Moonlight

[GoldDustWoman22]

Ok I have always loved this song. I loved it live and love the IYD version. The only thing I'm not too keen on is the influence of the song:roll eyes:. Although said influence gave us such a great song so I can't really complain. But the beginning of the song just hit me. Hard. I just moved to a new college so the whole she's lost, disconnected and finds no comfort in her her surroundings and moving from situation to situation like a ghost i is my life right now and to on the mark to what I'm feeling to be true!! I just think it's funny how I have been listening to this song for almost 4 months and now that particular song just struck a chord with me...funny how that works out. It was weird because I woke up this morning and was like "I need to listen to "Moonlight"! I don;t even know where it came from. Stevie thanks for writing lyrics that apply so well to my life. It makes me feel less alone. Just thought I'd share with you guys. Haven't met any Stevie fans up here in NY yet
.

[wild-heart]

Ok I have always loved this song. I loved it live and love the IYD version. The only thing I'm not too keen on is the influence of the song:roll eyes:. Although said influence gave us such a great song so I can't really complain. But the beginning of the song just hit me. Hard. I just moved to a new college so the whole she's lost, disconnected and finds no comfort in her her surroundings and moving from situation to situation like a ghost i is my life right now and to on the mark to what I'm feeling to be true!! I just think it's funny how I have been listening to this song for almost 4 months and now that particular song just struck a chord with me...funny how that works out. It was weird because I woke up this morning and was like "I need to listen to "Moonlight"! I don;t even know where it came from. Stevie thanks for writing lyrics that apply so well to my life. It makes me feel less alone. Just thought I'd share with you guys. Haven't met any Stevie fans up here in NY yet
.

OMG I feel exactly the same, I was walking back from town one day and i listened to this and I really really had to try so hard not to cry. Like you said the she's lost, disconnected. She finds no comfort in her surroundings bit that hit me bad. I've been thinking a lot just lately how much everything has changed and that pretty much sums up how I feel about everything and going back to college in a few weeks. A place where i never feel like i fit in.

[GoldDustWoman22]

I agree! I mean this is my first year but I've never lived this far away from home before. I am just thankful that I have music to listen to that makes me feel less alone! I'm sure it will get better for you too...it's just a really weird homesick feeling I'm getting right now. I just moved in yesterday though so hopefully that's normal.

[Jondalar]

I like the lyrics to this song alot,

[wild-heart]

I agree! I mean this is my first year but I've never lived this far away from home before. I am just thankful that I have music to listen to that makes me feel less alone! I'm sure it will get better for you too...it's just a really weird homesick feeling I'm getting right now. I just moved in yesterday though so hopefully that's normal.

aww i hope you feel better about the situation soon, i'm pretty sure it's normal to feel a little lost in a totally new place. I'm sure everything will settle down and you will get used to it. (: It's the total opposite for me, i still live at home and thats fine but i just don't want to go back to the college. I am sure when i go back in a few weeks everything will be alright and i will feel fine again :D Well thats the plan anyway. Good luck and have fun living away. :D

[GoldDustWoman22]

Thanks I hope so...I also think that the presence of Irene is not really making the transition any easier. It's very windy and story right now.

[tabruns]

I love this song. It's been my favorite on the album since the first time I heard it. I really think its a Stevie classic, right up there with "Gypsy" and "Landslide". Stevie sings the beginning part of a song in a quality of voice that I didn't know she could even do anymore. When I first heard it, I thought "oh my god this is almost like Stevie pre-Tusk!" I love the chorus. The coda is amazing.

Several reviewers have mentioned that some songs on IYD approach classic Fleetwood Mac levels of greatness, and I agree: "For What It's Worth", "New Orleans", "Moonlight" and "Annabel Lee" would all fit comfortably on Fleetwood Mac or Rumours.

[Morgana]

For me Moonlight impacted me deeply because when IYD's came out it was the last month of work for me and the end of the work year. I made the decision to end my stressful career about the time IYD's came out. I was feeling really disconnected and really connected to the song. I played Moonlight a lot and still do because I relate to it on a lot of different levels.

Here's wishing you GDW22 & Wild-Heart the best in college! It's rough at first, but.....then you have Stevie to help you through! :)

[markolas]

I love what Stevie did with LFTM. I've never read the Twilight books or seen the movies, so I'm indifferent to that part of it. But she took the best parts of LFTM and wrote a great chorus for it. To me, Moonlight is a classic up there with Edge of Seventeen and Rhiannon.

[Christopher]

I love what Stevie did with LFTM. I've never read the Twilight books or seen the movies, so I'm indifferent to that part of it. But she took the best parts of LFTM and wrote a great chorus for it. To me, Moonlight is a classic up there with Edge of Seventeen and Rhiannon.
IA. It doesn't even matter to me what inspired it - which identically applies to the song "Trouble in Shangri-La" - cause in the end inside Stevie's twisted creative brain its always about her anway;). Though I've never seen "New Moon" or any of that other series (or care to), It never crosses my mind when I hear this song. Its sooooo much more than that, especially since the song is anchored in the age-old "Lady From The Mountain" demo.

[On Ice]

I have to agree with tabruns about the quality of Stevie's vocal on Moonlight, it is superb. Ok, I'll say my first critical thing about Stevie's amazing In Your Dreams Album. I love Moonlight, but it could easily have stayed Lady from the Mountain and kept the delicious verse "that woman could make you...crazzy!" and take that lady out of her chair after months just staring. (sorry Stevie, it's a great line, but), and I think someone mentioned what a great album title that LFTM would make, I agree. It would pay homage to one of Stevie's best compositions ever, and us die-hards would just love it.

