''The Wild Heart'' is the second solo studio album by American singer and songwriter
Stevie Nicks. Recording began in late 1982, shortly after the end of
Fleetwood Mac's
''Mirage'' Tour. After the death of her best friend, Robin Anderson, and with new appreciation for her life and career, Nicks recorded the album in only a few months and was released on June 10, 1983, a year after Fleetwood Mac's ''
Mirage'' album. It peaked at number five on the US
''Billboard'' 200 (for seven consecutive weeks) and achieved
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
status on September 12, 1983. The album has shipped 2 million copies in the US alone.
The album is notable for its array of prominent guest musicians.
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...
made a return to write "
I Will Run to You", on which his bandmates from
The Heartbreakers
The Heartbreakers, sometimes referred to as Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, were an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1975. The band spearheaded the first wave of punk rock.
History
Johnny Thunders (vocals/guitar) and Jerry ...
performed. Nicks' Fleetwood Mac bandmate,
Mick Fleetwood
Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and occasional actor. He is best known as the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of t ...
, made an appearance on the track "Sable on Blonde".
Toto's
Steve Lukather contributed some of the guitar work on what would become the album's biggest hit single, "
Stand Back", which also features an uncredited contribution from
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
, who played the synthesizer track. Nicks also worked with friend
Sandy Stewart, who wrote the music for three tracks on the album and performed on several (Stewart would go on to write the 1987 Fleetwood Mac hit "
Seven Wonders"). The album's final track, "
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...
", features a full string section performing a score arranged and conducted by
Paul Buckmaster. Nicks had recorded various other tracks prior to the album's release, including "Violet and Blue" which was featured on the movie soundtrack for ''
Against All Odds,'' and later on Nicks' 3-disc retrospective box set ''
Enchanted'' in 1998.
''The Wild Heart'' was certified double platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1993, ten years after its release, denoting shipments in excess of two million copies in the United States.
It spent a whole year on the ''Billboard'' 200 from June 1983 to June 1984. It has also been certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
(BPI) for shipments in excess of 60,000 in the United Kingdom.
Three singles were released from the album: "
Stand Back", which charted at number five; "
If Anyone Falls", which charted at number 14; and "
Nightbird", which charted at number 33. "Stand Back" and "If Anyone Falls" featured accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
s that went into heavy rotation on
MTV. "Nightbird", a track that Nicks has said was her favorite on the album, was performed live on ''
Solid Gold'' and ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
''.
Track listing
The Wild Heart: Deluxe Edition (Rhino, 2016)
Personnel
*
Stevie Nicks – lead and backing vocals
*
Sandy Stewart – synthesizers (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9), keyboards (3), acoustic piano solo (5), lead vocals (5), additional backing vocals (5)
*
Roy Bittan
Roy J. Bittan (born July 2, 1949) is an American musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Professor", Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synthe ...
– synthesizers (2), acoustic piano (4, 8, 9, 10)
*
Benmont Tench
Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Early years
Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin ...
–
organ (3, 4, 5), keyboards (7)
*
David Foster
David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...
– acoustic piano (5)
* David Bluefield –
Oberheim OB-Xa
The Oberheim OB-Xa was the second of Oberheim's OB-series polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizers, replacing the OB-X with updated features.
History
The OB-Xa was released in December 1980, replacing the OB-X after only a year on the mark ...
programming (6),
Oberheim DMX drum machine (6)
*
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
– synthesizers (6, uncredited)
* David Monday – guitars (1, 3)
*
Dean Parks
Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas.
Albums
Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher ...
– guitars (1)
*
Waddy Wachtel
Robert "Waddy" Wachtel (born May 24, 1947) is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Kim Carnes, Randy ...
– guitars (2-6, 9)
*
Steve Lukather – guitars (6)
*
David Williams – guitars (6)
*
Mike Campbell – guitars (7)
*
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...
– guitars (7), lead and backing vocals (7)
*
Don Felder
Donald William Felder (born September 21, 1947) is an American musician who was the lead guitarist of the rock band Eagles from 1974 until his termination from the band in 2001. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 with th ...
– guitars (8)
* Roger Tausz – bass (1)
*
Bob Glaub
Bob Glaub (born May 10, 1952)Hageman, William (April 29, 2005)."The aces of bass: Five giants of an overshadowed instrument", Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. is an American bass player and session musician. He has played with such artists an ...
– bass (2, 4, 8)
*
Kenny Edwards
Kenneth Michael Edwards (February 10, 1946 – August 18, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, bassist, guitarist, mandolinist, and session musician. He was a founding member of the Stone Poneys and Bryndle and a long-time collaborator wi ...
