"Valentine"?

[svnwndrs]

Does anyone else know or like this song? It was recorded by Belinda Carlisle for her 1989 album "Runaway Horses" which was produced by none other than the brilliant Rick Nowels, whom as many know is a longtime friend and colleague of Stevie's. I could totally hear Stevie rockin this song. It was also written by Sandy Stewart if I'm not mistaken...

It would be awesome if there was a chance in the future we would come across some sort of outtake recording of Stevie singing it!

[Jondalar]

Does anyone else know or like this song? It was recorded by Belinda Carlisle for her 1989 album "Runaway Horses" which was produced by none other than the brilliant Rick Nowels, whom as many know is a longtime friend and colleague of Stevie's. I could totally hear Stevie rockin this song. It was also written by Sandy Stewart if I'm not mistaken...

It would be awesome if there was a chance in the future we would come across some sort of outtake recording of Stevie singing it!

Runaway Horses was a good album. Was the song originally written for Stevie?

[svnwndrs]

Not that I'm aware of. I was just saying that it would be really cool if an outtake of her singing it would be unearthed one day. I could definitely picture Stevie doing a version. But I guess we all have dreams of what we wish she would record

[PenguinHead]

Not that I'm aware of. I was just saying that it would be really cool if an outtake of her singing it would be unearthed one day. I could definitely picture Stevie doing a version. But I guess we all have dreams of what we wish she would record

While her cover songs are interesting, revealing her eclectic taste, I prefer her self-penned songs.

That said, I wish she didn't pass on 'These Dreams," which was a massive hit for Heart. Bernie Taupin (Elton John's immensely talented lyricist ) wrote it with Stevie in mind.

[Macfan4life]

While her cover songs are interesting, revealing her eclectic taste, I prefer her self-penned songs.

That said, I wish she didn't pass on 'These Dreams," which was a massive hit for Heart. Bernie Taupin (Elton John's immensely talented lyricist ) wrote it with Stevie in mind.
I'm glad she passed on These Dreams. The lyrics are corny and cheezy when you read them and I can see why Stevie passed on the song. Plus it would have sounded like she was trying to capitalize on her trademark Dreams.
Nancy Wilson really knocked the ball out of the park on These Dreams. Few could have captured and performed that song the way Nancy did. Stevie's voice was raw and I think the song would not have been a hit with Stevie. Nancy sings the song with a broad and strong voice.
I also wish she would have passed on Talk to me and about 5 others on RAL and stuck to her RAL demos.

[Jondalar]

I'm glad she passed on These Dreams. The lyrics are corny and cheezy when you read them and I can see why Stevie passed on the song. Plus it would have sounded like she was trying to capitalize on her trademark Dreams.
Nancy Wilson really knocked the ball out of the park on These Dreams. Few could have captured and performed that song the way Nancy did. Stevie's voice was raw and I think the song would not have been a hit with Stevie. Nancy sings the song with a broad and strong voice.
I also wish she would have passed on Talk to me and about 5 others on RAL and stuck to her RAL demos.

Stevie should of recorded These Dreams. Her own writing was pretty bad at the time and she needed good songs. Talk to Me was a great song and I wish that These Dreams would of made it onto a Rock A Little. That album needed it.

[Macfan4life]

I could never imagine Stevie singing anything like:

"I search for the time on a watch with no hands"
"I walk without a cut through a stained glass wall"
"The candle in my grip and words that have no form are falling from my lips"

LMAO Hearing that in her raspy 1985 voice would have been funny. Its the most UN-Stevie song ever. People freak out over the word Laundromat in another song that was written for her. This is much more silly. But maybe she could have done a version of Safety Dance. It was the 80's after all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPau5QYtYs


Seriously... Stevie needs to stick to her poetry and rock n roll. The endless clichés make it too cheezy for Stevie to sing.

[Jondalar]

I could never imagine Stevie singing anything like:

"I search for the time on a watch with no hands"
"I walk without a cut through a stained glass wall"
"The candle in my grip and words that have no form are falling from my lips"

LMAO Hearing that in her raspy 1985 voice would have been funny. Its the most UN-Stevie song ever. People freak out over the word Laundromat in another song that was written for her. This is much more silly. But maybe she could have done a version of Safety Dance. It was the 80's after all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPau5QYtYs


Seriously... Stevie needs to stick to her poetry and rock n roll. The endless clichés make it too cheezy for Stevie to sing.

