Stevie Nicks – Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around

“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Released in July 1981, Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around was the debut solo single by Stevie Nicks, recorded with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It appeared as the lead single from Nicks’ first solo album, Bella Donna. Written by Petty and guitarist Mike Campbell, the song was originally intended for the Heartbreakers before producer Jimmy Iovine pushed for Nicks to record it, convinced it could anchor her solo career.

At the time, Nicks’ future outside of Fleetwood Mac was far from certain. Her work with the band had sold extremely well, but there was no guarantee she could succeed alone. When Bella Donna was finished, Iovine bluntly told her she didn’t have a hit single, warning that if she didn’t cut Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, “your record’s going to tank and then you’re not going to have a solo career.” Though reluctant to drop one of her own songs to make space, Nicks agreed. Years later, she explained in concert: “I went home and said, ‘You’ve got to drop this self-esteem you’ve got going on right now and realize that the whole reason you even hired Jimmy Iovine was because he produced Tom Petty and you always wanted to be in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.’ So I said, ‘Okay, I’ll do it.’ And it became a huge single, all because Mr. Tom Petty was generous enough to give me that song.”

Musically, the track blends Petty’s sharp, gritty rock tone with Nicks’ smoky, dramatic delivery. The official video, shot in a stark studio setting, underscored their chemistry by focusing almost entirely on the singers’ interaction with the band behind them.

The gamble paid off. Released as the first single from Bella Donna, the track climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100in September 1981 and stayed in the Top 10 for six weeks. It remains Nicks’ highest-charting solo single in the United States. The success set the stage for more hits from the album: the duet Leather and Lace with Don Henley reached No. 6, and her first solo-only single, Edge of Seventeen, peaked at No. 11. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around was later certified Gold by the RIAA for sales exceeding 500,000 copies.

The song has endured as a centerpiece of Nicks’ live performances. She sang it often with Petty in concert, including their memorable reunion at the 2006 Heartbreakers 30th anniversary shows, and again during Fleetwood Mac’s tourswhere she performed it with guest musicians. After Petty’s death in 2017, Nicks continued to honor the song, calling it one of the greatest gifts he ever gave her. She has since performed it with artists such as Harry Styles, reinforcing its timeless quality and its role as a bridge between her solo career and her long friendship with Petty.

Today, the song is remembered not just as a commercial breakthrough, but also as a defining collaboration between two of rock’s most distinctive voices. It continues to be celebrated as one of the essential rock duets of the 1980s.

References

1. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, Wikipedia. Accessed Sept. 4, 2025.
2. Songfacts, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around by Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty.” Accessed Sept. 4, 2025.
3. RIAA Gold & Platinum database. Accessed Sept. 4, 2025.