| Nightbird | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Stevie Nicks |
| Album: | The Wild Heart |
| B-Side: | Gate and Garden |
| Released: | November 30, 1983 |
| Recorded: | 1983 |
| Length: | 4:59 |
| Label: | Modern |
| Producer: | Jimmy Iovine |
| Prev Title: | If Anyone Falls |
| Prev Year: | 1983 |
| Next Title: | Talk to Me |
| Next Year: | 1985 |
"Nightbird" is a 1983 song by the American singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks, written by Nicks with Sandy Stewart. It was the third single from Nicks's second solo album, The Wild Heart. The song, a duet with Stewart, peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 32 spot on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. The song also reached No. 39 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary Chart.
The song was written as a continuation of themes explored in "Edge of Seventeen," namely "the difficulties of female rock 'n' roll singers."[1] In a 1983 MTV interview, Nicks said "Nightbird" was her favorite song from the new album.
Cash Box said that "a stark keyboard and guitar intro, together with Nicks’ tired, low-ranged croak, provide a melancholic setting depicting the approach of winter and night."[2]
| Chart (1983) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Singles | 32 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] | 33 | |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart[4] | 39 |
. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 . Joel Whitburn . 2013 . Record Research . 615.
. Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Joel Whitburn . 2002 . Record Research . 182.