When Stevie Nicks recently announced her headline show at British Summer Time in Hyde Park, the internet went crazy as people worried about getting tickets and became excited about the prospect of seeing her live. Tickets went on sale and sold out almost immediately, highlighting Nicks’ incredible musical talent. However, if you feel inferior, fear not, because this misinterpretation of a song title demonstrates that, despite her achievements, Stevie Nicks is still human, just like us.
Sex has always been a challenging subject to write about. While some artists describe the act literally, others try to dress it up with metaphors. They make it sound much more poetic than simply bumping uglies. Mick Fleetwood is one of these people. He refused to refer to genitalia literally, instead using the term “tusk” rather than “penis”.
‘Tusk’ appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s 1979 album of the same name. Mick Fleetwood was so proud of how he had subtly referenced the male privates that he was content for it to be the title song. Stevie Nicks, however, objected. Was it because the title was uninspiring and crude? Was it because Tusk is such a bland album title? Not exactly.
“I did not understand the title. “There was nothing beautiful or elegant about the word ‘tusk‘,” she stated. “It brought to mind the people who stole ivory. Even in 1979, the thought persisted: “People are poaching rhinos, stealing tusks, and slaughtering elephants.” Ivory is being sold on the black market.
Mick Fleetwood’s subtle reference to the penis may have been too subtle. As it turns out even his bandmates missed it. This is one of the pitfalls that artists face when writing metaphorically. The message they convey frequently becomes too abstract, to the point where they completely lose the original meaning of the metaphor.
Stevie Nicks was one of those people, stating, “I don’t recall it being [slang], that went right over my prudish little head.” I didn’t find out until long after the record was finished. And when I did, I disliked the title even more!”
We often see musicians in a different light than the average person. When tens of thousands of people are willing to pay money to see them perform in just a few minutes, it’s difficult to compare Stevie Nicks to our own. So, if you ever want to remind yourself that these musicians are human beings like us, remember that dick jokes and heavy metaphors go over their heads just as much as they do ours.
