Years After Their Famous Duet, A Tom Petty Hit Became Stevie Nicks' Lifeline
Stevie Nicks has never been shy about professing her adoration for Tom Petty and his music. She even stanned Petty so much that she befriended him and convinced him to give her the song "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," which in 1981, became her biggest hit without Fleetwood Mac. Given Nicks' admiration of Petty's work, it makes sense that when she was at her lowest, one of his songs inspired her to keep fighting for herself.
The situation was drug rehab, the song was "I Won't Back Down," and the year was 1994. Though it had been more than a decade since their collaboration on "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," Nicks once said, "Tom Petty's songs are like a great book that you revisit when you need help. His songs make me better," per Billboard. She was referring to her 47-day stint in rehab after becoming addicted to Klonopin for eight years with the help of an indulgent doctor, who started prescribing the tranquilizer, ironically, to help her recover from a years-long cocaine addiction. Nicks felt that during those eight years, her work suffered, as the effects of the medication left her unable to write songs.
But as she worked to recover, she listened to some of Petty's catalog, including "I Won't Back Down" off of his 1989 release, "Full Moon Fever." It's not hard to understand how lyrics like, "I'll stand my ground / Won't be turned around / And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down / Gonna stand my ground / And I won't back down" could inspire a person during a difficult time in life.
Stevie Nicks called Tom Petty's I Won't Back Down her 'mantra.'
"I Won't Back Down" was just the song that Stevie Nicks needed. According to Billboard, she said of the track, "When I thought I was dying in rehab in 1994, 'I Won't Back Down' was my mantra. It lifted me up out of the pain and made me fight through it."
Beyond giving her a song for her debut album and inspiring her to overcome addiction, Petty was also Nicks' dear friend and cheerleader of sorts. She relayed a story to Q Magazine in 2001 (via Music Radar), saying that in 1995, when she was trying to write new music, she turned to Petty for help, and he told her, "Yeah, you've had a couple of bad years, but it's okay. You need to go home and go on a mission — reinvent yourself, write some new songs. You're one of the best songwriters I know. You don't need my help. You don't need anybody's help!"
Hearing that from someone she admired so much put the wind back in her sails, something Petty seemed to have a knack for doing for Nicks, ever since their first collaboration in the early '80s. More than three decades since she leaned on Petty's music to get her through one of the hardest times in her life, Nicks is still a rock icon with a distinct style who has never backed down.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).