The Other Side Of The Mirror Appreciation Thread

[sorcerer999]

Originally Posted by UndoingTheLaces

"Each had their own charm, buried beneath of solid piece of armor or a steel plated vest, some carry a stiletto in their garter along with everything else that they carry".

This is probably some of the most telling, chilling and brilliant lyrics she has ever written! And some of my favorite!

[Macfanforever]

I love the album and the tour.I always enjoy 80's synth music also sax in music.Also her big hair too.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by sorcerer999

This is probably some of the most telling, chilling and brilliant lyrics she has ever written! And some of my favorite!

Doing the best that I can has amazing lyrics too.
Of course this is my interpretation of the song but its pretty clear.

It was one for you but three for me (shows how much of an addict she was in doing so much more...one for you but 3 for me)
It was very nice it was everything (cocaine is one hell of a drug)
So here it is in little pieces (can mean literally cocaine in little pieces or your world shattered in little pieces)
I just played the part, I didn't win or lose (can mean she did not try and went through the motions at Betty Ford)
Maybe next time I'll think about how I'm feeling (meaning if you ever get the urge again to do coke, remember this time and how you feel)
And the whispered secrets go on and on(Stevie Nicks is in rehab)
You watch after her and your word is law (meaning how much they watch your every move at rehab no privacy)
She thought she was out there but no one saw (meaning her fantasy to be outside this place)
I did not win or lose, I just threw the cards (meaning giving up and just getting out of rehab)
But I paid a price for it (price literally its not a cheap place to go and the price of scorn she gets)
I was silent, I was locked away, but I covered my tears, silent all day (nuff said)
Its out of my hands here
In my distress I wanted someone to blame me. In my devastation I wanted so to change


You get the point...... its such a heart wrenching song with no beating around the bush with meaning. When I would get in a rut or have a tough time with life.... I would put this song on with headphones and crank it

Its alright baby cause I'm doing the best that I can. I'm trying hard to change, I'm doing it the best that I can.

And that is all you can ask of someone really. Rupert Hine is a genius for how robotic and hypnotic the music is for this song. The lyrics would not flow in a normal rock n roll song. He created a masterpiece especially the way she fades out in the end.

That is why I get so defensive of this song when people trash it. IMHO its one of her best written songs. Sometimes Stevie writes in code and between the lines (no pun intended). She was not afraid to tell us exactly how she felt during this time in her life.

[peer_gynt10]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Doing the best that I can has amazing lyrics too.
Of course this is my interpretation of the song but its pretty clear.

It was one for you but three for me (shows how much of an addict she was in doing so much more...one for you but 3 for me)
It was very nice it was everything (cocaine is one hell of a drug)
So here it is in little pieces (can mean literally cocaine in little pieces or your world shattered in little pieces)
I just played the part, I didn't win or lose (can mean she did not try and went through the motions at Betty Ford)
Maybe next time I'll think about how I'm feeling (meaning if you ever get the urge again to do coke, remember this time and how you feel)
And the whispered secrets go on and on(Stevie Nicks is in rehab)
You watch after her and your word is law (meaning how much they watch your every move at rehab no privacy)
She thought she was out there but no one saw (meaning her fantasy to be outside this place)
I did not win or lose, just threw the cards (meaning giving up and just getting out of rehab)
But I paid a price for it (price literally its not a cheap place to go and the price of scorn she gets)
I was silent, I was locked away, but I covered my tears, silent all day (nuff said)
Its out of my hands here
In my distress I wanted someone to blame me. In my devastation I wanted so to change


You get the point...... its such a heart wrenching song with no beating around the bush with meaning. When I would get in a rut or have a tough time with life.... I would put this song on with headphones and crank it

Its alright baby cause I'm doing the best that I can. I'm trying hard to change, I'm doing it the best that I can.

And that is all you can ask of someone really. Rupert Hine is a genius for how robotic and hypnotic the music is for this song. The lyrics would not flow in a normal rock n roll song. He created a masterpiece especially the way she fades out in the end.

That is why I get so defensive of this song when people trash it. IMHO its one of her best written songs. Sometimes Stevie writes in code and between the lines (no pun intended). She was not afraid to tell us exactly how she felt during this time in her life.

This is a very interesting and well-written interpretation. Thank you! And what a great thread - it makes me want to go and revisit this underestimated album. Doing The Best I Can has always been one of my favourite Stevie songs; it's so dark and haunting. It really is too bad that she left it off the Enchanted box set (maybe because it was too painful?). I wonder if we'll ever get a remastered version of those gorgeous tracks from the 1980s.

[brad975]

Stevie didn't go to rehab until the latter part of 1986. So she was likely partaking of substances on the Rock a Little tour (whether or not it was up her rear, as rumour would have it). She said in her Behind the Music special that she had to be very careful with the coke on that tour because she knew about her "blow hole," but the drug was not out of her life yet.

