| "Beautiful Child" | |
|---|---|
| Song byFleetwood Mac | |
| from the albumTusk | |
| Released | 1979 |
| Recorded | 1978–1979 |
| Genre | Soft rock |
| Length | 5:21 |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Songwriter(s) | Stevie Nicks |
| Producer(s) | Fleetwood Mac,Richard Dashut,Ken Caillat |
"Beautiful Child" is a song by British-American rock bandFleetwood Mac, released in 1979. Composed and sung by vocalistStevie Nicks, it was one of her five songs that appeared on theTusk album. Despite not appearing on the accompanyingTusk Tour, the song resurfaced several years later on their 2003–2004 Say You Will Tour.[1]
Nicks wrote "Beautiful Child" on a Sunday around midnight and finished the song before dawn. In an interview several months before its release, Nicks described Beautiful Child as "a lullaby" and her "most special song".[2] None of the band members or producers originally asked Nicks what the song was about, believing that the lyrical content was too personal.[3] However, Nicks revealed in 2013 that "Beautiful Child" was written about her affair withDerek Taylor, who formerly served as the road manager forThe Beatles and was older than Nicks. The lyric "You fell in love when I was only ten" referred to Taylor's marriage with Joan Taylor in 1958.[4] Nicks commented that the affair was brief since Taylor was married at the time.[5] In the 2015 liner notes toTusk, Nicks recalled that Taylor would recite poetry to her "in his beautiful English voice" and call her a beautiful child, a comment that irked Nicks.[6] The lyrics detail Nicks' final night with Taylor atThe Beverly Hills Hotel and portray a younger girl conveying her love to an older gentleman.[3]
During the recording of "Beautiful Child", achorus effect was applied toJohn McVie's bass guitar. Abass synthesiser was also added to supplement the lower frequencies of the bass guitar by playing an octave below the instrument. These instruments enter at the end of verse one along with a snare drum. ProducerKen Caillat applied a reverse echo to the snare drum hits by recording the instrument backwards and printing the echo on two separate tracks so that the echo preceded each snare drum hit.[3]
Rather than record the backing vocals in the same room, Nicks,Christine McVie, andLindsey Buckingham instead sang their parts individually in anecho chamber situated in Studio D atThe Village Recorder. These parts were doubled and faded in and out throughout the song using the studio'smixing console.[3]
Soon after the band recorded the song,UNESCO declared that 1979 was theInternational Year of the Child, aproclamation intended to promotechildren's rights by addressingmalnutrition, maternal outcomes, and educational disparities, particularly indeveloping countries.[7] AMusic for UNICEF Concert was held at the beginning of 1979 to coincide with the International Year of the Child, although Fleetwood Mac were unable to attend. Nicks instead donated "Beautiful Child" and all of its royalties to the UN fundraising campaign.[2][3]