[WildHearted]

I have to agree with tabruns about the quality of Stevie's vocal on Moonlight, it is superb. Ok, I'll say my first critical thing about Stevie's amazing In Your Dreams Album. I love Moonlight, but it could easily have stayed Lady from the Mountain and kept the delicious verse "that woman could make you...crazzy!" and take that lady out of her chair after months just staring. (sorry Stevie, it's a great line, but), and I think someone mentioned what a great album title that LFTM would make, I agree. It would pay homage to one of Stevie's best compositions ever, and us die-hards would just love it.

I, too, wish she would have kept in that last verse. It certainly fits with the new additions to the song, plus it's awesome. "You could use a dreamer somewhere on your side." :angel:

I'll also say that the ONE qualm I have with Moonlight as a song is the suspension right before the chorus. That in combination with the shift in the music that kicks in, it just seems very disconnected.. I think a more gradual/natural build to the chorus would make the song flow better, overall. However, it doesn't really matter that much, because the song is still awesome and I like very much what she did with it - it definitely needed a chorus.

Also, I kinda wish she'd kept the title Lady From The Mountains :lol: Although, I realize that's just being really nitpicky.

The idea of that title as an album title is also really cool, and something I hadn't thought of. Especially since the Lady From The Mountains is Stevie herself... :nod:

And, to stay somewhat on the topic of this thread, I just started college like 2 weeks ago and I just had my first weekend back home.. it's going to be hard to go back. I've been listening to Stevie nonstop (although that isn't entirely unusual for me). It helps.

[markolas]

LFTM, like many of Stevie's unreleased demos/outtakes, has some nice parts but ultimately doesn't go anywhere, IMO. Moonlight is just about the most perfect thing that she could've done with it.

[PenguinHead]

But the beginning of the song just hit me. Hard. I just moved to a new college so the whole she's lost, disconnected and finds no comfort in her her surroundings and moving from situation to situation like a ghost i is my life right now and to on the mark to what I'm feeling to be true!!.

That particular verse jumped out to me too, and speaks of my current situation and how I feel about it, though I intially heard a line wrong:

She runs with the ones she can't keep up with

She runs from ones she she can't keep up with

Either way, I relate to it because I hang with friends who are successful and wealthy, and I feel I fall so short of their means...people I can't keep up with lifestyle wise....people I feel I don't belong with...ones I sometimes want to run from, just to protect what's left of my self-esteem.

[Jondalar]

LFTM, like many of Stevie's unreleased demos/outtakes, has some nice parts but ultimately doesn't go anywhere, IMO. Moonlight is just about the most perfect thing that she could've done with it.

I sorta of agree with you that a lot of her demos go nowhere, for instance, Smile at You, rambled on until Say You Will.

However, I find LFTM to be an art piece. The song is sooo introspective and is all about self identity. The harmonies and vocals are excellent. I LOVE IT!

However, I feel Moonlight is a different thing. It's less tangible than LFTM because of the gloss, yet, it's perfect. The lyrics and vocals are perfect for this and it's excellent.

[jkmaletic]

LFTM, like many of Stevie's unreleased demos/outtakes, has some nice parts but ultimately doesn't go anywhere, IMO. Moonlight is just about the most perfect thing that she could've done with it.

Agreed 100%.

The very first time I heard Moonlight was when i was at Sunset Sessions in February with Stevie in the room. I'll never forget it because once the " Strange" part started, i really did love it and gave Stevie a little thumbs up to which she smiled and shook her fists like, "yes!" I'll never forget that. :)

Jamie

[darklinensuit]

However, I find LFTM to be an art piece. The song is sooo introspective and is all about self identity. The harmonies and vocals are excellent. I LOVE IT!

However, I feel Moonlight is a different thing. It's less tangible than LFTM because of the gloss, yet, it's perfect. The lyrics and vocals are perfect for this and it's excellent.

LFTM is certainly my favorite Stevie demo - well, at least one of the many RAL versions is - and it's also perhaps my favorite Stevie song, or at least Top 3. Thus there was no way that "Moonlight" was likely to measure up. I love "Moonlight" - along with "New Orleans", it's my favorite on the album - but I enjoy it most when I don't think of it as an updated LFTM. Instead I think of "Moonlight" as an updated version of the song "Trouble in Shangri-la" - an epic with a similar sound (at least in the final several bars) but more readily accessible lyrics and a much better vocal.

- Jake

[belladonnadream]

I love this song. It's been my favorite on the album since the first time I heard it. I really think its a Stevie classic, right up there with "Gypsy" and "Landslide". Stevie sings the beginning part of a song in a quality of voice that I didn't know she could even do anymore. When I first heard it, I thought "oh my god this is almost like Stevie pre-Tusk!" I love the chorus. The coda is amazing.

Several reviewers have mentioned that some songs on IYD approach classic Fleetwood Mac levels of greatness, and I agree: "For What It's Worth", "New Orleans", "Moonlight" and "Annabel Lee" would all fit comfortably on Fleetwood Mac or Rumours.

I agree~ I love N.O, Moonlight and Annabel Lee,,they found a special spot in my heart the first time I heard them~

[belladonnadream]

Agreed 100%.

The very first time I heard Moonlight was when i was at Sunset Sessions in February with Stevie in the room. I'll never forget it because once the " Strange" part started, i really did love it and gave Stevie a little thumbs up to which she smiled and shook her fists like, "yes!" I'll never forget that. :)

Jamie

How stinkin cute!:):)

[jellyman10]

LFTM, like many of Stevie's unreleased demos/outtakes, has some nice parts but ultimately doesn't go anywhere, IMO. Moonlight is just about the most perfect thing that she could've done with it.