– bass (5, 9)
*
Howie Epstein
Howard Norman Epstein (July 21, 1955 – February 23, 2003) was an American musician best known as a bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Early life
Epstein was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up in a musical household. His ...
– bass (7)
* John Beal – bass (10)
* Brad Smith – drums (1, 3), percussion (3)
*
Russ Kunkel
Russell Kunkel (born September 27, 1948) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Dan F ...
– drums (2, 4, 8), drum overdubs (6)
* Marvin Caruso – drums (5, 6)
* Chet McCracken – drum overdubs (5)
*
Stan Lynch
Stanley Joseph "Stan" Lynch (born May 21, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for 18 years until his departure in 1994.
Early years
Lynch was born in ...
– drums (7)
*
Mick Fleetwood
Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and occasional actor. He is best known as the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of t ...
– drums (9)
*
Bobbye Hall
Bobbye Jean Hall is an American percussionist who has recorded with a variety of rock, soul, blues and jazz artists, and has appeared on 20 songs that reached the top ten in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Early career, work for Motown and move to ...
– percussion (2, 4, 6, 8)
*
Ian Wallace – percussion (6)
*
Phil Kenzie –
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
(8)
* Sharon Celani – backing vocals
* Lori Perry-Nicks – backing vocals
* Carolyn Brooks – backing vocals (2, 10)
String section on "Beauty and the Beast"
*
Paul Buckmaster – string arrangements and conductor
* Kenneth Whitfield – string arrangements
* Jon Abramowitz,
Seymour Barab, Jesse Levy and Frederick Zlotkin –
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...
*
Gene Bianco –
harp
* Julien Barber, Theodore Israel, Jesse Levine and Harry Zaratzian –
viola
; german: Bratsche
, alt=Viola shown from the front and the side
, image=Bratsche.jpg
, caption=
, background=string
, hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow
, range=
, related=
*Violin family ...
* Harry Cykman, Peter Dimitriades, Regis Eandiorio, Lewis Eley, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman, Harry Glickman, Raymond Kunicki, Marvin Morgenstern, John Pintavalle, Matthew Raimondi, Herbert Sorkin, Ruth Waterman and
Paul Winter –
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
Production
* Jimmy Iovine – producer
* Gordon Perry – producer (1, 3)
* Tom Petty – producer (7)
*
Shelly Yakus
Sheldon Gershon "Shelly" Yakus (born November 1945) is an American music engineer and mixer. Formerly chief engineer and vice president of A&M Records, he was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Yakus is referenced ...
– engineer, mixing (2, 4–10)
* Lori Perry-Nicks – mixing (1, 3), handtinting
* Greg Edwards – additional engineer, mixing (2, 4–10)
* Tom "Gordo" Gondolf – additional engineer (1, 3)
* Josh Abbey – assistant engineer
* David Bianco – assistant engineer
* Michael Brooks – assistant engineer
* Bobby Cohen – assistant engineer
* John Curcio – assistant engineer
* Bill Freesh – assistant engineer
* Pete Kudas – assistant engineer
* John Smith – assistant engineer
* Julian Stoll – assistant engineer
*
Stephen Marcussen
Stephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California, United States. He has been mastering music since 1979.
Biography
Marcussen's introduction to music recording happened in 1976 when, at ...
– mastering
* Janet Weber – production coordinator
* Rebecca Alvarez – personal assistant
*
Herbert W. Worthington – art direction, design, album cover concept, photography
* Michael Curtis – layout design
* Stevie Nicks – album cover concept, handtinting
* Michael Manoogian – logo design
* Robert Alfrod – photography assistant
* Michael Marks – photography assistant
* Front Line Management – management
*
Sulamith Wulfing – album cover inspiration
* Herbert W. Worthington,
Studios
* Recorded at Goodnight Dallas (Dallas, Texas);
Record Plant and Studio 55 (Los Angeles, California);
A&M Studios
The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of North La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property serv ...
(Hollywood, California); Record Plant and
The Hit Factory
The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano.
History
On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...
(New York City, New York).
* Mixed at
Rumbo Recorders (Los Angeles, California) and The Hit Factory.
* Mastered at Precision Lacquer (Hollywood, California).
Tour
Nicks went on a national tour in support of ''The Wild Heart''. After headlining the massive
US Festival
The US Festival (''US'' pronounced like the pronoun, not as initials) was the name of two early 1980s music and culture festivals in southern California, held east of Los Angeles, near San Bernardino.
Background
Steve Wozniak, cofound ...
on May 30, 1983, in
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...
, the tour officially started in
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...
, on June 21, 1983, and ended in
Ames, Iowa, on November 20, 1983.
