Trouble in Shangri-La, Stevie Nicks, Sharon Celani, Lori Nicks
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TROUBLE IN SHANGRI-LA (2001)

Stevie Nicks‘ sixth solo album, Trouble in Shangri-La (2001), explores the ups and downs of fame. Nicks herself has described the album as a reflection of the challenges involved in staying at the peak of one’s career, or “Shangri-La.”

Stevie Nicks has never sounded more grounded or passionate than on Trouble in Shangri-La, which is her best and most varied work as a solo artist.” –Us Weekly

Stevie Nicks Trouble in Shangri-La (2001)

Background

Disappointed with the uneven Street Angel (1994) and recovering from Klonopin addiction, Stevie Nicks spent seven years sporadically working on her next album, Trouble in Shangri-La.

During that time, she had dinner with Tom Petty to ask if he would write a song for her; the two dined at the Ritz-Carlton in Phoenix on April 24, 1994. Petty declined but encouraged her to start writing again. This conversation ended up inspiring two songs: “That Made Me Stronger” and “Hard Advice” (from her album 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault).

Petty’s pep talk motivated Nicks to write “Love Is,” her first song in months. She later wrote the album’s title track, “Trouble in Shangri-La,” in 1995. While not specifically about the O.J. Simpson murder trial happening at the time, she related to the difficulties of a public relationship. These two songs, “Love Is” and “Trouble in Shangri-La,” ultimately became the “bookends” of the album and gave her the inspiration she needed to complete the project.

The Dance, Enchanted

Following the success of Fleetwood Mac‘s 1997 reunion album, The Dance, Stevie Nicks put her solo album, Trouble in Shangri-La, on hold. The reunion inspired her to write new songs for the album, including the ballad “Touched by an Angel.” The momentum from The Dance led to more touring and the release of Nicks’s retrospective album, Enchanted: The Works of Stevie Nicks, in 1998.

After promoting Enchanted, Nicks went back to work on Trouble in Shangri-La. She teamed up with Sheryl Crow, who produced five tracks for the album, including “Candlebright” and “Sorcerer.” But Crow’s touring schedule for her own album, The Globe Sessions, often pulled her away from the project.

Writing and Recording Trouble in Shangri-La

Stevie Nicks began writing additional songs for Trouble in Shangri-La, while on vacation in Maui at the end of 1999. In this serene, “jade green” environment, she was able to leave her work with Fleetwood Mac behind and focus on new songs. “I wrote it in Hawaii two years ago,” Stevie said in 2001. “At that point, in order to write the rest of the songs for [Trouble in Shangri-La], I really had to leave my Enchanted box set and Fleetwood Mac behind. Hawaii was very different than any place I’d ever been. Very green — jade green — very calm, very Zen. And I realized that if you take yourself to a great environment, you can just about get over anything.”

She wrote the song “Bombay Sapphires” during this time and considered having Sting perform the harmony vocals. The musical similarities between her song and Sting’s “Shape of My Heart” could be a reason she thought of him for the harmony part. However, her management suggested she collaborate with fellow Reprise label-mate and rising star Macy Gray instead. Macy, who had just won a Grammy for her hit single, “I Try,” hit it off with Stevie, and she recorded high harmonies on “Bombay Sapphires.” Macy also wrote a song for Stevie called “Smitten,” though it’s unknown if either of them ever recorded it (Rolling Stone, 2000).

A Change in Direction

During her time in Hawaii, Nicks heard TLC‘s song “Unpretty,” which was produced by R&B producer Dallas Austin. Impressed with his work, she asked Austin to produce some tracks for the album.

“Sheryl Crow actually started [producing the album] first,” Austin explained. “I came in [when] I think Sheryl had to go on the road, and Stevie was in Hawaii one day and she put on the TLC record. [I’ve heard] she said, ‘Hey, this is the guy. I need to find this guy. He could do a lot of stuff. It sounds like [certain] Fleetwood Mac influences.’ So I finally went out to meet her. Sheryl had done two songs, but I’m not sure if she’s gonna finish them or if Stevie’s gonna finish them, or how it’s gonna work, but the songs she did sound great.” (MTV News, 2000).

