If you had "retired NFL center and Fleetwood Mac frontwoman duet" on your 2024 bingo card, honestly, you’re either a liar or a psychic. It sounds like a fever dream. Jason Kelce—the man who spent a decade and a half smashing into 300-pound defensive tackles—standing in a vocal booth next to the "White Winged Dove" herself. But it happened.
The Stevie Nicks and Jason Kelce song, a hauntingly beautiful cover of Ron Sexsmith’s "Maybe This Christmas," didn't just happen because someone at a label thought it would be a funny gimmick. It’s actually deep. It’s sort of the centerpiece of A Philly Special Christmas Party, the third and final installment of the charity album series by The Philly Specials.
People expected it to be a novelty. Instead, it’s arguably the most emotionally resonant thing Jason has ever done outside of a tear-filled retirement speech.
Behind the Scenes: How a Football Star Met a Rock Legend
The story of how we got the Stevie Nicks and Jason Kelce song is a weird mix of family connections and genuine musical curiosity. Travis Kelce, Jason's brother, basically paved the way after meeting Stevie at an Eras Tour show in Dublin. Travis came back raving about her. He told Jason she was the nicest person ever.
Jason was terrified.
He’s said on the New Heights podcast that being on a track with her was "absolutely unreal." You can see it in the behind-the-scenes footage. There’s this video of them in the studio where Jason is just beaming, looking like a kid who won a contest, while Stevie stands there in her signature black, offering vocal coaching. She called the track "Jason's Landslide." That is a heavy comparison to live up to.
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The Ron Sexsmith Connection
The song they chose isn't your typical "Jingle Bells" fluff. "Maybe This Christmas" was originally written by Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith in 2002. It’s a song about forgiveness. It’s about calling people you’ve lost touch with for reasons you can’t even remember anymore.
- Original release: 2002 (Ron Sexsmith)
- Producer: Charlie Hall (The War on Drugs)
- Instrumentation: Features a lush, melancholic pedal steel by Mike "Slo-Mo" Brenner.
- Vocal approach: Jason takes the first verse with a surprisingly decent baritone, then Stevie sweeps in like a velvet curtain for the second.
Why the Stevie Nicks and Jason Kelce Song Hit #1
When the track dropped in November 2024, it did something nobody expected. It knocked Mariah Carey’s "All I Want for Christmas Is You" off the top of the iTunes charts. For a minute there, a retired offensive lineman was the biggest pop star in the country.
The appeal is the contrast. You’ve got Jason’s raw, slightly unpolished "guy at the end of the bar" voice. Then you have Stevie’s iconic, raspy vibrato. Surprisingly, they share a similar vocal DNA. Both have that gravelly, lived-in quality. It doesn't sound like a superstar and an amateur; it sounds like two old friends humming a tune in a kitchen.
Charity over Charts
It's easy to forget this wasn't for profit. The Philly Specials—Jason, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata—started this project to help Philadelphia kids. All proceeds from the Stevie Nicks and Jason Kelce song and the rest of the album went to local charities. We’re talking about "Operation Snowball," which aimed to give a gift to every single student in the Philadelphia public school system.
The project has raised over $4.5 million across its three-year run. That’s a lot of toys and a lot of happy kids.
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The "Landslide" Comparison: Is It That Good?
Stevie Nicks doesn’t hand out compliments like Halloween candy. When she dubbed this "Jason's Landslide," she was referring to the emotional weight. The lyrics are heavy.
"Maybe forgiveness will ask us to call / Someone we love, someone we’ve lost."
Coming from Jason, who had just walked away from a Hall of Fame career and was navigating a massive life transition, those words felt real. He wasn't just singing lyrics; he was "inhabiting the melody," as producer Charlie Hall put it.
Why the Pairing Works
Most celebrity collaborations feel like they were negotiated by lawyers in a boardroom. This one felt like a connection. Stevie has a history of mentoring younger artists, but seeing her embrace an NFL player was different. She reportedly loved the "art of making music" with the guys. She wasn't just a guest; she was a collaborator.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Collaboration
A lot of folks think this was just a Taylor Swift-adjacent PR move. Since Stevie is close with Taylor, and Taylor is dating Travis, the logic goes: "Oh, they just threw Jason a bone."
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That’s not it.
The Philly Specials had already released two massive albums before Taylor and Travis were even a thing. Jordan Mailata is a world-class singer who could probably win The Voice tomorrow. These guys take the music seriously. They worked with members of The War on Drugs and The Hooters. The Stevie Nicks and Jason Kelce song was the culmination of three years of building a legitimate musical reputation in the city of Philadelphia.
How to Support the Project Now
Even though the "three-peat" is over and the album is out, the impact is still happening. If you want to dive deeper into the project or support the causes they fund, there are a few things you can do.
- Stream the full album: Don't just stop at the Nicks duet. Jordan Mailata’s version of "Last Christmas" is genuinely impressive.
- Watch the documentary: There’s behind-the-scenes footage of the recording sessions that shows the technical work that went into the harmonies.
- Look into the charities: Check out the Children's Crisis Treatment Center or the Philadelphia school district's "Operation Snowball" to see where the money actually goes.
The song is more than a holiday fad. It’s a reminder that you can reinvent yourself, whether you’re a rock goddess or a guy who used to spend his Sundays in the trenches.