When Stevie Nicks sat down in the makeup chair for her Rolling Stone shoot with the brilliant Annie Leibovitz, no one could have known such magic would follow. Sure, the photos themselves were ethereal, with Nicks in a flowing white dress, slouchy boots, and cockatoo companion, of course. But it was her guttural singing along with an impromptu demo before the shoot that has especially stood the test of time. Luckily, the cameras caught this all on video, and the clip continues to delight fans.

The year was 1981, and Nicks was doing promotional photos for her first solo album, Bella Donna. She plopped down for a dash of rosy powder, and as her eyelids were getting lined, she started to sing, as though she couldn’t keep it caged. For one, it wasn’t her style. If Nicks had something on her mind, it often came out as an echoing, heart-wrenching war cry. It never mattered if she was on stage or behind it.

‘Don’t blame it on me’

The makeup artist seemed to realize in real time that she was witnessing the genesis stage of a brilliant piece of art.........

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