In March 2000, Nicks flew to Atlanta to work with Austin at his recording studio. Although Austin reportedly completed tracks for the album, Nicks ultimately decided not to use them. “The whole album was going a certain way, and Dallas had to move on,” Nicks said. “He can’t spend a year doing an album. I came back to L.A. and started to do other songs with Sheryl, and I realized the record was going in a completely different direction. The songs didn’t fit. The songs that I did with him were very R&B, and then I’m dueting with [country’s] Natalie (Maines), and all of a sudden this record was not making any sense at all.” (Cohen, Tribune, 2001).

Nicks also worked with producer Rodney Jerkins (Destiny’s Child, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Monica) for a short time. (New York Magazine, 2000).

To get the album back on track, Nicks worked with producers David Kahne, Pierre Marchand, Rick Nowels, Jeff Trott, and John Shanks to bring her original vision for the album to life.

Other unused songs

Stevie Nicks recorded songs for Trouble in Shangri-La that were not included on the final album. These included “My Heart,” which she reworked for In Your Dreams (2011); “Touched by an Angel,” which appeared on the Sweet November Motion Picture Soundtrack (2001); and “Thrown Down,” which she re-recorded for Fleetwood Mac’s Say You Will (2003).

“Touched by an Angel” preceded the release of Trouble in Shangri-La by six months, first appearing on the Reprise Records promo CD for the 2000 ACLU Bill of Rights Awards Dinner on December 14, 2000. The CD also included Lindsey Buckingham’s solo version of “Peacekeeper.”

Serendipitous collaborations

Nicks referred to the album’s many collaborations as “perfect accidents,” highlighting the spontaneous and unique creative energy of the project. She worked with some of the biggest names in music:

  • Sheryl Crow sang backup on three tracks and was instrumental in bringing other artists to the project.
  • Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks (The Chicks) recorded “Too Far From Texas” with Nicks, a duet that came together with a live band in just two days.
  • Lindsey Buckingham reunited with Nicks, playing guitar for the song “I Miss You.”
  • Macy Gray sang harmony vocals on “Bombay Sapphires.”
  • Sarah McLachlan collaborated on “Love Is.” This partnership required Nicks to fly to Vancouver to work with McLachlan’s producer, Pierre Marchand, who couldn’t travel to Los Angeles due to a green card issue.
  • Every Day,” which was the album’s lead single, came about from a demo Stevie received from producer John Shanks and Damon Johnson of the band Thin Lizzy. The title nostalgically reminded Nicks of Buddy Holly’s 1957 classic “Everyday,” and she agreed to record the track.

Release & Reaction

Trouble in Shangri-La was released on CD and cassette on May 1, 2001, to great success. Aided by a strong marketing campaign from VH1 (May 2001’s “Artist of the Month: Stevie Nicks”), the album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling an impressive 109,000 copies in its first week. This marked Nicks’ highest album debut since The Wild Heart in 1983.

The singles “Every Day” (AC #17), “Planets of the Universe” (Dance #1), and “Sorcerer” (AC #21) all performed well on the radio. With the help of popular remixes by DJs Tracy Young and Illicit, “Planets of the Universe” became a number-one hit on the Hot Dance/Club Play chart during the summer.

By June 2001, the album was certified Gold. It has since sold over 638,000 copies in the United States. Nicks also earned her fifth Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for “Planets of the Universe.” Looking back on the album, Nicks told Entertainment Weekly that it was her “heart and soul, everything I’ve wanted to say over the last 10 years.”

Track List

  1. Trouble in Shangri-La
  2. Candlebright
  3. Sorcerer (Feat. Sheryl Crow)
  4. Planets of the Universe
  5. Every Day
  6. Too Far From Texas (Feat. Natalie Maines)
  7. That Made Me Stronger
  8. It’s Only Love (Feat. Sheryl Crow)
  9. Love Changes
  10. I Miss You (Feat. Lindsey Buckingham on guitar)
  11. Bombay Sapphires (Feat. Macy Gray)
  12. Fall From Grace
  13. Love Is (Feat. Sarah McLachlan)

Promotional Videos

Every Day

Planets of the Universe

Sorcerer

News & Coverage

References

Brown, E. (2000, May). Production values. New York Magazine. Retrieved from https://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/music/features/2982/.
Johnson, T. (2000, January). Dallas Austin discusses working with Stevie Nicks. MTV News. Retrieved from http://www.mtv.com/news/1425064/dallas-austin-discusses-working-with-stevie-nicks/
(2000, April). Macy Gray. Rolling Stone (RS 839).

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