June 10 marks the 40th anniversary of Stevie Nicks’ sophomore solo album, The Wild Heart, which peaked at five on the Billboard 200 Album chart, spending seven weeks in that position. It went on to spend over a year on the chart.
Released almost two years after her monster solo debut, Bella Donna, The Wild Heart featured the hit single “Stand Back,” which peaked at five on the Billboard Hot 100. The song featured an uncredited cameo by Prince on synthesizers; he got a 50% writing credit, reportedly because Nicks took inspiration for the song from his hit “Little Red Corvette.”
Nicks infamously shot two videos for “Stand Back,” the first featuring lavish production and a big price tag. Stevie rejected that clip, reportedly because she thought she looked fat. Instead she released a lower budget clip, featuring footage of her singing and dancing, along with a choreographed dance group.
In addition to Prince, Toto’s Steve Lukather appeared on “Stand Back,” while the album also featured guest appearances by Tom Petty on “I Will Run To You” and Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood on “Sable on Blond.”
The Wild Heart went on to be certified double Platinum by the RIAA.
Also turning 40 on June 10 is The Kinks’ 20th studio album, State of Confusion, which peaked at #12 on the Billboard album chart.
The album’s success was aided by the single “Come Dancing,” which peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune was a tribute to Ray Davies’ older sister Rene, who passed away from a heart attack during a night out dancing. The video for the song became a staple on MTV, helping the tune become one of the band’s highest charting U.S. singles of their career, tying with their 1965 track “Tired of Waiting For You.”
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