This. :thumbsup:

[UndoingTheLaces]

Several reviewers have mentioned that some songs on IYD approach classic Fleetwood Mac levels of greatness, and I agree: "For What It's Worth", "New Orleans", "Moonlight" and "Annabel Lee" would all fit comfortably on Fleetwood Mac or Rumours.

Strangely enough I could hear Christine sing "In Your Dreams". The music sounded a lot like a song Christine would write, but the lyrics are classic Stevie. I've always been bummed that they never did something using both of their voices, like Kate and Cindy from The B-52's. The closest to that was the outtake of You Make Loving Fun where Stevie sings all the way through the chorus. But I would have loved to hear some interplay between the two of them.

[tabruns]

Strangely enough I could hear Christine sing "In Your Dreams". The music sounded a lot like a song Christine would write, but the lyrics are classic Stevie. I've always been bummed that they never did something using both of their voices, like Kate and Cindy from The B-52's. The closest to that was the outtake of You Make Loving Fun where Stevie sings all the way through the chorus. But I would have loved to hear some interplay between the two of them.

Well you can hear this on "Straight Back", beginning with "fingers find the ivory keys..." line.

[UndoingTheLaces]

Well you can hear this on "Straight Back", beginning with "fingers find the ivory keys..." line.

I always forget about this song. Yeah, they do have nice harmony on that.

[michelej1]

I was reading an article about how Warner Bros. is using the popularity of the film Transformers to repurpose songs from artists who are already on their roster.

So, WB performers like My Chemical Romance, Goo Goo Dolls and Linkin Park are on the Transformers: Dark of the Moon album.

I think this record company gives SN fans reason to hope about Moonlight and Twilight. That would be phenomenal exposure for Stevie.

Michee

[WildHearted]

I was reading an article about how Warner Bros. is using the popularity of the film Transformers to repurpose songs from artists who are already on their roster.

So, WB performers like My Chemical Romance, Goo Goo Dolls and Linkin Park are on the Transformers: Dark of the Moon album.

I think this record company gives SN fans reason to hope about Moonlight and Twilight. That would be phenomenal exposure for Stevie.

Michee

Is Transformers a WB film, though? Because I don't think The Twilight series is.

[michelej1]

Is Transformers a WB film, though? Because I don't think The Twilight series is.

I know the movie is Summit Entertainment, but I'm not sure if WB does the music or not. In the article I was reading, Livia Tortella, co-president of WB Records, was talking about it and she had worked on the soundtracks for Twilight, but I'm not sure, maybe Warner isn't putting out the music for the last two movies.

If they are though . . .

Michele

[WildHearted]

In the interest of not starting a new thread... I figured I would post this here. Just ranting / musing on the song, I guess.

Lately I've been enamored by the "He slows down" coda type thing on Moonlight, and especially interested in the 'She couldn't do it..' that follows. She couldn't walk away.. or she couldn't slow down? He slows down, but she couldn't..


I've been tying this song back to The Highwayman since I heard it because I think it's got a pretty similar theme, and again, the 'He slows down' harkens back to 'Considers slowing down, but then he could never win..'

And then today it reminded me of Long Distance Winner.

In Long Distance Winner, she is running after him and calling his name but he's simply too fast for her, no matter what he does. Then, in The Highwayman, although he's still ahead of her, she's learning how to keep up, and he sees her coming up behind him and thinks about slowing down but doesn't want to sacrifice the win.. And lastly, in Moonlight, she's still running, wearing herself out to stay in the game - and he finally slows down.. but she couldn't do it, she couldn't slow down.

Just thought there was a neat little connection. There's probably other songs that just haven't occured to me.

[Phoenix]

In the interest of not starting a new thread... I figured I would post this here. Just ranting / musing on the song, I guess.

Lately I've been enamored by the "He slows down" coda type thing on Moonlight, and especially interested in the 'She couldn't do it..' that follows. She couldn't walk away.. or she couldn't slow down? He slows down, but she couldn't..


I've been tying this song back to The Highwayman since I heard it because I think it's got a pretty similar theme, and again, the 'He slows down' harkens back to 'Considers slowing down, but then he could never win..'

And then today it reminded me of Long Distance Winner.

In Long Distance Winner, she is running after him and calling his name but he's simply too fast for her, no matter what he does. Then, in The Highwayman, although he's still ahead of her, she's learning how to keep up, and he sees her coming up behind him and thinks about slowing down but doesn't want to sacrifice the win.. And lastly, in Moonlight, she's still running, wearing herself out to stay in the game - and he finally slows down.. but she couldn't do it, she couldn't slow down.

Just thought there was a neat little connection. There's probably other songs that just haven't occured to me.

Ok, THAT Just blew my mind.:thumbsup:

[CADreaming]

In the interest of not starting a new thread... I figured I would post this here. Just ranting / musing on the song, I guess.

Lately I've been enamored by the "He slows down" coda type thing on Moonlight, and especially interested in the 'She couldn't do it..' that follows. She couldn't walk away.. or she couldn't slow down? He slows down, but she couldn't..


I've been tying this song back to The Highwayman since I heard it because I think it's got a pretty similar theme, and again, the 'He slows down' harkens back to 'Considers slowing down, but then he could never win..'

And then today it reminded me of Long Distance Winner.

In Long Distance Winner, she is running after him and calling his name but he's simply too fast for her, no matter what he does. Then, in The Highwayman, although he's still ahead of her, she's learning how to keep up, and he sees her coming up behind him and thinks about slowing down but doesn't want to sacrifice the win.. And lastly, in Moonlight, she's still running, wearing herself out to stay in the game - and he finally slows down.. but she couldn't do it, she couldn't slow down.

