Watch A ‘Rare’ Footage Of Stevie Nicks Working On ‘Leather And Lace’

Stevie Nicks penned “Leather and Lace” about a famously incompatible couple, drawing inspiration from her relationships with Don Henley and Lindsey Buckingham. Nicks and Buckingham were together when they joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975, but they broke up a year later. She then began dating Henley for about two years, and they remained in touch after their breakup.

Known for her romances with other notable musicians like Joe Walsh, Nicks often maintained professional relationships with her former partners long after the romance ended.

In the liner notes to her TimeSpace album, Stevie shared the backstory of the song:

“I wrote this song because Waylon Jennings called me up and asked me to write a song called ‘Leather and Lace.’ It was to be a duet for him and his wife (Jessi Colter), and I worked very hard trying to explain what it was like to be in love with someone in the same business, and how to approach dealing with each other. It’s probably the hardest thing in the world to do because it falls out of your hands and into the hands of the world, which tends to want you to not be able to handle it.”

She continued:

“I have to tell you now that Mr. Don Henley was pretty much responsible for this song because he came over every day and told me to either start over, or that I was on the right track, and he made me finish it (because I almost gave up many times). When it was finally finished, Don and I made a very simple demo of it – he sang it with me, and it was truly wonderful. And then I found out that Waylon and Jessi were breaking up, and Waylon wanted to just sing it by himself.”

After all the work she put into the song’s philosophy, Nicks insisted that only four people could perform it: Waylon and Jessi, or herself and Don Henley. Fortunately, Henley, who had been dating Nicks for a while, agreed to sing it with her.

“As fate would have it, it became one of the most special love songs that I would ever write… and remains that, even today, after all these years. All in all, it was an unforgettable experience, as was he. Blame it on my wild heart.”

“Leather and Lace” marked Henley’s first hit after leaving the Eagles and was also a significant solo success for Nicks following her time with Fleetwood Mac. Their collaboration on this track stands as a testament to their enduring musical chemistry and personal history. Catch the video of Stevie Nicks working on the song in a studio: