American Horror Storyshines the most in the moments that make zero sense. From dance numbers with patients at an asylum to rants about the inappropriate use of knotty pine on the walls of a house, the series somehow always manages to succeed in the art of being weird. With just about as many cameos as there are episodes, it would seem like a tough task to figure out just which guest was the strangest of the bunch, but it turns out we only have to look to Season 3’s Coven for our answer.
Stevie Nicks— arguably one of the witchiest figures in rock history — doubles down on thelong-lived theory that she’sactuallya witchby turning up on the steps of Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies in New Orleans, Louisiana forCoven. Unlike most guest stars inAmerican Horror Storyhistory, Nicks plays herself in this role, though with alittletwist: she reveals herself to actually be a White Witch. And if simply seeing Nicks at the academy for young witches wasn’t enough of a shock to our system, she gives us a tiny taste of her abilities, too.
American Horror Story’s Misty Day Loves Stevie Nicks
While Nicks' appearance didn’t come along until Episode 10 of the 13 in the season, her presence was there within the coven all along, and that’s with a majorthanks to Misty Day (Lily Rabe), an obsessed Stevie Nicks andFleetwood Macfan who also happens to be a witch in her spare time. Prior to Episode 10 (officially titled, “The Magical Delights of Stevie Nicks”), we watched on as Day blasted Fleetwood Mac songs — including “Sara” and “Rhiannon” — in her bedroom and corrected her fellow classmate, Zoe (Taissa Farmiga), after she thought that Nicks was a contestant onAmerican Idol. Day also claimed that she had evidence of Nicks being a White Witch, pointing to the lyrics of “Rhiannon” to back herself up.
Day gave a bit of an oral history of how Nicks found her voice to Kyle Spencer (Evan Peters), a local frat bro who the witches at the academy decided to bring back to life, though later on, he ended up totally destroying her tape of “Leather & Lace” along with her music player, bringing Day to absolute tears. So, yeah, Nicks might’ve had just alittlebit of an impact of Day’s entire life, and in turn, Nicks' music had an impact on the entire season, as the discography of both Nicks herself and of Fleetwood Mac were featured heavily as part of the season’s soundtrack. One of the most iconic moments of Season 3 — and ofpossibly all of American Horror Story history— was set to Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs,” which was played as the great Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy) was burned at the stake.
Because Day basically made Nicks a character in the show before she even arrived, her entrance was that much more meaningful when she finally turned up in Episode 10 as an old friend of the Supreme witch, Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange). While it was certainly something else to see Lange and Nicks — two iconic women in their own right — side by side, the real moment we were collectively holding our breaths for was when Day would finally come face to face with the singer. And with Nicks facing the wall in one of the main living rooms, Day walked in and Nicks turned around: “You must be Misty,” she says. “I’m Stevie Nicks.” And with those seven words, Misty Day fainted right in front of Stevie Nicks out of pure astonishment.
Stevie Nicks' Impact on American Horror Story Is Bigger Than You Think
As Nicks sits down at the piano and sings “Rhiannon” for everyone in the coven, Day dances around in awe of both Nicks herself and of the moment. Off to the side, however, Goode whispers to Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) that Day has the true makings of a new Supreme witch — not her. After basically being anointed by Stevie Nicks into the witchdom, all Day has left to do is to complete the notoriously difficult Seven Wonders test, which is designed to officially swear in a new, worthy Supreme into the coven. This, of course, ultimately leads to Day and the other girls at the academy finally taking their Seven Wonders test, and with Nicks still around, it couldn’t have been a more perfect moment than for Nicks to sing her song, “Seven Wonders,” to wish them all well. Unfortunately for Day, the song wasn’t enough to power her through the Seven Wonders test, which is notoriously tough for just about everyone who gives it a go. And while that might’ve been Day and Nicks’last moment together inCoven, it certainly wasn’t the last we saw of the two.
Just around five years later in 2018, Day and Nicks were reunited once more inSeason 8’sAmerican Horror Story: Apocalypsewith their own separate moment together — witch to witch — as Nicks gives one final tune to welcome Day back to life (after dying inCoven). She performs nothing other than the iconic song, “Gypsy,” as the two sway together for one last time. For viewers who complained aboutApocalypsejamming a little too much into its end-of-days plot, that moment between Day and Nicks might’ve just been the saving grace of the season. After all, nothing says “welcome back to life” quite like a serenade from Stevie Nicks herself. From the outside looking in, throwing Stevie Nicks into the plot of American Horror Story might’ve seemed like one of the most random calls in the world, but when you really look at thelore behind everything in that season of American Horror Story, it actually would’ve been strange tonothave her make a small appearance in the season. Nicks not only brought a moment of shock to the season, but she also became one of the few calming and grounding sources in Day’s life.
