Stevie Nicks Unearthed 2 Long-Buried Songs for thePractical MagicSoundtrack — and Made Them Even More Magical

Mar. 15, 2025

Stevie Nicks; Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in ‘Practical Magic’.Photo:Ethan Miller/Getty Images, Alamy

Ethan Miller/Getty Images, Alamy

There are plenty of reasons to lovePractical Magic, including the bewitching soundtrack.

The beloved 1998 film starringNicole KidmanandSandra Bullockas witchy sisters has become a fall classic, the kind of cozy, comforting flick fans revisit every October to get into the seasonal vibe. (One might even hazard to call it the cinematic equivalent of a pumpkin spice latte.)

Back in 1998, Nicks was experiencing something of a career resurgence following the success ofFleetwood Mac’s 1997 live reunion albumThe Danceand her own solo-career spanning boxed setEnchanted. So it made perfect sense that the singer who gave us songs about witchy women like “Rhiannon” would be featured prominently on the soundtrack to a major motion picture about lovelorn enchantresses.

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in ‘Practical Magic’.Getty

Getty

Just as Kidman and Bullock’s characters tried to resurrect a bad boyfriend in the film, Nicks, with a little help fromSheryl Crow, unearthed two long-buried songs for the soundtrack — with considerably more success.

Nicks’ “If You Ever Did Believe” was the soundtrack’s lead single, which featured Nicks and Crow in the accompanying music video. The song dates all the way back to the 1970s, when, according to Stephen Davis’ 2017 Nicks biographyGold Dust Woman, the singer recorded a demo version in the run-up to Fleetwood Mac’s blockbuster 1977 albumRumors. The song didn’t make the cut however, and Nicks later allowed singer-songwriter Louise Goffin to record the song for her self-titled 1981 album, with Nicks contributing backing vocals.

While several of Nicks’ demos of the song have surfaced online, prior to 1998, she had never released her own recording of “If You Ever Did Believe.”

Nicks’ other contribution toPractical Magicgoes back even further. “Crystal” was first recorded before Nicks and then-boyfriend and musical collaboratorLindsay Buckinghamjoined Fleetwood Mac, and appeared on the duo’s 1973 albumBuckingham Nicks. InGold Dust Woman, Davis writes that the song “described romantic love as a quest, a journey through mountains and fountains.”

But author Zoë Howe writes in 2015’sStevie Nicks: Visions, Dreams & Rumoursthat Nicks wrote the song with her father and grandfather in mind. According to Howe, Nicks insisted that Buckingham take the lead vocals on the track because “he interpreted it so beautifully.”

Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham in the early 1970s.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

ButBuckingham Nicksultimately underperformed, and the duo was dropped from their label. After joining Fleetwood Mac in late 1974, “Crystal” was among the songs Buckingham and Nicks presented to the band to record for 1975’sFleetwood Mac. According to Davis, it was Buckingham who suggested re-recording the song “in a different tempo” and with “better production.” Howe, meanwhile, writes that the band was “keen to hear how [“Crystal”] would sound with more production.” The song was ultimately included on the album, with Buckingham again taking lead vocals.

More than two decades later, Nicks sang lead vocals for the first time on the version of “Crystal” recorded for thePractical Magicsoundtrack. The song, which also features Crow’s backing vocals, is featured prominently in several scenes in the movie.

“It’s funny, because ‘Crystal’ was recorded three times. It was recorded for Buckingham Nicks and Fleetwood Mac, and then it was rerecorded forPractical Magic,“Nicks toldRolling Stonerecently. “Maybe we should record it for a fourth time.”

Nick’s songs not only cast a magical spell on the film’s soundtrack, it also marked the beginning of her frequent collaborations with Crow.

“We did the two songs forPractical Magic,” she told Phoenix radio stationMix 96.9in a 2001 interview. “And that’s when we realized that we could work together.”

Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks in 2019.Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty

Nicks and Crow would go on to work together on several tracks for Nicks’ 2001 albumTrouble in Shangri-La, and have continued to collaborate and perform live together in the decades since. Most recently, the duo worked together onNick’s recent pro-choice single, “The Lighthouse.”

With Kidman and Bullock set to reprise their roles in anupcoming sequel toPractical Magic, here’s hoping Nicks and Crow will likewise re-team for the film’s soundtrack. Nicks toldRolling Stonerecently that she’s more than willing.

“I definitely think they should let me be a part of music [for the film],” she said. “As soon as I get home, I’m going to make that phone call and say, ‘Listen, you have to let me do a song in this, and at least jump off the roof with you guys.’ "

source: people.com