The Wild Heart is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac vocalist 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, the recording took only a few months and was released on June 10, 1983, a year after Fleetwood Mac’s Mirage. It peaked at #5 on the U.S. Billboard 200 charts (for seven consecutive weeks) and achieved platinum status on September 12, 1983. The album has sold over 2 million copies in the US alone, and has sold approximately 250,000 copies in the US since 1991 according to Nielsen Soundscan.
The album is notable for its array of prominent guest musicians. Tom Petty made a return to write “I Will Run to You”, on which his bandmates from the Heartbreakers performed. Nicks’ Fleetwood Mac bandmate, drummer Mick Fleetwood, made an appearance on the track “Sable on Blond”. 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, 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”, features a full string section. 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 achieved double-platinum status in 1993, ten years after its release, for selling more than 2 million copies in the U.S. It spent a whole year on the Billboard 200 from June 1983 to June 1984. It was also certified Silver in the UK for sales in excess of 60,000. Three singles were released from the album: “Stand Back”, which charted at number 5; “If Anyone Falls”, which charted at number 14; and “Nightbird”, which charted at number 33. “Stand Back” and “If Anyone Falls” featured accompanying videos 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.
Tracks
1 Wild Heart (Stevie Nicks) 6:11 2 If Anyone Falls (Stevie Nicks, Sandy Stewart) 4:09 3 Gate And Garden (Stevie Nicks) 4:06 4 Enchanted (Stevie Nicks) 3:06 5 Nightbird (Stevie Nicks, Sandy Stewart) 5:00 6 Stand Back (Stevie Nicks) 4:51 7 I Will Run To You (Tom Petty) 3:22 8 Nothing Ever Changes (Stevie Nicks, Sandy Stewart) 4:09 9 Sable On Blonde (Stevie Nicks) 4:15 10 Beauty And The Beast (Stevie Nicks) 6:02
Musicians
1 Wild Heart
Bass - Roger Tausz Drums - Brad Smith Guitar - Dean Parks Guitar - David Monday Vocals - Stevie Nicks
2 If Anyone Falls
Bass - Bob Glaub Drums - Russ Kunkel Guitar - Waddy Wachtel Synthesizer - Roy Bittan Percussion - Bobby Hall Background Vocals - Carolyn Brooks Vocals - Stevie Nicks
3 Gate And Garden
Drums - Brad Smith Guitar - Waddy Wachtel Guitar - David Monday Keyboards - Sandy Stewart Organ - Ben Tench Synthesizer - Sandy Stewart Vocals - Stevie Nicks
4 Enchanted
Bass - Bob Glaub Drums - Russ Kunkel Guitar - Waddy Wachtel Organ - Ben Tench Piano - Roy Bittan Percussion - Bobby Hall Vocals - Stevie Nicks
5 Nightbird
Bass - Kenny Edwards Drums - Marvin Caruso Drums - Chet McCracken Guitar - Waddy Wachtel Organ - Ben Tench Piano - David Foster Piano - Sandy Stewart Synthesizer - Sandy Stewart Background Vocals - Sandy Stewart Vocals - Stevie Nicks
6 Stand Back
Drums - Marvin Caruso Drums (Overdubs) - Russ Kunkel Guitar - Steve Lukather Guitar - David Williams Guitar - Waddy Wachtel Synthesizer - Prince Synthesizer - Sandy Stewart Synthesizer - David Bluefield Percussion - Bobbye Hall Percussion - Ian Wallace Background Vocals - Sharon Celani Background Vocals - Lori Perry-Nicks Vocals - Stevie Nicks
7 I Will Run To You
Bass - Howie Epstein Drums - Stan Lynch Guitar - Mike Campbell Guitar - Tom Petty Keyboards - Ben Tench Vocals - Tom Petty Vocals - Stevie Nicks
8 Nothing Ever Changes
Bass - Bob Glaub Drums - Russ Kunkel Guitar - Don Felder Piano - Roy Bittan Synthesizer - Sandy Stewart Sax - Phil Kenzie Percussion - Bobby Hall Vocals - Stevie Nicks
9 Sable On Blonde
Guitar - Kenny Edwards Drums - Mick Fleetwood Guitar - Waddy Wachtel Piano - Roy Bittan Synthesizer - Sandy Stewart Vocals - Stevie Nicks
10 Beauty And The Beast
Bass - John Beal Piano - Roy Bittan Background Vocals - Carolyn Brooks Vocals - Stevie Nicks
Other Musicians
Accompanied By (With) – Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (Track 7) Cello – Fred Zlotkin, Jesse Levy, Jonathan Abramowitz, Seymour Barab (Track 10) Conductor (Strings) – Paul Buckmaster (Track 10) Harp – Gene Bianco (Track 10) Viola – Harry Zaratzian, Jesse Levine, Julien Barber, Theodore Israel (Track 10) Violin – Harry Cykman, Harry Glickman, Herbert Sorkin, John Pintavalle, Lewis Eley, Marvin Morgenstern, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman, Paul Winter, Peter Dimitriades, Raymond Kunicki, Regis Iandiorio, Ruth Waterman (Track 10)
Liner Notes
Producer – Jimmy Iovine Producer – Gordon Perry (Tracks 1, 3) Producer – Tom Petty (Track 7) Coordinator (Production) – Janet Weber Arranged By (Strings) – Kenneth Whitfield, Paul Buckmaster (Track 10) Engineer – Shelly Yakus Engineer (Additional) – Greg Edward, Tom Gondolf (Tracks 1, 3) Engineer (Assistants) – Bill Freesh, Bobby Cohen, David Bianco, David Dubow, John Curcio, John Smith, Josh Abbey, Julian Stoll, Michael Brooks, Peter Kudas Mastered By – Stephen Marcussen Mixed By – Greg Edward, Lori Perry-Nicks, Shelly YakusArt Direction, Design – Herbert Wheeler Worthington III Artwork – Lori Perry-Nicks, Stevie Nicks Design – Michael Curtis, Michael Manoogian, Herbert Wheeler Worthington III, Stevie Nicks Photography – Herbert Wheeler Worthington III, Michael Marks, Robert AlfrodMastered At Precision Lacquer Mastered At Sheffield Lab Matrix Mastered At Allied Record Company Mixed At Rumbo Recorders Mixed At The Hit Factory Recorded At Goodnight Dallas Recorded At Record Plant, Los Angeles Recorded At Record Plant, NYC Recorded At Studio 55, Los Angeles Recorded At The Hit Factory Recorded At A&R Studios Phonographic Copyright Modern Records Inc Copyright Modern Records Inc
