Stevie Nicks Says the Doors Are Back Open with Lindsey Buckingham

After years of estrangement, Stevie Nicks has confirmed that she and former bandmate Lindsey Buckingham are once again in contact. The revelation surfaced during separate interviews on the latest episode of the Song Exploder podcast, where both artists reflected on their song “Frozen Love” from the newly reissued Buckingham Nicks album — their 1973 debut that’s been out of print for decades.

The news marks a surprising reconciliation in one of rock’s most famously fractured partnerships. In 2018, Buckingham was dismissed from Fleetwood Mac after what Nicks described as inappropriate behavior during a MusiCares tribute show. “I could hear my mom, Barbara, who passed away in 2011, saying, ‘Are you really going to spend the next 15 years of your life with this man?’” Nicks recalled. “That was the moment I knew it was over.”

After the Storm

Following Buckingham’s exit, Fleetwood Mac recruited Mike Campbell and Neil Finn to fill his spot for what became their final world tour, wrapping in 2019. Since the passing of keyboardist and singer Christine McVie in 2022, Nicks has made it clear that the band’s touring days are behind them.

Still, hints of a thaw between Nicks and Buckingham appeared earlier this year when both began promoting the Buckingham Nicks re-release on social media. Now, Nicks has confirmed what fans had begun to suspect. “Lindsey and I started talking about it last night,” she said, referring to their early days together. “It all feels like it just happened yesterday.”

Creative Alchemy, Complicated Love

Buckingham spoke candidly about their creative chemistry and how they balanced one another’s strengths. “She’d write the core of the song — the lyrics and melody — and then hand it to me,” he explained. “She didn’t need my input on writing, and I didn’t need hers on production. She understood I was shaping something for her, and I understood I had nothing to shape without her beautiful center.”

For her part, Nicks reflected on the volatile blend of love, ambition, and artistry that defined their partnership. “Our relationship was up and down and difficult, but at the same time, fantastic,” she said. “What we created together was so powerful that it was worth enduring the chaos.”

Nicks also shared a humorous confession about a small but lasting mistake in “Frozen Love.” What was meant to be the line “Fate gave you me for a lover” ended up sounding like “Hate gave you me for a lover” on the final recording. “That’s not good,” she laughed. “I owe him a call to apologize for that one.”

As the two revisit the album that launched their careers, it seems time — and maybe a little perspective — has softened the edges of their shared history. Decades after heartbreak, breakups, and band drama, Nicks and Buckingham appear to be finding harmony once again — this time, offstage.