A lot of Stevie's song lyrics are silly. These Dreams is a well written hit. She needed it.

[On Ice]

I agree that These Dreams was better in Heart's hands and the RAL voice would've killed the song. I think her greatest hit potential at the time was with Mirror Mirror and had it been released earlier in 1984 may have charted, it was and is a great song. Not sure why she shelved it and the great Running Through the Garden.

[olive]

I could never imagine Stevie singing anything like:

"I search for the time on a watch with no hands"
"I walk without a cut through a stained glass wall"
"The candle in my grip and words that have no form are falling from my lips"




Seriously... Stevie needs to stick to her poetry and rock n roll. The endless clichés make it too cheezy for Stevie to sing.

really ...... welcome to the room sara , silver girl , when I see you again but this ......

Papa says... there are clothes to wash
Sister says... brush your hair
You'll go down... to the laundromat
Maybe your sister is there

[Macfan4life]

This is a great thread. I forget sometimes there are the Stevie fans that love the pop or "commercial" side. So I enjoy reading those comments.
I don't think Stevie has ever written a silly song. Even a song like Welcome to the room sara is one of my least favorites. Its not great lyrically or musically. But hardly a silly song and written about one of the most traumatic experiences in her life.
IMHO RAL has way TOO many pop commercial songs that were brought to Stevie. The last thing RAL needed was another sappy commercial song. I wish Running through the Garden and Mirror Mirror took the place of Talk To Me and Some become Strangers.

I think Stevie is one of the best songwriters in rock. Her poetry really works when the right person is behind the arrangements. She has such a catalog of songs I hate when they bring her some crappy pop song.

But its cool. I understand and appreciate some fans love songs like Talk To Me, Everyday, Cry Wolf, etc.

[jeffd8382]

"Valentine" is a great Sandy Stewart track. Another favorite of mine she penned was released the same year by Tina Tuner called "Falling Like Rain" from Tina's 1989 Foreign Affair album. It even had a similar production to "Valentine." Tina and Belinda both had great albums that year. :nod:

[Jondalar]

This is a great thread. I forget sometimes there are the Stevie fans that love the pop or "commercial" side. So I enjoy reading those comments.
I don't think Stevie has ever written a silly song. Even a song like Welcome to the room sara is one of my least favorites. Its not great lyrically or musically. But hardly a silly song and written about one of the most traumatic experiences in her life.
IMHO RAL has way TOO many pop commercial songs that were btrought to Stevie. The last thing RAL needed was another sappy commercial song. I wish Running through the Garden and Mirror Mirror took the place of Talk To Me and Some become Strangers.

I think Stevie is one of the best songwriters in rock. Her poetry really works when the right person is behind the arrangements. She has such a catalog of songs I hate when they bring her some crappy pop song.

But its cool. I understand and appreciate some fans love songs like Talk To Me, Everyday, Cry Wolf, etc.

Talk to Me was the only reason Rock A Little sold a decent amount of albums. It was a great track with one of her best vocals ever.

[sorcerer999]

The last thing RAL needed was another sappy commercial song. I wish Running through the Garden and Mirror Mirror took the place of Talk To Me and Some become Strangers.

I think Stevie is one of the best songwriters in rock. Her poetry really works when the right person is behind the arrangements.

Yes, yes, A MILLION TIMES YES to everything you just said. I'm not sure if it was Jimmy Iovine or someone from her label, but whoever convinced her to scrap her ideas for the "Mirror Mirror" project was an idiot! It could have been her first "concept album" but everyone was more concerned about $$$ than artistry back in the mid 80's...

[PenguinHead]

I'm glad she passed on These Dreams. The lyrics are corny and cheezy when you read them and I can see why Stevie passed on the song. Plus it would have sounded like she was trying to capitalize on her trademark Dreams.
Nancy Wilson really knocked the ball out of the park on These Dreams. Few could have captured and performed that song the way Nancy did. Stevie's voice was raw and I think the song would not have been a hit with Stevie. Nancy sings the song with a broad and strong voice.
I also wish she would have passed on Talk to me and about 5 others on RAL and stuck to her RAL demos.

