Song of the Day 5/18: Stevie Nicks, “Stand Back”

This is the theme song for my mandatory two-week quarantine. I play it for anyone who wants to visit, right after I explain to them that for some reason two-thirds of the people working at London Heathrow couldn’t be bothered to wear masks.

Though he isn’t credited as co-writer, this song owes its existence to Prince. Newlywed Nicks was driving with her husband on their honeymoon when “Little Red Corvette” came on the car radio. She started humming along and that night laid down a demo tape for what become “Stand Back.” When she went into the studio to record it for her second solo album, 1983’s “The Wild Heart,” she called Prince to tell him about how she wrote it. He came to the studio, recorded the synthesizer tracks for the tune and “got up and left as if the whole thing happened in a dream.” His playing is uncredited on the album, but Nicks says they agreed to split the publishing royalties 50-50.