Stevie Nicks Wrote a Ballad About Her Affair with the ‘Fifth Beatle’

Like practically every musician of her generation, Stevie Nicks was a fan of The Beatles. She wrote a song inspired by John Lennon’s death and enjoyed spending time with George Harrison. She also forged a very personal connection to the band when she had an affair with one of their longtime associates. Nicks wrote a song about their fleeting relationship.

Stevie Nicks wrote a song about an affair with a long-time Beatles associate

For the 1979 Fleetwood Mac album Tusk, Nicks wrote the song “Beautiful Child.” In it, she sang about her affair with The Beatles’ press officer, Derek Taylor. Taylor was such an important part of the band’s dynamic and day-to-day functioning that he became known as the Fifth Beatle.

“‘Beautiful Child’ was about a relationship I had with the royal road manager of The Beatles, whose name was Derek Taylor,” Nicks said in a Q&A at a screening of her film In Your Dreams. “It didn’t last very long, because he was married but it affected me very much, because he told me so many stories about the Beatles … The road managers are the ones who know everything, and so I learned so much from him about the whole world of The Beatles.”

While the relationship was short-lived, Nicks said that the amount information she learned about The Beatles from Taylor was “stunning.” In “Beautiful Child,” Nicks sings, “You say it will be harder in the morning/ I wait for you to say, just go/ Your hands held mine so few hours/ (I fell into love) But I’m not a child anymore.”