“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac was written by Stevie Nicks and her partner, Lindsey Buckingham, before the fame and fortune that came with the release of the self-titled album in 1975. It holds an authenticity that comes from a place of hopelessness and coming to a crossroads in life, and I think that’s why it stands the test of time so well and has been covered, re-worked, and re-recorded by many artists, including Fleetwood Mac themselves. It remains relatable to everyday folk of all walks of life.
It was written before Nicks and Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac, on the tail end of their short career as the duo Buckingham Nicks. They had just had their recording contract with Polydor Records dropped and were visiting friends in Aspen, Colorado, trying to figure out what was next for them.
Stevie Nicks was supporting the two of them with waitressing and odd jobs, while Buckingham did god knows what, probably tinkering on his guitar, trying to come up with their winning ticket to popularity and fame. Nicks felt their world crumbling in around them all at once, looking out of the living room window at the Rocky Mountains of Aspen, contemplating her life as a landslide.
She built the song from that introspection, facing a fork in the road without a clear path. A year later, they joined Fleetwood Mac and included a live version of “Landslide” on their breakout album, launching their celebrated careers.
Although critics were initially lukewarm, “Landslide” gained popularity over time, charting multiple times through countless reworkings and covers over the decades. Notable versions by Smashing Pumpkins (1994), Dixie Chicks (2003), and on “Glee” all found success.
Now a legendary ballad, “Landslide” still resonates as strongly as the day Stevie wrote it.
The tone of the song doesn’t lend a ton to reinterpretations, because its simplicity and lyrics really express all that needs to be said. Having said that, hearing it played and sung by different artists with different vocal stylings can definitely shift the vibe a bit. You have Stevie’s gorgeous rasp and range lending to the emotional weight of the song, and on the other side of the spectrum, we have Billy Corgan’s whining rasp that pricked the ears of angsty Gen X grunge and alternative kids in the ’90s.
The point being that the song really holds its water on its own, regardless of who is singing it. If anything, the person singing or listening to it only changes the interpretation based on who they are and what their life experiences are.
That brings us to this beautiul cover I recently came across on YouTube, which is tasteful and gentle in its delivery, as well as expertly sung and played. It’s by Chase Eagleson and his sister Sierra, who often collaborate on covers and originals, in addition to creating fantastic music on their own.
It starts off super casually, the two sitting in front of their microphones while Chase noodles a bit on the guitar, a false start in a sense. When they get going, the sounds are rich and dialed back, letting the air soak up the emotion as Sierra takes the reins, leading the vocals for the song. She also adds a banjo track under their live rack halfway into the first verse, which really adds a lovely texture over the top of the finger stylings Chase lays down on the acoustic guitar.
Sierra’s voice is rich and smooth, with less of the rasp we’ve come to associate with the song, creating a wonderful coziness. It’s almost an embrace to hold us while we sit with the lyrics. It’s hitting especially hard as I type this in my freezing apartment with the first cold snap of fall settling in around me. Chase joins in for the harmonies on the chorus. It’s always such a treat to hear siblings who came up playing together sing as one; the synchronicity comes so naturally.
Chase decided to take the guitar solo on a different journey with a super dry-toned lap steel solo drowned in lovely reverb. This whole take on an already beautiful and simple song really feels like wearing a soft cardigan, sitting on the couch of a cabin, while you watch the leaves on trees dance in the breeze outside of your window.
Both Chase and Sierra’s respective YouTube channels are filled with acoustic covers and original songs as comforting and tasteful as this one. They have the gift of knowing how to keep things tasteful but heavy-hitting. The flair injected into the songs is used so sparingly that we don’t come to expect it, but when it hits, it fits.