Just thought there was a neat little connection. There's probably other songs that just haven't occured to me.

LB - Show You How: "She says, "Slow down, baby. Slow down, now. Come 'round and get me".... just sayin'... :)

In Moonlight the part about "she couldn't do it" follows "she knows too much to walk away".

I think your connections are right though.

[WildHearted]

LB - Show You How: "She says, "Slow down, baby. Slow down, now. Come 'round and get me".... just sayin'... :)

In Moonlight the part about "she couldn't do it" follows "she knows too much to walk away".

I think your connections are right though.

There's a part at the end of moonlight where it goes:

He slows down
He slows down
He slows down
She couldnt do it

Which is what I wassaying could be interpret two ways. You could say it was just echoing the " she knows too much to walk away / she couldn't do it anyway," or you could see it as an answer to the man slowing down..... And and she couldn't do it.


I think it becomes really interesting when you contemplate it as the latter.

Interesting that when she sings it live, she does in fact say, "he slows down, baby".... Then again Stevie is very unreservedly in her use of baby's and wells etc. :lol:

[UndoingTheLaces]

I think the thing about running and slowing down was more inspired by the movie. If you haven't seen it, the vampires move at incredible speeds. And Bella is hanging out with the family and they have to protect her from the other vampires. So it's both literal and figurative. She wants to become a vampire so she can keep up with him, in speed and in life, and he's trying to slow down to match her speed, and to keep her young mind from rushing into a decision that could affect her for all eternity.

Plus, vampires are immortal so the average life span of a human to them must seem like a few weeks to us, they would have to view time in a different way.

And of course it works as a metaphor for the wild rock and roll lifestyle that Stevie's lived through and two people who want to be together but can't.

It works on many levels.

[WildHearted]

I think the thing about running and slowing down was more inspired by the movie. If you haven't seen it, the vampires move at incredible speeds. And Bella is hanging out with the family and they have to protect her from the other vampires. So it's both literal and figurative. She wants to become a vampire so she can keep up with him, in speed and in life, and he's trying to slow down to match her speed, and to keep her young mind from rushing into a decision that could affect her for all eternity.

Plus, vampires are immortal so the average life span of a human to them must seem like a few weeks to us, they would have to view time in a different way.

And of course it works as a metaphor for the wild rock and roll lifestyle that Stevie's lived through and two people who want to be together but can't.

It works on many levels.

I've seen the movies and read the books (sadly).

But Stevie even said, "'She runs with the one she can't keep up with.' Bella runs with the vampires. I run with the rock stars."

I hold firm to my believe that deep down in every Stevie Nicks song, the real subject is Stevie herself, regardless of what it was that she related to that inspired her to write it :thumbsup:.

[michelej1]

There's a part at the end of moonlight where it goes:

He slows down
He slows down
He slows down
She couldnt do it



If you look at it that way, it's a nice Cat in the Cradle moment.

Michele

[BombaySapphire3]

I hold firm to my believe that deep down in every Stevie Nicks song, the real subject is Stevie herself, regardless of what it was that she related to that inspired her to write it :thumbsup:.

Ding! Ding! and we have a winner!:blob1:

[wheart]

Moonlight has firmly secured itself onto my list of absolute Stevie favorites. The song is brilliant and she had touched on it's creation many times in recent interviews but in the Jim Ladd interview, the mother of them all, she really goes into exact detail regarding how that song came to be. I found the whole creative process around that song utterly fascinating, especially the way she wove the Twilight story, her and Lindsey and probably countless other loves and experiences together. The creation of Moonlight was truly the beginning of IYD.

[mitzo]

Moonlight has firmly secured itself onto my list of absolute Stevie favorites. The song is brilliant and she had touched on it's creation many times in recent interviews but in the Jim Ladd interview, the mother of them all, she really goes into exact detail regarding how that song came to be. I found the whole creative process around that song utterly fascinating, especially the way she wove the Twilight story, her and Lindsey and probably countless other loves and experiences together. The creation of Moonlight was truly the beginning of IYD.

Good, now if only she could have written the rest of the album instead of Dave.

[Bm7th]

I love this song, this is at the moment mytop 5 all time favorite song by Stevie. From the very beginning when she starts singing you could hear her gasping, which is different, I don't recall hearing this before on any of her other songs, I wonder if she intended on doing that.

Also can anyone guess what other similarity this song has with Stevie??
Hint- It has nothing to do with the lyrics of the song or another song by Stevie.

[Bm7th]

I love this song, this is at the moment mytop 5 all time favorite song by Stevie. From the very beginning when she starts singing you could hear her gasping, which is different, I don't recall hearing this before on any of her other songs, I wonder if she intended on doing that.

Also can anyone guess what other similarity this song has with Stevie??
Hint- It has nothing to do with the lyrics of the song or another song by Stevie.

I see ya'll are anxiously waiting on the answer. The similarity is the time of the song 5:26( on my CD & CD player) 5/26 = her birthday.

[Phoenix]

I see ya'll are anxiously waiting on the answer. The similarity is the time of the song 5:26( on my CD & CD player) 5/26 = her birthday.

THATS AWESOME! ITS LIKE TOTALLY COSMIC. :thumbsup:

[Bm7th]

THATS AWESOME! ITS LIKE TOTALLY COSMIC. :thumbsup:

Ooooh it's so strange ;)

[seekerj]

:cool:Good, now if only she could have written the rest of the album instead of Dave.

:thumbsup:

[SapphireSister]

Alright, so after seeing her perform the piano version I have to admit it's the best song on the album, you were right. However the problem for me now is the album version doesn't compare to the live piano one. :shrug:

[GavinBrown]

it NEEDS to get the remix treatment...and it will do EXTREMELY well:wavey:

[Christopher]

Good, now if only she could have written the rest of the album instead of Dave.

The Dave Stewart/Stevie Nicks collaborations are excellent. If anything he fueled & fine tuned Stevie's creativity. Not to mention, if it was not for him, we would probably not have such a great record, or a record at all:cool:.

I cannot imagine not having the songs "You May Be The One", "Wide Sargasso Sea", "Everybody Loves You", "Italian Summer", "In Your Dreams" & GAG! He gave IYD diversity & sophistication not seen on a Stevie Nicks record in decades & maybe even arguably ever. Besides, Stevie has had substantial collaborations/co-writers beginning with The Wild Heart" album - Tom Petty, Sandy Stewart, Prince, Rick Nowels, Chas Sanford, Mike Campbell, Rubert Hine, Sheryl Crow, etc., etc.....

[tabruns]

The Dave Stewart/Stevie Nicks collaborations are excellent. If anything he fueled & fine tuned Stevie's creativity. Not to mention, if it was not for him, we would probably not have such a great record, or a record at all:cool:.

I cannot imagine not having the songs "You May Be The One", "Wide Sargasso Sea", "Everybody Loves You", "Italian Summer", "In Your Dreams" & GAG! He gave IYD diversity & sophistication not seen on a Stevie Nicks record in decades & maybe even arguably ever. Besides, Stevie has had substantial collaborations/co-writers beginning with The Wild Heart" album - Tom Petty, Sandy Stewart, Prince, Rick Nowels, Chas Sanford, Mike Campbell, Rubert Hine, Sheryl Crow, etc., etc.....

Agreed. The complaint about Dave being involved in what's probably the best album of Stevie's solo career is mystifying.

[mitzo]

Dave did marvellous production work on IYD. My disappointment is that Dave was involved in the songwriting to such an extent that Stevie has only 3 or 4 (SL, ML, SA and, if you must, AL) fully self-written tunes on this album out of 13 tracks.

To me that is disappointing, frustrating, puzzling, and more. Not to say they aren't good tunes, but they are not Stevie's.

[Christopher]

Dave did marvellous production work on IYD. My disappointment is that Dave was involved in the songwriting to such an extent that Stevie has only 3 or 4 (SL, ML, SA and, if you must, AL) fully self-written tunes on this album out of 13 tracks.

To me that is disappointing, frustrating, puzzling, and more. Not to say they aren't good tunes, but they are not Stevie's.

Still mystifying. The poetry/lyrics are all Stevie, and the songs are superb imho. RAL had even more co-written, unwritten Stevie songs than IYD, and like I mentioned before, every solo album after Bella Donna had significant musical collaborators. IYD is the 1st solo album in which every single song was written or co-written by Stevie Nicks (period)! I guess I do not understand your frustration or bewilderment just because Stevie didn't solely write the majority of the music. If anything Dave's musical accompaniment freed Stevie to write a truly inspired album for the 1st time in over 2 decades without frustration or dissapointmet :cool: *rant over* some people will never be satisfied...:rolleyes:

[tabruns]

I'm guessing Mitzo is that what you're getting at is that there's a certain "Stevie-ness" to the music when she's written the music as well as the lyrics. And she has produced amazing songs, from "Crystal" up through "Moonlight".

That being said though, I think the music that Dave wrote still has a Stevie-ness to it, largely because even though Dave got the music writing credit, the music went in the direction that Stevie wanted. She's pretty clear about that. Dave might have been producing the chords, but it was only with Stevie's consent that the music went in particular directions. Frankly I think it'd be reasonable if Stevie got like 10% of the music writing credit. This situation is quite different than say when she writes with anyone else, because in those cases she gets handed music that is "As Is"....yeah she still chooses it, but she doesn't have an influence while its actually being written.

[WildHearted]

Stevie wrote the melod to the songs, so for that alone I feel like she should get a partial credit for he music

[mitzo]

All I'm saying is that she did not write the music to the vast majority of these songs.

That makes me sad, especially considering that she is an artist a legend and so on, with scores of her own songs in archives.

To me, this is Dave's album as much as it is hers.

Sorry if that annoys some, but that is how it looks from here, and why my reaction to IYD has been a bit muted.

[tabruns]

All I'm saying is that she did not write the music to the vast majority of these songs.

That makes me sad, especially considering that she is an artist a legend and so on, with scores of her own songs in archives.

To me, this is Dave's album as much as it is hers.

Sorry if that annoys some, but that is how it looks from here, and why my reaction to IYD has been a bit muted.

It doesn't annoy me. I just think that you aren't realizing that Stevie actually was more involved in how the music turned out here than in any other situation where she collaborated with someone. Yeah its not the same as when she writes music and lyrics all on her own, but its more "Stevie" than all the songs which were collaborations with others or didn't have her writing at all.

Also, think about this: Stevie knows roughly 8 chords...is it possible that since she was so prolific for so many years that she's basically "run out" of musical ideas, given the limited number of chords she knows? If that's the case its much better that the music is coming out of her writing directly with someone *who follows her lead on where she wants the music to go* rather than just accepting completely written music from someone else.

[mitzo]

On the album, Dave gets full credit for the melodies - "Music: D. Stewart, Lyrics: S. Nicks."

Bad.

[WildHearted]

On the album, Dave gets full credit for the melodies - "Music: D. Stewart, Lyrics: S. Nicks."

Bad.

That's what I don't understand. It's obvious from Stevie's statements about the recording that she constructed the melodies - although they were, of course, based upon the chord progressions Dave was playing. For that, I think she should get some of the musical credit. Then again, when Mike Campbell sends her a track, like FWIW, she makes up the melody too, and gets no musical credit..

I guess I just don't understand why making up the melody doesn't constitute as having written a portion of the music.

[jellyman10]

That's what I don't understand. It's obvious from Stevie's statements about the recording that she constructed the melodies - although they were, of course, based upon the chord progressions Dave was playing. For that, I think she should get some of the musical credit. Then again, when Mike Campbell sends her a track, like FWIW, she makes up the melody too, and gets no musical credit..

I guess I just don't understand why making up the melody doesn't constitute as having written a portion of the music.

Yeah, I'm with you on that. In such cases, it should be "Lyrics: S. Nicks. Music: D. Stewart & S. Nicks". That's looking at it dispassionately, from the outside, though. It might be the case that Stevie is being generous with the co-credit because of what she knows about how much Dave acted as a catalyst without which there really would be NO album.

In the end, though, I think the credits on this album are as she wants them, and that's good enough for me. Plus, I've heard the LFTM demo and I know she wrote the lovely melody to Moonlight. :nod:

[Christopher]

Yeah, I'm with you on that. In such cases, it should be "Lyrics: S. Nicks. Music: D. Stewart & S. Nicks". That's looking at it dispassionately, from the outside, though. It might be the case that Stevie is being generous with the co-credit because of what she knows about how much Dave acted as a catalyst without which there really would be NO album.

In the end, though, I think the credits on this album are as she wants them, and that's good enough for me. Plus, I've heard the LFTM demo and I know she wrote the lovely melody to Moonlight. :nod:

This exactly! I believe Stevie was being very generous giving Dave full music credit on their collaborations due to her immense love of how this project ended up becoming & seeing how dedicated Dave was to this album & not editing her songs/verses etc. Stevie, without doubt, had to come up with some of these melodies, being prompted along by chord progressions, and what not by Dave.

Stevie recounted in many interviews the process the very 1st song they wrote together, "You May Be The One" came to be. Dave saying he liked that poem, armed with a guitar, launched into a few chords, and prompted Stevie to chime in, which she did in a sing-songy way, reciting the lyrics & no doubt melding that into a melody based around the chord progression Dave was playing. She has done this before on co-written songs, just not with someone actually in the room, with her giving Dave direct feedback & visa-versa.

[Christopher]

That's what I don't understand. It's obvious from Stevie's statements about the recording that she constructed the melodies - although they were, of course, based upon the chord progressions Dave was playing. For that, I think she should get some of the musical credit. Then again, when Mike Campbell sends her a track, like FWIW, she makes up the melody too, and gets no musical credit..

I guess I just don't understand why making up the melody doesn't constitute as having written a portion of the music.

Melody creation usually does amount to a musical writing credit. After all, Stevie is singing & creating the notes around a chord progression. The credits on IYD collaborations should have & were more likely: music & lyrics by D Stewart/S Nicks & M. Campbell/S Nicks, I just think Stevie was feeling very generous because she was so over the moon with the outcome of this record. The diversity, The blood, sweat & tears that Stewart & others involved gave to the musical accompaniments/arrangements.

[tabruns]

I agree. The credits probably should have read "Lyrics S. Nicks/Music D. Stewart & S. Nicks" to reflect what really went on. But like others, I think it's very likely that Stevie was so enthralled with the process - and also that Dave's additional chords DID take her music in areas where it wouldn't have gone - that she wanted him to have the full music writing credit. Plus by having it as "Lyrics S. Nicks/Music D. Stewart" she's splitting the songs with him 50/50 which is probably what she'd prefer to do.

My basic point to Mitzo though is that I don't think the music is pure D. Stewart at all, even if that's what the credit implies.

Think of this too: I don't think that "Secret Love", "Moonlight" or "Annabel Lee" sound wildly different than the Stewart/Nicks songs, again leading me to believe that there is definitely something of "Stevie" in the music of the Stewart/Nicks songs.

Off-topic: BTW what is it with Nicks and people with a last name of "Stewart"? I mean her first solo big collaborator (in terms of writing) was Sandy Stewart.....then her big late career tour is with Rod Stewart.....and her big late career album is with Dave Stewart. She should write a witchy haunting song titled "Stewart" to commemorate this. :laugh:

[WildHearted]

I agree. The credits probably should have read "Lyrics S. Nicks/Music D. Stewart & S. Nicks" to reflect what really went on. But like others, I think it's very likely that Stevie was so enthralled with the process - and also that Dave's additional chords DID take her music in areas where it wouldn't have gone - that she wanted him to have the full music writing credit. Plus by having it as "Lyrics S. Nicks/Music D. Stewart" she's splitting the songs with him 50/50 which is probably what she'd prefer to do.

My basic point to Mitzo though is that I don't think the music is pure D. Stewart at all, even if that's what the credit implies.

Think of this too: I don't think that "Secret Love", "Moonlight" or "Annabel Lee" sound wildly different than the Stewart/Nicks songs, again leading me to believe that there is definitely something of "Stevie" in the music of the Stewart/Nicks songs.

Off-topic: BTW what is it with Nicks and people with a last name of "Stewart"? I mean her first solo big collaborator (in terms of writing) was Sandy Stewart.....then her big late career tour is with Rod Stewart.....and her big late career album is with Dave Stewart. She should write a witchy haunting song titled "Stewart" to commemorate this. :laugh:

Don't forget about John Stewart...

[Bandon]

I can't believe it. Until yesterday, I had not heard one song from IYD playing on the radio, in stores, etc. I live in Austin, and I heard Moonlight when I was going into a large movie theater in town. When I left the movie, I also heard it again and noticed they were playing the video on a screen in the lobby. :thumbsup:

[mitzo]

"...Can you write this for me? He says no, you write your songs yourself. That made me stronger, that made me hold on to me..."

Hmmm....

[SapphireSister]

"...Can you write this for me? He says no, you write your songs yourself. That made me stronger, that made me hold on to me..."

Hmmm....

Too tired to analyze my reasoning behind it at this moment but I've been saying this from the beginning of the IYD discussions and felt the need to share... MITZO I'M WITH YOU!! :thumbsup:

[mitzo]

Too tired to analyze my reasoning behind it at this moment but I've been saying this from the beginning of the IYD discussions and felt the need to share... MITZO I'M WITH YOU!! :thumbsup:

Thanks. I feel one of my great idols in life let me down. A little. I mean, if you're an artist, write the frickin' songs yourself. Isn't that always one of Stevie's main themes, how she writes all the time etc.? Well, then, DUH??!!

[tabruns]

Well brace yourself for further disappointment cuz she's likely to continue writing with Dave. She loved how it turned out.

[Bm7th]

I can't believe it. Until yesterday, I had not heard one song from IYD playing on the radio, in stores, etc. I live in Austin, and I heard Moonlight when I was going into a large movie theater in town. When I left the movie, I also heard it again and noticed they were playing the video on a screen in the lobby. :thumbsup:

Last time I heard any new stuff from Stevie on the radio on a consistant basis was back in 1989, Rooms On Fire. After that, Sometimes It's A Bitch once or twice and Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind a few times on a AC radio station. My radio stations were from NYC & N.J.

[Johnny Stew]

Stevie readily admits she only knows a few chords, and that she's not a master on piano or guitar. Which is why she refers to herself as a poet/lyricist and not a composer.

So I'm not quite sure how someone else writing the music should be considered a "letdown."

[TerraRhiannon]

Stevie readily admits she only knows a few chords, and that she's not a master on piano or guitar. Which is why she refers to herself as a poet/lyricist and not a composer.

So I'm not quite sure how someone else writing the music should be considered a "letdown."

I think she's a lot better on piano than she will let on or admit.

[On Ice]

I can't help but go back to the enormous amount of material in Stevie's vault that could be: mastered and released as is, re-recorded, or used as a stepping stone to new material. We saw how amazing LFTM morphed into Moonlight. It leaves me wondering if gems like Julia, China Doll or She Loves Him Still could morph as well. So much potential that she should have grabbed onto around the Tango time. Sigh... But the lady still has it in her and we could hear some amazing stuff from her well into her 70's, go Stevie.

[On Ice]

Oh, and I forgot to add that I think she and Dave crafted an amazing album (although some editing would have made it more amazing) so I look forward to what they have up their sleeves.

[SapphireSister]

Thanks. I feel one of my great idols in life let me down. A little. I mean, if you're an artist, write the frickin' songs yourself. Isn't that always one of Stevie's main themes, how she writes all the time etc.? Well, then, DUH??!!

I wouldn't go as far as to say she let me down by any means. Hell, we never knew for sure we'd ever get another solo album out of her so I am so grateful for IYD!! Do I prefer she did some more songs a la' LFTM--> Moonlight and fewer collabs with Dave? Yes but that's not to say I'm not thankful for what we do have. I mean, we have something even if it's not my ideal scenario.

[bombaysaffires]

Quick post as it's late and I'm really tired.... but I find it interesting that people are disappointed that Stevie collaborated with Dave, or with anyone.... because that's what artists do, and like it or not it's what Stevie has always done... she writes her lyrics and her melodies (exactly what she did here even working with Dave) and then gives creative control over the music to Lindsey, Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty, etc etc etc... She's quoted over and over herself saying that she gives her songs over to her producers and other collaborators and tells them "don't mess with my words or my melodies but do whatever you want with the music/arrangement". So this process is NOT new for her..... (She just happened to do it sitting in the same room with Dave which she typically hadn't done before.. which I think gave her actually MORE input and control over the music than she's had in the past when she just handed stuff over and walked away, "call me when you're ready for me"). And artists from time immemorial have worked with new people to keep themselves and their work fresh and reinvigorated... One of the things I think Lindsey needs to do MORE is collaborate on his solo albums... his best to date (for me, ymmv) was Out of the Cradle, which he DIDN"T do alone in a bubble but collaborated with Richard Dashut on. When he doesn't collaborate, his work starts to sound a bit redundant and cloistered. Just my opinion.

[SapphireSister]

Quick post as it's late and I'm really tired.... but I find it interesting that people are disappointed that Stevie collaborated with Dave, or with anyone.... because that's what artists do, and like it or not it's what Stevie has always done... she writes her lyrics and her melodies (exactly what she did here even working with Dave) and then gives creative control over the music to Lindsey, Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty, etc etc etc... She's quoted over and over herself saying that she gives her songs over to her producers and other collaborators and tells them "don't mess with my words or my melodies but do whatever you want with the music/arrangement". So this process is NOT new for her..... (She just happened to do it sitting in the same room with Dave which she typically hadn't done before.. which I think gave her actually MORE input and control over the music than she's had in the past when she just handed stuff over and walked away, "call me when you're ready for me"). And artists from time immemorial have worked with new people to keep themselves and their work fresh and reinvigorated... One of the things I think Lindsey needs to do MORE is collaborate on his solo albums... his best to date (for me, ymmv) was Out of the Cradle, which he DIDN"T do alone in a bubble but collaborated with Richard Dashut on. When he doesn't collaborate, his work starts to sound a bit redundant and cloistered. Just my opinion.

