Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?

"Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" is a song written by Stevie Nicks and Keith Olsen off the 1985 album Rock a Little. The song was also released as a single in 1986, peaking at No. 60 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background

During the VH1 Storytellers series, Nicks explained that "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" was written about the death of Joe Walsh's three-year-old daughter, Emma Kristen, who was killed in accident on her way to nursery school. Nicks and Walsh were traveling in Colorado when he recounted some of the memories he had with Emma, which Nicks discussed in the liner notes of her Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks compilation album in 1991.

I had been complaining about a lot of things...and he decided to make me aware of how unimportant my problems were. So he told me that he had taken this little girl to this magic park whenever he could, and the only thing she ever complained about was that she was too little to reach up to the drinking fountain.
— Stevie Nicks

Walsh had brought Nicks to the park, which had a small drinking fountain dedicated to Emma and "all others who were too small to get a drink". Once Nicks returned to Phoenix, she sat down at her Bösendorfer grand piano and wrote the song in roughly five minutes. Nicks said that the "priest of nothing" lyric referred to Walsh "and all the rock stars in the world I know" and were "legends" despite not exerting a lot of effort in their craft. Walsh would later dedicate "Song for Emma" for his album So What.

The song was developed further with Keith Olsen during the Rock a Little recording sessions for Rock a Little. Olsen had suggested that they add a bridge and a key change, which he composed on a Kurzweil keyboard in Nicks' house. Nicks gravitated toward this idea and developed a vocal melody to accompany it.

Critical reception

Mike DeGagne of AllMusic retrospectively applauded Nicks for her "wholehearted approach" on "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" Billboard called the song a "low, throaty ballad with acoustic piano and reflective imagery."

Track listing

UK 7 inch Single – EMI 5574

Side A
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?"	Stevie Nicks, Keith Olsen	4:38

Side B
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
2.	"I Can't Wait" (Dub Mix)	Eric Pressly, Rick Nowels, Stevie Nicks

UK 12 inch Single – 12 EMI 5574

Side A
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?"	Stevie Nicks, Keith Olsen	4:38

Side B
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
2.	"No Spoken Word"	Stevie Nicks
3.	"I Can't Wait (Dub Mix)"	Eric Pressly, Rick Nowels, Stevie Nicks

Personnel

Credits adapted from the Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks liner notes

Stevie Nicks – lead vocals
Lori Perry Nicks – backing vocals
Carolyn Brooks – backing vocals
Charles Judge – piano, synthesizer
Jamie Sherrif – E-mu Emulator programming
Michael Landau – guitar
David Kemper – percussion

Chart performance

Chart (1986)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC)	84
US Billboard Hot 100	60
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	31

References

^ Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks (Liner Notes). Stevie Nicks. United States: Modern Records. 1991.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ DeGagne 2001, p. 283.
^ Howe, Zoë (2015). Stevie Nicks: Visions, Dreams & Rumours. Omnibus Press. pp. 227–229, 239. ISBN 978-1-4683-1066-5.
Hay 1998, p. 122.
"Reviews". Billboard. May 10, 1986. p. 79. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
"Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
"Stevie Nicks Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
"Stevie Nicks Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2023.

Sources

DeGagne, Mike (2001), "Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks", All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music (4 ed.), Hal Leonard Corporation, ISBN 9780879306274
Hay, Carla (23 August 1998), "The Eye", Billboard, vol. 110, no. 36, Nielsen Business Media, Inc., ISSN 0006-2510

External links

"Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" at Discogs

v t e Stevie Nicks
Studio albums	Bella Donna The Wild Heart Rock a Little The Other Side of the Mirror Street Angel Trouble in Shangri-La In Your Dreams 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault
Live albums	The Soundstage Sessions
Compilation albums	Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks Enchanted The Divine Stevie Nicks Crystal Visions – The Very Best of Stevie Nicks Stand Back
Songs	"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" "Leather and Lace" "Edge of Seventeen" "After the Glitter Fades" "Stand Back" "If Anyone Falls" "Nightbird" "I Will Run to You" "Wild Heart" "Beauty and the Beast" "Talk to Me" "I Can't Wait" "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" "Imperial Hotel" "Rooms on Fire" "Long Way to Go" "Whole Lotta Trouble" "Sometimes It's a Bitch" "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" "Twisted" "Reconsider Me" "Every Day" "Planets of the Universe" "Sorcerer" "Crash into Me" "Secret Love" "For What It's Worth" "You Can't Fix This" "Golden" "The Dealer" "Lady" "24 Karat Gold" "She Loves Him Still" "Edge of Midnight (Midnight Sky Remix)"
Video releases	In Concert I Can't Wait Live at Red Rocks Crystal Visions – The Very Best of Stevie Nicks Live in Chicago Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams
Tours	Rock a Little Tour 24 Karat Gold Tour
Related	Discography Buckingham Nicks Fleetwood Mac Sandy Stewart

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