Nightbird (song)

"Nightbird"
Single by Stevie Nicks
from the album The Wild Heart
B-side	"Gate and Garden"
Released	November 30, 1983
Recorded	1983
Length	4:59
Label	Modern
Songwriter(s)	Stevie Nicks Sandy Stewart
Producer(s)	Jimmy Iovine
Stevie Nicks singles chronology
"If Anyone Falls" (1983) "Nightbird" (1983) "Talk to Me" (1985)

"Nightbird" is a 1983 song by the American singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks, written by Nicks with Sandy Stewart. It was the third single from Nicks's second solo album, The Wild Heart. The song, a duet with Stewart, peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 32 spot on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. The song also reached No. 39 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary Chart.

Background

The song was written as a continuation of themes explored in "Edge of Seventeen," namely "the difficulties of female rock 'n' roll singers."[1] In a 1983 MTV interview, Nicks said "Nightbird" was her favorite song from the new album.

Reception

Cash Box said that "a stark keyboard and guitar intro, together with Nicks’ tired, low-ranged croak, provide a melancholic setting depicting the approach of winter and night."[2]

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Singles	32
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3]	33
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart[4]	39

Notes and references

1. "Stevie Nicks on Nightbird".
2. "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 17, 1983. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 615.
4. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 182.

• Timespace – The Best of Stevie Nicks, liner notes
• Crystal Visions – The Very Best of Stevie Nicks, liner notes and commentary