;Setlist:
*"
Gold Dust Woman
"Gold Dust Woman" is a song from British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac's 11th studio album, '' Rumours'' (1977). The song was written and sung by Stevie Nicks and released as a B-side to the " Don't Stop" single (in the UK) and the "You Make ...
"
*"Outside the Rain"
*"
Dreams
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...
"
*"Gold and Braid" (see notes below)
*"I Need to Know"
*"
Sara"
*"Angel" (see notes below)
*"Enchanted" (see notes below)
*"
If Anyone Falls"
*"
Leather and Lace"
*"Stand Back"
*"Beauty and the Beast"
*"
Gypsy
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
"
*"How Still My Love"
*"I Will Run to You" (see notes below)
*"
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"
*"
Edge of Seventeen
"Edge of Seventeen" is a song by the American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks from her debut solo studio album '' Bella Donna'' (1981), released as the third single from the album on February 4, 1982. The lyrics were written by Nicks to exp ...
"
;Encore
*"
Rhiannon
Rhiannon is a major figure in the Mabinogi, the medieval Welsh story collection. She appears mainly in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, and again in the Third Branch. She is a strong-minded Otherworld woman, who chooses Pwyll, prince of Dyfe ...
"
;Notes
*"Enchanted" was performed only at the Meadowlands Arena in
East Rutherford, New Jersey, on June 24, 1983.
*"Angel" and "Gold and Braid" were performed only on the opening night at the US Festival.
*"I Will Run to You" was performed at
Radio City Music Hall in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
with Tom Petty.
;Dates
*May 30 - San Bernardino, California, Devore Park/US Festival II
*June 21 - Knoxville, Tennessee, Civic Coliseum
*June 23 - Norfolk, Virginia, The Scope
*June 24 - East Rutherford, New Jersey, Meadowlands Arena
*June 27 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Spectrum
*June 28 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Civic Arena
*July 2 - Buffalo, New York, War Memorial
*July 3 - Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford Civic Center
*July 6 - Worcester, Massachusetts, Centrum
*July 7 - Landover, Maryland, Capitol Center
*July 10 - Greensboro, North Carolina, Coliseum
*July 11 - Atlanta, Georgia, The Omni
*July 14 - Kansas City, Missouri, Kemper Arena
*July 15 - Minneapolis, Minnesota, Met Center
*July 17 - Chicago, Illinois Rosemont, Horizon
*July 18 - Chicago, Illinois Rosemont, Horizon
*July 19 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada CNE, Bandshell
*July 21 - Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Blossom, Music Center
*July 22 - Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Blossom, Music Center
*July 23 - Detroit, Michigan, Joe Louis Arena
*July 26 - St. Louis, Missouri, Checkerdome
*July 27 - Indianapolis, Indiana, Market Square Arena
*July 30 - Alpine Valley, Wisconsin, Music Theatre
*July 31 - Cincinnati, Ohio, Riverfront Coliseum
*August 31 - Austin, Texas, Frank Erwin Center
*September 5 - Dallas, Texas, Reunion Arena
*September 9 - Bristol, Rhode Island, Colt State Park
*September 12 - New York, Radio City Music Hall
*September 13 - New York, Radio City Music Hall
*September 17 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Myriad
*September 24 - Irvine, California, Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
*September 25 - Tempe, Arizona, Compton Terrace
*October 2 - Los Angeles, California, Inglewood Forum
*October 4 - Oakland, California, Oakland Coliseum
*October 21 - Columbia, South Carolina, Carolina Coliseum
*October 22 - Columbia, South Carolina, Carolina Coliseum
*October 25 - Charleston, West Virginia, Charleston Civic Center
*October 26 - Roanoke, Virginia, Roanoke Civic Center
*October 29 - Tuscaloosa, Alabama, University of Alabama
*October 30 - Jackson, Mississippi, Mississippi Coliseum
*November 2 - Jacksonville, Florida, Memorial Coliseum
*November 4 - Lakeland, Florida, Lakeland Civic Center
*November 5 - Miami, Florida, Sportatorium
*November 8 - Columbia, Missouri, University of Missouri
*November 9 - Starkville, Mississippi, Mississippi State University
*November 12 - Tulsa, Oklahoma, Assembly Center
*November 13 - Little Rock, Arkansas, T.H. Barton Coliseum
*November 16 - Madison, Wisconsin, Dane County Arena
*November 19 - Iowa City, Iowa, University of Iowa
*November 20 - Ames, Iowa, Iowa State University
*November 23 - Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte Coliseum
*November 24 - Columbia, South Carolina, Carolina Coliseum
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wild Heart (album)
1983 albums
Stevie Nicks albums
Albums produced by Jimmy Iovine
Albums arranged by Paul Buckmaster
Albums produced by Tom Petty
Modern Records (1980) albums