20 Fav Stevie Solo Songs

[David]

Don't forget Mirror Mirror (aka Love on a Real Train by Tangerine Dream)

[AliceLover]

Originally Posted by David

I'll take Nightmare over just about anything else of hers. It's windswept. It both defies and morbidly revels in death, like a Bronte plot. The narrative drops its guard and its characteristic Stevie poses and just wails. Most fans say you have to read between the lines to appreciate Stevie, but her songs aren't really worth reading between the lines except for this one and a few others, like Dreams. This one is dark, loamy, disturbed, like the undulating carpet in Keats. It's Stevie's "Eve of St. Agnes." Most of her poetry is "gothic" like Lifetime Movie Network or "romantic" like Barbara Cartland or "mystical" like the Mary Leader novel she once read—ersatz art. But The Nightmare is the real deal, and Stevie probably was never even fully aware of it. (The only time she ever talked about it was to Jim Ladd, briefly, in 1986.) It is her drug song, filled with incommensurates and flashes of madness. It's like those images of craggy shipwrecks in Continental Romantic paintings. I love the idea that she never even attempted to sing it live.

I read somewhere at sometime that it was rehearsed for the RAL tour, but I can't recall the source.

[ricohv]

Originally Posted by David

I'll take Nightmare over just about anything else of hers. It's windswept. It both defies and morbidly revels in death, like a Bronte plot. The narrative drops its guard and its characteristic Stevie poses and just wails. Most fans say you have to read between the lines to appreciate Stevie, but her songs aren't really worth reading between the lines except for this one and a few others, like Dreams. This one is dark, loamy, disturbed, like the undulating carpet in Keats. It's Stevie's "Eve of St. Agnes." Most of her poetry is "gothic" like Lifetime Movie Network or "romantic" like Barbara Cartland or "mystical" like the Mary Leader novel she once read—ersatz art. But The Nightmare is the real deal, and Stevie probably was never even fully aware of it. (The only time she ever talked about it was to Jim Ladd, briefly, in 1986.) It is her drug song, filled with incommensurates and flashes of madness. It's like those images of craggy shipwrecks in Continental Romantic paintings. I love the idea that she never even attempted to sing it live.

This is the best description of ANY Stevie Nicks song. EVER!

[jcalzaretta]

Twisted and Sleeping Angel are two just plain highly underrated songs - period. Both are amazing and should have gotten more airplay than each did.

[AliceLover]

Originally Posted by AliceLover

If Anyone Falls
Secret Love
Fall From Grace
Ooh My Love
Alice (Live)
Planets of the Universe
Think About It
Moonlilght
Bella Donna
Sleeping Angel
Gold and Braid
Stand Back
Rose Garden

2nd tier favorites

Kind of Woman
How Still My Love
Beauty and the Beast
Enchanted
Talk to Me
I Can't Wait
The Nightmare
Rooms on Fire
Long Way to Go
Maybe Love
Twisted
Trouble in Shangri La
Love Is (live/demo)
Annabel Lee
For What its Worth
Mabel Normand

[On Ice]

Top 20? Would surely be different through my 50 something lens vs 17

So:

1 Edge of Seventeen (in the top tier of best songs she ever wrote, even still with the Police riff and all).
2 Stand Back (as above despite the ode to Little Red Corvette, the song is great!
3 Leather & Lace (there is demo somewhere which has a very Rumours esque vocal- which takes it to an even higher level than Bella Donna)
4 Sleeping Angel - as with Edge, one of her best written songs
5 Bella Donna (set the bar really high for title tracks)
6 Rooms on Fire- one of the highlights of her solo career
7 Blue Water- a songwriting gem
8 After the Glitter Fades- somehow somewhere in an alternate universe is one of the all time best country songs
9 If Anyone Falls- great video! including despite being a co-write
10 Think About It- another songwriting gem that would've fit the Rumours high bar
11 How Still My Love- the Dreams vibe fits nicely
12 Gate and Garden- definitely not a songwriting gem, but where else do you hear her sing so wonderfully.
13 Moonlight- taking one of her best songs with a cool update was a nice surprise in 2011.
14 Sorcerer- loved that she hit the high notes in 2001.
15 The Highwayman- the lesser of the two Bella Donna forays into country, but still top notch writing.
16 Trouble in Shangri La- I don't care for the nasal vocal, but well written song with a nice vibe.
17. Outside the Rain- always digged it as the concert opener and loved it when I was into Bella Donna as a teenager.
18. Greta- I like the vocal and the smooth lyrical journey
19. Nightbird- Some of the production is a little cheesey but I like the vocal.
20. 24K- the hit that never was- nicely sung in 2014 and a well written song despite the Dreams and Chains retread.

[On Ice]

I like how Alice went to Tier two so why not:

21. Long Way to Go (energetic rocker that held up the Rooms on Fire standard that slowly dwindled at the end of side one- too bad)
22. Kind of Woman (least favourite from Bella Donna, but still really good)
23. Planets of the Universe (hearing the Rumours outtakes vs TISL, you could see the struggle in getting this song to jive, and it did in 2001).
24. Enchanted & Destiny Tie ( a continuation of the same theme- both worked)
25. Sable on Blonde (extended version is the best by far and what a great, passionate vocal)
26. Anna Bell lee (turned out fine on IYD, but could have been shortened by a verse and been a much better song for the top 20).
27. The Wild Heart (this is the one Stevie 80's "hot mess" that I really like despite some of the cheesey lyrics, the vocal is just so damned good, what's not to like)
28. Ooh my Love - the last of the really good songs on the OSOTM
29. Nothing Ever Changes- I really enjoyed this when I was just finishing High School hasnt aged as well, but hey, I still enjoy it for what it is).
30. All the Beautiful Worlds- despite one lyrical misstep "give that to me" it's a great Wild Heart song that turned out fine on 24 K.
31. Blue Lamp- enjoyed the heck out of this back in the day and still love it.
32. Violet & Blue- take your mornings with you- delicious!
33. Fall From Grace- great rocker and well written and sung.
34. Beauty and the Beast- I would like to rank it higher but so many songs are better to my ears. That said, awesome on the Wild Heart and done well live on many occasions.
35. Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You- Ok I will put one Rock a Little song on- and this one is it. Finally the album started to get really good on the last song.
36. If you were my Love- Would have been great on Mirage but also liked the various takes through the years until 24 K.
37. Starshine- Fun song and would've been a good "rock a little" song
38. New Orleans- I like the message and the delivery although a cowrite.
39. Blue Denim- not a bad song for the early 80's but ran out of steam by '94, nonetheless, still like it.
40. Doing the Best I can- A little cringey in spots which keeps it lower on the list but love the spooky music and "here it is in little pieces" one of the best lines on OSOTM.

[SaraRhiannon]

Ok, I'll try. No particular order.

Bella Donna
How Still My Love
Outside the Rain
Highwayman (BD album was pretty much perfect)
Wild Heart
Nightbird
Sable on Blonde
Candlebright
Sorcerer
Moonlight
Starshine
All the Beautiful Worlds
Belle Fleur
Battle of the Dragon
Blue Lamp
Gold and Braid
Violet and Blue
Mirror Mirror
Sleeping Angel
Thousand Days

I tend to prefer her earlier solo stuff.

[He's So Unusual]

In no specific order:

1. Mirror, Mirror
2. Planets of the Universe
3. Bella Donna
4. If I Were You
5. Nothing Ever Changes
6. Gold and Braid
7. Ooh My Love
8. I Can't Wait
9. Rooms on Fire
10. Battle of the Dragon
11. Edge of Seventeen
12. No Spoken Word
13. Stand Back
14. Sable on Blonde
15. If You Ever Did Believe
16. Moonlight
17. How Still My Love
18. Outside the Rain
19. Rock a Little
20. Stop Dragging My Heart Around