While on the road, she recorded demos of some of the songs that she sent to FM for consideration for FM. So the demos of "Juliet," "Whole Lotta Trouble" and "What Has Rock & Roll Ever Done For You" were likely recorded with her touring band.

I saw an interview of her talking about a "Landslide"-style ballad she'd recorded as a "duet" for Tango that would have dated before rehab (surely "When I See You Again"). She thought it was "really, really pretty." Also I believe "Seven Wonders" predated rehab. And of course, "Welcome to the Room...Sara" was post-rehab, given the subject matter. Her insistence on that song bumped "Whole Lotta Trouble" off Tango.

Which I think is a good thing. Because it would have gotten a synthetic, cheesy treatment on Tango (not the powerful, horn-driven bluesiness of the TOSOTM version). While I would love Stevie to have had another strong song like "Juliet" on Tango, I'm glad that one got saved as well. Bruce Hornsby adds a lot to the tune. It's probably my favorite on TOSOTM.

I was nervous about the state of Stevie's voice before TOSOTM came out. "No Questions Asked" from the previous year had given me hope that her vocals had recovered and that she wouldn't hit many flat notes.

But she still sounds off to me in places on just about every song (i.e. that jarring wailing in "Fire Burning," a song I otherwise like okay). "Ooh My Love" is good, but it keeps going on and on well past its expiration date.

There are a lot of solid songs on this set, but none of the material quite reaches "classic" level to me. In that regard, it's a lot like RAL to me. Few strikeouts, but no home runs.

But I'm glad people enjoy this album. It deserves to be heard.

[bombaysaffires]

Stevie ran away from Betty Ford. I know today she claims she finished the complete stint. But I remember on MTV news it claimed she ditched the place and said it was really stupid.

I don't recall this either! I do recall clearly that she did NOT go of her own volition as she also now claims. There was very definitely an intervention to get her to go. Her management at the time, Frontline Mgmt (Irving Azoff) was part of it, and she was so pissed about it (a la "no one has the balls to tell me what to do!") that she fired them. The line in Welcome to the Room, Sara is about them "Frontline baby/well you held her prisoner/ even after all of these years/as well as you knew her/in the never-forgotten words/of another one of your friends/when you hang up that phone/well you cease to exist"

[wheart]

Originally Posted by Macfanforever

I love the album and the tour.I always enjoy 80's synth music also sax in music.Also her big hair too.

please don't tell me you loved those hideous satin coats she wore with the enormous shoulder pads. I'd actually welcome them now because they were at least colorful but definitely not my favorite look of hers.

[wheart]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Doing the best that I can has amazing lyrics too.
Of course this is my interpretation of the song but its pretty clear.

It was one for you but three for me (shows how much of an addict she was in doing so much more...one for you but 3 for me)
It was very nice it was everything (cocaine is one hell of a drug)
So here it is in little pieces (can mean literally cocaine in little pieces or your world shattered in little pieces)
I just played the part, I didn't win or lose (can mean she did not try and went through the motions at Betty Ford)
Maybe next time I'll think about how I'm feeling (meaning if you ever get the urge again to do coke, remember this time and how you feel)
And the whispered secrets go on and on(Stevie Nicks is in rehab)
You watch after her and your word is law (meaning how much they watch your every move at rehab no privacy)
She thought she was out there but no one saw (meaning her fantasy to be outside this place)
I did not win or lose, I just threw the cards (meaning giving up and just getting out of rehab)
But I paid a price for it (price literally its not a cheap place to go and the price of scorn she gets)
I was silent, I was locked away, but I covered my tears, silent all day (nuff said)
Its out of my hands here
In my distress I wanted someone to blame me. In my devastation I wanted so to change


You get the point...... its such a heart wrenching song with no beating around the bush with meaning. When I would get in a rut or have a tough time with life.... I would put this song on with headphones and crank it

Its alright baby cause I'm doing the best that I can. I'm trying hard to change, I'm doing it the best that I can.

And that is all you can ask of someone really. Rupert Hine is a genius for how robotic and hypnotic the music is for this song. The lyrics would not flow in a normal rock n roll song. He created a masterpiece especially the way she fades out in the end.

That is why I get so defensive of this song when people trash it. IMHO its one of her best written songs. Sometimes Stevie writes in code and between the lines (no pun intended). She was not afraid to tell us exactly how she felt during this time in her life.

Doing The Best That I Can is an amazing song but the production sucks. It needs to be re-recorded or at least done solo on piano. That's when the power of the song could really shine. Those weak snyths and fake drums sound bloody awful and do absolutely nothing to elevate the song.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by wheart

Doing The Best That I Can is an amazing song but the production sucks. It needs to be re-recorded or at least done solo on piano. That's when the power of the song could really shine. Those weak snyths and fake drums sound bloody awful and do absolutely nothing to elevate the song.

I respectfully disagree. Listen to the song with headphones on. You will hear amazing stuff. No one hates fake drums more than me. But the song is woven with almost a hypnotic, robotic trance that fits the lyrics so well. This is the ONE time I say the programming works. Just like the repetition of the chorus over and over in the end. Not sure how you could do this song another way. I think it is a masterpiece from beginning to end. There are full 15 minute demo versions on youtube that are pretty good too. I have seen her play it live on the piano on that OTSOTM special and it was awesome. But it loses its trance appeal which I think the song needs.
But to each their own.
I like TOSOTM so much better than RAL because Stevie got back to writing and almost all the songs were written by her. On RAL she hardly wrote any of the songs. RAL lacks passion IMHO with all the programmed drums, programmed bass, etc. TOSOTM has very deep writing and most time real instruments playing which adds so much passion. Its supposed to be rock n roll after all
But everyone likes something different I suppose

[greendaze5]

Originally Posted by wheart

please don't tell me you loved those hideous satin coats she wore with the enormous shoulder pads. I'd actually welcome them now because they were at least colorful but definitely not my favorite look of hers.

I hated the hats she wore on this tour!

[tabruns]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

Stevie ran away from Betty Ford. I know today she claims she finished the complete stint. But I remember on MTV news it claimed she ditched the place and said it was really stupid.

I don't recall this either! I do recall clearly that she did NOT go of her own volition as she also now claims. There was very definitely an intervention to get her to go. Her management at the time, Frontline Mgmt (Irving Azoff) was part of it, and she was so pissed about it (a la "no one has the balls to tell me what to do!") that she fired them. The line in Welcome to the Room, Sara is about them "Frontline baby/well you held her prisoner/ even after all of these years/as well as you knew her/in the never-forgotten words/of another one of your friends/when you hang up that phone/well you cease to exist"

Yeah, I always took "Frontline baby" as a dig at them for forcing her to go.

[tabruns]

Originally Posted by sorcerer999

Is this the one that everyone's talking about?



I love how at 3:42 it starts to sound like Michael Jackson's "Black Or White".

It's really too bad that Nicks seems so out of it. This could have been a great bluesy stomper, better than the version on OSOTM, if it were more focused.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Doing the best that I can has amazing lyrics too.
Of course this is my interpretation of the song but its pretty clear.

I agree. It's one of her most emotionally explicit songs, addressing her state of mind and experiences after she rocked a little too much. Here is my general take on what she is inferring.


It was one for you but three for me
It was very nice, it was everything
(overindulgence)

So here it is, in little pieces
(emotionlly falling apart)

I just played the part, I didn't win or lose
(retaining image/par for course)

Maybe next time I'll think about how I'm feeling
(trusting intuition)

And the whispered secrets go on and on
(circulated rumors of personal issues)

You watch after her and your word is law
(necessary enforced discipline )

She thought she was out there but nobody saw
( lacking awareness of the crisis)

I didn't win or lose, I just threw the cards
(unpredictable outcome)

But I paid a price for it
(sacrifices and losses suffered)

I was silent, I was locked away, but I covered my tears, silent all day
Its out of my hands here
(loss of control )

In my distress I wanted someone to blame me.
In my devastation I wanted so to change
(shame and hope)

In my way, disaster was the only thing I could depend on
(self- annihilation)

[starshine]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

I respectfully disagree. Listen to the song with headphones on. You will hear amazing stuff. No one hates fake drums more than me. But the song is woven with almost a hypnotic, robotic trance that fits the lyrics so well. This is the ONE time I say the programming works. Just like the repetition of the chorus over and over in the end. Not sure how you could do this song another way. I think it is a masterpiece from beginning to end. There are full 15 minute demo versions on youtube that are pretty good too. I have seen her play it live on the piano on that OTSOTM special and it was awesome. But it loses its trance appeal which I think the song needs.
But to each their own.
I like TOSOTM so much better than RAL because Stevie got back to writing and almost all the songs were written by her. On RAL she hardly wrote any of the songs. RAL lacks passion IMHO with all the programmed drums, programmed bass, etc. TOSOTM has very deep writing and most time real instruments playing which adds so much passion. Its supposed to be rock n roll after all
But everyone likes something different I suppose

I agree with you about Mirror, it'll always be a special LP to me as well. For me it was when I started collecting Stevie stuff. (Well started in prob. 1988 with Mac than Stevie). I also think Mirror was a more cohesive LP/cd than RAL just because it had only ONE producer compared to RAL whom had many producers etc. Now if the RAL had been what it was originally planned that being Mirror, Mirror it would've been much better. Esp. if Jimmy Iovine had stayed but we know there break in there relationship and Stevie's addiction just didn't make that possible. I actually like alot of what wasn't on RAL than what was on it officially sad but true. I think Mirror is misunderstood , yeah there are some things I don't like like the LP cover photo. I do think there were more pretty photos than the one chosen or the outfits worn on the tour. But at least they did have some COLOR to them. It seems now Stevie is afraid to wear anything but black which is a total shame . I do love Mirror and it has many wonderful songs if only people will give them a chance. Love Long Way to Go, Doing the Best That I Can, Alice, Whole Lotta Trouble, Ghosts etc.