Cheaper Than Free

Album: In Your Dreams (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Nicks and producer Dave Stewart singing, "What's more important than freedom?/Being needed." She explained the inspiration for the song to Spinner UK: "We went to Village Recorders [in L.A.] to do our basic drum and bass tracks, and Reese Witherspoon came down. Dave was going to be taking a week in Nashville to do some recording, and she said, 'Well, I have a condo there, and if you want to stay there, you can.' I said, 'That would be cheap, Dave.' And Reese said, 'What's cheaper than free?' And Dave Stewart and Stevie Nicks looked at each other and went, 'Oh my God! What a great country song this could be.'"

    Nicks continued: "I thought it was going to be a tongue-in-cheek goofy song, and it ended up to be anything but. We were both very surprised. I believe in my heart that that song will live on forever. I said to everybody, 'We have to really treat this song with kid gloves, because this may be the best song that Dave Stewart and Stevie Nicks ever does.'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Gary Lewis

Gary LewisSongwriter Interviews

Gary Lewis and the Playboys had seven Top 10 hits despite competition from The Beatles. Gary talks about the hits, his famous father, and getting drafted.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.