. And the only people who have helped me to get over all of this, has been all of you."