Don’t laugh, but I might have a thing for Stevie Nicks.
Maybe she’s no longer as culturally relevant as she once was. And she’s got a few years on me. Twenty-one, to be exact. But you know what? I dig her. I always have, from her earliest days in Fleetwood Mac through her solo career. She’s got an amazing voice. Rihannon, anybody? Dreams? The best Fleetwood Mac songs are hers, hands down. And her solo stuff is pretty rockin’, too. Stand Back. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around. If Anyone Falls. 80s classics, all of them. And, of course, the awesome Edge Of Seventeen. Catchiest guitar riff ever. Talk about bootylicious. Hands down, one of my favorite songs from the eighties. She’s still putting out music, too. Stevie’s got a new album that just came out last month and a great new single, Secret Love. She sounds better than ever. The years have been kind to her.
When I say I’ve got a “thing” for her I don’t mean it like that.
Or do I…?
Stevie Nicks has this mystical aura about her. There’s something about those long, flowing gowns, platform boots, and rumors of witchcraft that intrigue me. She may not be the kind of woman you take home to mother…err, because she’s basically the same age as mother…but maybe it’s that wild streak that I find so appealing. I’ll bet you anything she owns a crystal ball, and has probably snorted cocaine off tarot cards. What can I say? I like girls with an edge. I’m not saying I approve of her lifestyle choices, but she’d be a fun date for an evening, you know? Ooh baby, ooh.
Said ooh.
Plus, her lyrics. And the days go by like a strand in the wind; in the web that is my own I begin again. That’s sheer poetry right there.
I was listening to this song of hers the other day, Sometimes It’s A Bitch, and it felt like she was inside my head.
Well I’ve run through rainbows and castles of candy
I cried a river of tears from the pain
I try to dance with what life has to hand me
My partner’s been pleasure…my partner’s been painThere are days when I swear I could fly like an eagle
And dark desperate hours that nobody sees
My arms stretched triumphant on top of the mountain
My head in my hands…down on my kneesSometimes it’s a bitch, sometimes it’s a breeze.
Stevie’s saying that sometimes life is easy, and other times it can be a real struggle. There’s nothing especially unique or original about that message, but the lyrics are beautiful and she sings it with raw passion. I was driving in my car the other day as the song was playing, and nearly slammed on my brakes. “My god!” I thought. “Stevie Nicks has just nailed it!”
What exactly is the it that she nailed? The idea that it doesn’t matter how the world perceives you, but rather, how you view yourself that really matters. It’s not what’s in the mirror but what’s left inside, she sings. It’s about finding your own inner strength in order to survive. I tried to dance with what life had to hand me; and if I could, I’d do it all over again.
As far as rolling-with-the-punches anthems go, I like it. Sometimes we just need a reminder, and if said reminder is delivered through the raspy-yet-sensual voice of the sorceress-like Stevie Nicks, all the better.
One of my friends accused me of being very introspective lately, and I’d have to agree. You might say I’m taking stock of my life these days and coming to some interesting revelations. It’s amazing, once you start doing that, how many answers you stumble across in the lyrics to music.
You know what else is amazing (besides my smooth and seamless topic change)? The asparagus I had last night.
It’s the same bunch I picked up recently from the farmer’s market. I’d actually forgotten that it was in the fridge, but remembered midway through cooking dinner last night. I figured I should use it while it was still fresh, so I grabbed a handful, threw it in a saute pan with a little olive oil and sea salt, and cooked it up. And you know what? For a side dish, it rocked. It was better than the pork and rice that were supposed to be the star of the show. So good that I wished I’d made more of it. In fact, I would have been satisfied with a heaping plate of the asparagus and nothing more. I actually went to bed thinking about the asparagus, and woke up this morning craving it. I am totally having some more of that for dinner tonight.
The only thing better than that asparagus? If Stevie Nicks sang a song about that asparagus! That’s a win/win, baby.
Related articles
- ‘In Your Dreams’ is Stevie Nicks’ finest collection (cnn.com)
- Chatting With… Stevie Nicks! (perezhilton.com)
Mark My Words 
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