On second thoughts, your points make perfect sense! Stevie doesn't need another Dream song. Nancy was more suitable for the song.

What Rock a Little demos did you have in mind?

[Papillon]

I have a question: even on lyrics that you may not care for or don't understand, do you get a 'feel' of its meaning when you listen to her sing it? Like maybe just looking at the lyrics written on a sheet of paper and thinking 'Wtf?' But it seems to make perfect sense when you listen to the song? I do. Not 100% of the time, but maybe 85%.

[Papillon]

I LOVE Straight Back, but I've often wondered if Christine ever rolls her eyes when she sings with Stevie on these lyrics:
"Fingers find the ivory
Keys and a song
Begins to begin
Like a wolf on the run.."
I do understand "In the shadow of my shadow" but the "wolf on the run" lines I do not get.
I wonder if anyone here does & can enlighten me? And no, I'm not being sarcastic. I don't understand, but I want to.

[Macfan4life]

I LOVE Straight Back, but I've often wondered if Christine ever rolls her eyes when she sings with Stevie on these lyrics:
"Fingers find the ivory
Keys and a song
Begins to begin
Like a wolf on the run.."
I do understand "In the shadow of my shadow" but the "wolf on the run" lines I do not get.
I wonder if anyone here does & can enlighten me? And no, I'm not being sarcastic. I don't understand, but I want to.
Chris and Stevie's harmony on that line is haunting.

Stevie is a pure poet. She has a poetic license like all poets. I love the wolf on the run line. What do you picture in your head when you hear that? For me, I picture a lone wolf running in a dark forest with a full moon. A wolf is about independence. A wolf running is very aggressive, wild, and fast. A wolf running also would not go directly anywhere and can deviate its trail. A running wolf is also after something.
When writing a song.... Stevie is independent..... it happens fast...... and she deviates back and forth. She is definitely after something.... her fingers finding the ivory keys and a song is beginning....like a wolf on the run.
So to me, the line makes perfect sense. But this is only in my world. Each person has their own interpretation.
Many Stevie fans bond because we understand eachother. Her fans will never leave her because of this bond. Sometimes I can relate so much to her writing it feels like the song was written for me. One time on her 1989 tour a "journalist" wrote that Stevie's solo career was running out of steam and it used her lyrics from Rooms on Fire to make the point.
He wrote:
"Somewhere out in the back of your mind
comes your real life and the life that you know
it seemed like to be one of those same old things
it seemed to be the only thing left out in the light'
He wrote: What? That make no sense.
To me, those lines make perfect sense. I understand them completely.

[DauphineMarie]

Chris and Stevie's harmony on that line is haunting.

Stevie is a pure poet. She has a poetic license like all poets. I love the wolf on the run line. What do you picture in your head when you hear that? For me, I picture a lone wolf running in a dark forest with a full moon. A wolf is about independence. A wolf running is very aggressive, wild, and fast. A wolf running also would not go directly anywhere and can deviate its trail. A running wolf is also after something.
When writing a song.... Stevie is independent..... it happens fast...... and she deviates back and forth. She is definitely after something.... her fingers finding the ivory keys and a song is beginning....like a wolf on the run.
So to me, the line makes perfect sense. But this is only in my world. Each person has their own interpretation.
Many Stevie fans bond because we understand eachother. Her fans will never leave her because of this bond. Sometimes I can relate so much to her writing it feels like the song was written for me. One time on her 1989 tour a "journalist" wrote that Stevie's solo career was running out of steam and it used her lyrics from Rooms on Fire to make the point.
He wrote:
"Somewhere out in the back of your mind
comes your real life and the life that you know
it seemed like to be one of those same old things
it seemed to be the only thing left out in the light'
He wrote: What? That make no sense.
To me, those lines make perfect sense. I understand them completely.

That is exactly what I imagine about the "wolf on the run" line too. Straight Back, to me, is one of Stevie's most visually striking songs. I can see the whole story laid out, and with the lyrics and music combining together in a "shadow within a shadow" actually makes a lot of sense to me.