I hear you but what makes this one different than the others with Jimmy, Tom, etc. is that Stevie herself has really promoted IYD as a total collaboration and has chosen to give Dave tons of credit and talk non-stop about him. He has been and will continue to be the focus of the conversation whenever she talks about IYD, not to mention the videos, pictures, and live show appearances. She credits him with so much! It was even marketed heavily to us that way in my opinion. I do not believe she has focused any other producer/collaborator (with the exception of Lindsey) with the fervor she has with Dave. He's is all over IYD! Have you guys seen Jimmy Iovine, Rick Nowels, or Rupert Hine the same way we've seen Dave? I think not. I guess that's more so my problem than the actual technicalities of the song-writing process (who wrote melodies, lyrics, etc.). or who's in control. To me too much of the focus/credit has been taken off of Stevie and given to Dave. I just want Stevie to get all the attention!! Does this make sense to anyone?

[bombaysaffires]

I hear you but what makes this one different than the others with Jimmy, Tom, etc. is that Stevie herself has really promoted IYD as a total collaboration and has chosen to give Dave tons of credit and talk non-stop about him. He has been and will continue to be the focus of the conversation whenever she talks about IYD, not to mention the videos, pictures, and live show appearances. She credits him with so much! It was even marketed heavily to us that way in my opinion. I do not believe she has focused any other producer/collaborator (with the exception of Lindsey) with the fervor she has with Dave. He's is all over IYD! Have you guys seen Jimmy Iovine, Rick Nowels, or Rupert Hine the same way we've seen Dave? I think not. I guess that's more so my problem than the actual technicalities of the song-writing process (who wrote melodies, lyrics, etc.). or who's in control. To me too much of the focus/credit has been taken off of Stevie and given to Dave. I just want Stevie to get all the attention!! Does this make sense to anyone?

it does make sense:) Maybe it has something to do with Dave's personality vs the others? Jimmy, Rupert, and some others preferred to be known behind the scenes and let the artist do all the public work.... maybe he's a force in all that.... it IS interesting that Glen Ballard produced just as much on this record but isn't all over the media.... maybe Stevie thinks he has a credibility in this new era that she doesn't??

[MacMan]

I hear you but what makes this one different than the others with Jimmy, Tom, etc. is that Stevie herself has really promoted IYD as a total collaboration and has chosen to give Dave tons of credit and talk non-stop about him. He has been and will continue to be the focus of the conversation whenever she talks about IYD, not to mention the videos, pictures, and live show appearances. She credits him with so much! It was even marketed heavily to us that way in my opinion. I do not believe she has focused any other producer/collaborator (with the exception of Lindsey) with the fervor she has with Dave. He's is all over IYD! Have you guys seen Jimmy Iovine, Rick Nowels, or Rupert Hine the same way we've seen Dave? I think not. I guess that's more so my problem than the actual technicalities of the song-writing process (who wrote melodies, lyrics, etc.). or who's in control. To me too much of the focus/credit has been taken off of Stevie and given to Dave. I just want Stevie to get all the attention!! Does this make sense to anyone?

Stevie gives Dave a lot of credit because he pointed her in a whole new direction with a whole new outlook on how to create.. right from song writing & recording to producing the music videos, documentary filming etc. and I'm sure marketing it & herself. In the past yes producers were involved which we didn't hear a lot about on a technical level, and I think her Management would have had more say in the direction things went with the music and marketing where as this time I think Dave may have had a lot of influence in the direction... So she's grateful to him for giving himself over to her to help her do things in a different way - ways she probably would never have done on her own... It excites her for the future... She didn't want the recording to end... She'll likely produce more music in the future this way because of this experience - and for that - I'd thank Dave too! I think Stevie deservedly gets ALL the attention...at the end of the day it is her album and she does have final say on everything. If she didn't mention Dave every chance she could he'd be like the past producers and basically not talked about at...

I think people are over reacting! Songwriters have been collaborating with other songwriters since the beginning of time... That process in itself can be inspiring.

[UndoingTheLaces]

his best to date (for me, ymmv) was Out of the Cradle, which he DIDN"T do alone in a bubble but collaborated with Richard Dashut on.


You said "bubble but". Tee hee :]

[UndoingTheLaces]

I used to be in a band and my favorite thing to do was to sit in the room with the other guys jamming and a little tape recorder and just write. Then I was take the tape and edit different parts of a jam together, or just take a section that worked really well, and record me singing my lyrics over it. Then I would bring it back and say "here's two new songs" and they would say "those weren't songs, we were just goofing around" but then they'd be amazed that I had constructed two practically complete songs out of hours of jamming.

So I can see totally how Stevie can work with other people. I mean, her piano rendition of Moonlight was beautiful to listen to but if that was on the album like that it would be a little monotonous to the average listener. I was amazed that Stevie's piano melody could actually play all the way through the chorus because Dave had constructed such a lush landscape behind her vocals that you'd never know it had the same repeating chord progression all the way through. I remember when I tried to teach myself to play Gypsy on the piano. I have this little Best of Fleetwood Mac sheet music book, and I sat there learning the chords and realized, wow for such a beautifully intense song it's got like two parts. Seriously, listen to the opening chords of Gypsy before she starts to sing. You can repeat that over and over and over and it never changes until you get to the bridge and after the bridge it goes back to that, even during the vocal ad lib at the end. Even Stevie has said she knows very little about writing music. What did she say that Waddy said "it's like she just keeps writing one really long song". Dave was doing what he does best, construct incredible musical landscapes underneath strong female vocalists. He did it for Annie and now for Stevie. I hope they work together again.