Nicks Recalls Writing Landslide Amid Buckingham Doubts

Stevie Nicks says she wrote the Fleetwood Mac classic while deciding whether her relationship and partnership with Lindsey Buckingham could continue.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Rock

Flat-color rock-poster illustration in deep plum and cream with halftone texture, showing a pale snowdrift cut by a diagonal ridge and a thin geometric guitar-neck stroke. — Stevie Nicks says she wrote Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" in Aspen while deciding whether to continue her partnership with Lindsey Buckingham, recounting it at a City of Hope gala. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Stevie Nicks described writing "Landslide" in Aspen, Colorado, while weighing whether she and Lindsey Buckingham should continue together. Nicks spoke about the song at the City of Hope 2026 MFEI Spirit of Life Gala on October 27.

Why it matters

The account offers a firsthand look at the personal uncertainty behind one of Fleetwood Mac's best-known songs, which was released in 1975. It also revisits the history of a partnership that began in 1972 and shaped the band's later success.

The recollection is a single firsthand account from Nicks, not a documented record, and the exact timing of her decision about the partnership is not specified. Nicks is 78 years old, and the song followed a relationship that began in 1972 and ended in 1976.

The players

Stevie Nicks

Nicks is a singer-songwriter and longtime member of Fleetwood Mac, known for her role as a principal vocalist and songwriter in the band.

Lindsey Buckingham

Buckingham is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was a longtime member of Fleetwood Mac and previously partnered with Nicks as a duo.

Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac is a British-American rock band whose lineup and catalog include multiple chart-topping albums and the song "Landslide."

The details

Nicks said she wrote the song in Aspen on a Goya guitar she could hardly play, looking out over snow-covered hills while uncertain about her future with Buckingham. Buckingham Nicks, their 1973 album, was not a commercial success, and the pair were dropped by Polydor Records.

1972: Nicks and Buckingham begin dating.
1973: Buckingham Nicks album is released.
1975: Fleetwood Mac releases "Landslide."
1976: Nicks and Buckingham's romantic relationship ends.
October 27, 2026: Nicks speaks at the City of Hope gala.

Historical Context

The duo's 1973 album Buckingham Nicks was not a commercial success and led to their release by Polydor Records, a setback that preceded their eventual joining of Fleetwood Mac. Nicks's account connects that early instability to the songwriting behind "Landslide," which Fleetwood Mac released in 1975.

Fleetwood Mac has been working on a documentary, according to Buckingham, though the source does not give a release date or platform. Listeners can revisit "Landslide" through the band's existing catalog.

The takeaway

The account shows that a song's emotional weight often comes from unresolved personal circumstances, not from a settled outcome. Listeners revisiting "Landslide" are hearing a decision that was still being made when it was written.