Music is a remarkable tune for uplifting the masses. Some use it to make their own melodies and soundscapes to continue the cycle of inspiring and entertaining their contemporaries, fans, and those who may come along next to make their own art. Those on the listener's side of the fence can take those recordings or performances they enjoy the most and be uplifted by them casually, in a steady, moderate fashion, or to a level that might even be considered a collector's obsession.

Music exists for and amid all of these separate platforms in the state of mind's interest. But to take it to another type of stage, how about when one major recording artist is vulnerable enough to acknowledge their listener's love for another significant musician's song? They take that professional iration and make it more personally public in a way that acknowledges and reminds us that musicians aren't just working a job, they love the game, too. There's something special to be said about the power of that moment, and that the strength of music can be so limitless.

Stevie Nicks Thanked Taylor Swift For Writing "You're On Your Own, Kid"

And For A Deeply Personal Reason

During a live show, acclaimed solo artist and off-and-on Fleetwood Mac member Stevie Nicks took a moment to thank singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for writing the song "You're On Your Own, Kid" from Swift's 2022 album Midnights. The track feels like a coming-of-age story for Swift, starting with the youthful pop-country princess innocently grooving in a pocket that longs for love.

Eventually, the song explodes into a synth-fed exterior that masks a broader burnout as she realizes that this love isn't coming, and she's on her own in this. It feels like learning the harsh truths that come with growing up.

For Nicks, "You're On Your Own, Kid" hit close to home, as she was mourning the death of Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie. McVie died of issues related to a stroke and cancer in 2022, and she and Nicks had been very close in the 47 years they'd been in each other's orbit, even during the times that they were apart from each other.

Nicks felt like the song described how both she and McVie were on their own separately until they were together again. With McVie gone, the song has since felt like Nicks learning to be on her own and by herself since then. "You're On Your Own, Kid" helped her to process that.

Music Always Has The Power To Heal, As Proven By Both Nicks & Swift

Helping Through The Heartbreak

This is a great aspect of music, how it gives us the power to confront, console, and heal from the worst that pain can throw our way. Taking a track like "You're On Your Own, Kid," or a Nicks song like "Landslide," for instance, is just the tip of the emotional iceberg of what both of these artists have given of themselves, especially when it comes to sharing in the musical medium's ability to provide a safe space tucked away from a harsh place of reality.

Nicks and Swift have been friends for a long time, with Swift even name-dropping Nicks in her closer "Clara Bow" from 2024's The Tortured Poets Department.

I'm sure plenty of fans of both Swift and Nicks can attest to how true this is, and the times their work has helped others survive the tough moments. There's something to be said that the power of their work (and so many others) can also inspire fellow creators as well as regular listeners. The words they're saying and the way that they chose to build them can hit even experienced musical ears and still provoke a profoundly real response.

Moments like these also just go to show how communal that musical power is to those of us in all walks of life. You may feel like "You're On Your Own, Kid," but you've got a lot more in common with fellow souls like Stevie Nicks than you might realize.