From one poet to another.
Last fall Stevie Nicks opened up about being inspired by Taylor Swift in her own songwriting — which has long been embraced by fans for its vulnerability and honesty — and now the queen of rock and roll is featured in Swift’s latest work.
While the Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter doesn’t provide vocals on The Tortured Poets Department, Nicks wrote a poem on Aug. 13, 2023 for Swift, 34, that’s featured as the written prologue on the pop superstar’s new album.
“For T and me…” Nicks, 75, titled the piece, which includes an annotation that it was written in Austin, Texas.
“He was in love with her / Or at least she thought so / She was brokenhearted / Maybe he was too,” Nicks starts off the poem, which details a relationship between two ill-fated lovers — one “way too hot to handle” and the other “way too high to try.”
Swift’s latest body of work reflects many of the themes seen in Nick’s poem, including being left suddenly by a romantic prospect who “didn’t say goodbye.”
Much like Swift’s trajectory since her breakup with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn after six years together and a brief romance with Matty Healy, the subject of Nicks’ poem makes her “way to the stars” as she heals following turmoil.
“I never don’t tell the truth. And I think that’s something that if Taylor Swift, who is my friend, if Taylor got anything from me, that’s what she got,” Nicks told TODAY.com last October. “I don’t ever lie in my songs — and if you broke up with me, I don’t put I broke up with you. I tell the truth, always.”
In the same interview, Nicks shared that she has a “secret poetry book” containing work that never became songs.
“If they work themselves into being a song, then I’m really happy,” said Nicks.
Swift and Nicks have long been intertwined, and after performing “Rhiannon” and “You Belong with Me” at the 2010 Grammys, Swift called the experience a “fairy tale and an honor.”
Nicks also lauded her “determination” and “childlike nature” at the time, saying that “this girl writes the songs that make the whole world sing, like Neil Diamond or Elton John.”
