Stevie Nicks’ New Single ‘For What It’s Worth’ Inspired by Tour With Tom Petty

Rock and roll gypsy Stevie Nicks revealed that the inspiration behind her new single 'For What It's Worth' stems from a summer's worth of touring with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

Nicks continues to bask in the glow of the positive reception for her latest album ‘In Your Dreams,’ and the release of this single ties in nicely with her upcoming August tour dates. Stevie calls the summer touring with Petty, which birthed 'For What it's Worth' "the best summer of my life," adding, "You can interpret that any way you like."

Nicks is also very proud of her new album, which she says “feels like the best thing I’ve ever done.”

In conversation with the Telegraph, Nicks also details the first time that she ever met Janis Joplin: “when I first saw Janis she was very angry. The first band had run over time, and she came on stage screaming, scared me to death. I was hiding behind the amps. She told them to get the you-know-what off her you-know-what stage. And they wrapped it up!”

Continuing to recall the moment, Stevie moves the timeline forward twenty minutes to when Janis came on-stage, wearing “silky bell bottoms, a beautiful top, lots of gorgeous jewelry, feathers in her crazy big natural hair. Lots of attitude, arrogance, the crowd in the palm of her hand.”

Taken by the spectacle, Nicks was, again, inspired by Joplin: “I learned that to make it as a female musician in a man’s world is gonna be tough, and you need to keep your head held high.” But Jimi Hendrix was also highly influential on her development, making a major contribution by teaching Nicks, in her words, “Grace and humility."

Previously, Nicks spoke about other important influences, including Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Joni Mitchell. Grab some more knowledge on the "Gold Dust Woman" via our list of 10 Things You Didn't Know About Stevie Nicks.

Watch Stevie Nicks Perform 'For What It's Worth' With Mike Campbell