Having just heard "Valentine" for the first time just now, I can imagine Stevie singing this song, which is highly unfortunate in my opinion. If it was on OSOTM, it could easily have found itself among the cheesiest non-Stevie written songs EVER (Docklands, anyone.) There is no magic there, which is important to almost all Stevie fans, and part of the reason I think Rock a Little wasn't accepted as well as it could have been.

And regarding the Rock a Little demos, I personally think Running Through the Garden, Something Exquisite, All the Kings Horses (someone could make it work) and It's Not a Dream would all have been better off on RAL/Mirror Mirror. The super cheesy 80's sounds ruined what could have been a great rock and roll record (like Stevie originally wanted) but songs like Valentine would only have diminished her status as rock and roll singer.

[Papillon]

Chris and Stevie's harmony on that line is haunting.

Stevie is a pure poet. She has a poetic license like all poets. I love the wolf on the run line. What do you picture in your head when you hear that? For me, I picture a lone wolf running in a dark forest with a full moon. A wolf is about independence. A wolf running is very aggressive, wild, and fast. A wolf running also would not go directly anywhere and can deviate its trail. A running wolf is also after something.
When writing a song.... Stevie is independent..... it happens fast...... and she deviates back and forth. She is definitely after something.... her fingers finding the ivory keys and a song is beginning....like a wolf on the run.
So to me, the line makes perfect sense. But this is only in my world. Each person has their own interpretation.
Many Stevie fans bond because we understand eachother. Her fans will never leave her because of this bond. Sometimes I can relate so much to her writing it feels like the song was written for me. One time on her 1989 tour a "journalist" wrote that Stevie's solo career was running out of steam and it used her lyrics from Rooms on Fire to make the point.
He wrote:
"Somewhere out in the back of your mind
comes your real life and the life that you know
it seemed like to be one of those same old things
it seemed to be the only thing left out in the light'
He wrote: What? That make no sense.
To me, those lines make perfect sense. I understand them completely.

I don't think I'm doing this correctly, trying to quote & reply- but here goes!
You make perfect sense. I didn't really think of the meaning of a wolf running, but there is certainly an urgency to it. I know some ppl think Stevie's lyrics sound like Yoda-speak or something, and to say that a song "begins to begin" is not possible because the song is an object, not a subject. I beg to differ. I think her songs- and the writings of many artists- begin inside the author and flow out. So yeah- thank you! Your words totally make sense to me, and I really have tried to understand that line.
"Don't listen to her, listen through her"

[PenguinHead]

I have a question: even on lyrics that you may not care for or don't understand, do you get a 'feel' of its meaning when you listen to her sing it? Like maybe just looking at the lyrics written on a sheet of paper and thinking 'Wtf?' But it seems to make perfect sense when you listen to the song? I do. Not 100% of the time, but maybe 85%.

A very astute observation. Lyrics are sometimes arbitrary to many songs; you don't need a literal interpretation to get the general meaning. The "feel" of the song delivers the message/intention as much as the words.

Often, some lyrics are so opaque or hard to understand, the listener constructs their own personal interpretation. With some of the many artists I am a fan of and listen to, the vocals/words are, like the instruments, just another element of the song.
Then there are songs that need no interpretation; written very direct in intent and clear in objective.

Stevie writes in a very subjective manner. Her unbridled, emotional poetic style is unique, though somewhat limited in literary technique. Yet, it is just one of many aspects that have worked in her favor, and why she has become a living legend. You have to listen through her to really appreciate her art.

[PenguinHead]

I LOVE Straight Back, but I've often wondered if Christine ever rolls her eyes when she sings with Stevie on these lyrics:
"Fingers find the ivory
Keys and a song
Begins to begin
Like a wolf on the run.."
I do understand "In the shadow of my shadow" but the "wolf on the run" lines I do not get.
I wonder if anyone here does & can enlighten me? And no, I'm not being sarcastic. I don't understand, but I want to.

Fingers find the ivory keys
And a song begins to begin
Like a wolf on the run

It seems like she is describing her writing process.
She caught a spark of inspiration, and the creative process took off quickly -- like a wolf on the run.