Alana Haim felt “at a loss for words” after Stevie Nicks used Haim’s song lyrics as part of her tribute to her late friend Christine McVie.
The Edge of Seventeen singer posted a moving handwritten tribute to her late Fleetwood Mac bandmate and “best friend in the whole world” on social media on Wednesday following the news of her death aged 79.
In the tribute, Stevie revealed she had been thinking about Haim’s song Hallelujah ever since she had heard Christine was unwell and hoped she might get to sing it to her. She proceeded to write out the lyrics to one of the verses and the chorus of the track.
Alana wrote the third verse to reflect on the death of her best friend Sammi Kane Kraft in 2012, and she was floored to discover Stevie thought of it following Christine’s passing.
“I’m at a loss for words…I would listen to Fleetwood Mac with my best friend Sammi Kane Kraft constantly,” Alana wrote on Instagram. “I wrote my verse to hallelujah to try to help me heal after she had passed. Seeing Stevie and Christine together changed my life forever and made me want to play music. I’m speechless. I love you so much Stevie, rip beautiful songbird.”
In the third verse, Alana sings, “I had a best friend but she has come to pass, One I wish I could see now, You always remind me that memories will last, These arms reach out, You were there to protect me like a shield, Long hair running with me through the field, Everywhere you’ve been with me all along.”
Many singers and musicians paid tribute to Christine following her death on Wednesday. Sheryl Crow called her “a legend and an icon and an amazing human being,” and a rep for Duran Duran described her as “one of the greatest all time songwriters, singers, and band members”.
In a statement to Variety, The Eagles said, “Hers was a vibrant, soulful spirit, and her music was, and will remain, a gift to the world. We had the utmost admiration and respect for Christine.”