Juliet
 

I've got to say that this has to be one of my favorite songs from TOSOTM. But in my opinion, it is also one of her very most cryptic works. I know that Stevie is often criticized for writing vague lyrics that don't often make sense, and this song has to be the definitive example of that. But that aspect of her writing is really one of the things that I enjoy most about her songs -- because it allows each individual to interpret them in his or her own way.

Anyway, the only problem is, the more I listen to Juliet, the less I feel able get anything from it. For the life of me I have no idea what she's trying to say in this song (even though like I said, it is one of my favorites...go figure.)

So I was wondering if anyone knew any inside information on the song, or had a personal interpretation that they would like to share. I'd be interested in hearing anything.

Well, I tend to believe the first verse is about her trying to kick cocaine. It was tough, but she went on to do it, and it's hard for her to talk about. And afterward, she has to go back out on the road because that's her career, but it's hard for her because she is in a different frame of mind without the cocaine, plus the tranquilizers. "You get some ribbons and some bows and get back out on the road again," she's like yelling at herself to quit being scared and just go do it. Now, my only problem is that I don't see how this connects with the character Juliet (unless it's NOT the Juliet from Romeo and Juliet). Maybe it doesn't, and she's just saying that she's like Juliet...wild hearted and whimsical. That's all I really get out of it, I of course could be wrong about the whole thing. But since it was written for the Tango sessions, I figured it kind of linked.

Just as a side note, I love the line "Let the crisis become a bridge, and cross that bridge tomorrow." I just wish I could learn to live by it. :wavey:

Well, I'll try to have a go at it, but my interps tend to be more like books!

I have recently rediscovered this song and have been listening to it alot. It is a cool car tune.

I'm not sure if the words to this were written before or after Lindsey left the band, because the instrumental of it is a b-side to one of the Tango releases. Lindsey did the arrangement of it as an instrumental, so I don't know if that is because the words to it weren't considered right for the TITN album or if it was unfinished at that point. Maybe having to go to Betty Ford kept her from finishing it, so he just did the musical arrangement, I don't know.

WHEN it was written is of importance, as it is with any Stevie or Mac song, but assuming parts of it were written after Lindsey left FM does help it make more sense.

In the first verse she is sort of looking back on all the things that happened with Lindsey during the crazy years of the Mac. She is acknowledging that being famous was much harder than what she bargained for, esp. since she and Lindsey couldn't hold things together. The fame was great, people treat you like royality, they hang on everything you say, and they sort of "worship" what you are all about, so I think that is what the whole "missionary" term is implying.

I love the line "dancin' to some man's ancient drum" because I always think of this interview I heard once where she was talking about Tusk, and she described it as "Well, here we are in the ancient burial grounds...", and she mentioned how she wasn't crazy about the whole "tribal" feel of the record. I know she and Lindsey spent alot of years fighting about musical concepts after they split, and when she was in FM, she had to conform to what they, (mainly Lindsey) wanted, so I feel that is refering to Tusk, and Lindsey being the "Ayatolla" in the studio. Remember her calling him that?

After he officially left, I'm sure she was hit repeatedly with questions about what happened, and she may have even had plenty of questions herself. She tries to explain how she and Lindsey feel about each other, but no one understands, they all think she is crazy, because she still harbors feelings for him, so it is a hard story to tell. Only a very few people understand. It is very complicated. Her "Book of Miracles" I see as her journals......possibly her pulling them out, and going back over some things she had forgotten about, trying to understand his feelings herself. She probably didn't remember alot due to being smashed.

In the second verse, she is trying to just continue on and do her thing.......she needs to, you know the best thing to do when you are troubled about something is to get busy. Also she had alot of people depending on her as well. Even though she may have a good cry every now and then, she knows she has to carry on. This is the first time since she was about 19 that she has been truly without Lindsey, her musical soulmate, and I'm sure she felt so alone and missed him terribly. The funny thing about S&L is that even though they were apart, there was still a "connection" there. They had a musical connection, always, and it is just my opinion, but I think they still got together physically every now and then as well. (I may get blasted for that, but I truly believe they were addicted to each other and even though it was destructive, they kept the physical end of it going, on Tour at least, because the attraction was so strong. If that isn't true, then why all this anguish through the 80's, and WHY could he only get over her by completely going away from her? Because the sexual attraction kept getting in the way, I think!) Anyways, now not only has she lost her musical connection with him for the first time ever, but she has also lost the physical connection as well. She keeps going over it in her mind, trying to figure out how to stay "connected" to him, but NOPE, not this time, babe! He is GONE!

So, she turns to the things she feels she can depend on, her friends, her family.......I think the blue lamp is symbolic of her mother. She probably talked to her mother and her friends, and they were most likely honest with her....they were "truthful" with her, as always. They held that mirror up to her face, and maybe she saw it was partially her fault, as well. They could have said, "Well what did you expect him to do, Stevie?"

This makes her feel tragic, "just a little bit like Juliet", since she has lost her love and is partially to blame. She says "no one was wrong", because she just can't blame him......not yet anyway, and maybe she refuses to take responsibility just yet! We know she did eventually get angry. She had alot od snide things to say later, but now she is still a little wistful, a little unbelieveing that it is really, after all these years, over!

I love the part about "when they were good, they REALLY good"! This seems to be some sort of connection to the lines from "Angel". She just can't stop thinking about that good ol' "Loindsey" love! Yep! I said "loin" on purpose! That must have been some good stuff indeed! Oh, yeah, baby! They would do that incredible thing, then all the issues are staring them in the face on the morning after, so they are strangers once again. Now that is tragic!

The part about using the "crisis" as a bridge has got to be some reference to the hole left, not only in FM, but in her heart, when he left. She is saying that she knows she will get over it, but it will have to be tomorrow, because today she is still sad about it.

The ending repeats about the sky is alittle puzzling, but it puts me in mind of her often-used rain and water references she applies to Lindsey. She feels things are not right, he possibly feels the opposite, that everything is hunky dory, I'm not sure, but knowing Stevie, it is lifted directly from some conversation with Lindsey.

Well, that's about my forty dollars worth! lol!!

Re: Juliet
 

I don't have an interpretation of the song (I never interpret songs), but some of the words to "Juliet" seem to refer to Mick, like "the beat of some man's ancient drum," which reminds me of those old African talking drums that Peter gave Mick in the early years, & Mick played them in concert. And Mick collects other African drums, like the percussion stuff he has from Ghana. And that line about a king: she always called Mick the king (like in "All the King's Horses").

Those of you who saw a lot of Rock A Little shows or who collect concert tapes might remember the way Stevie sang a little bit of "Juliet" during the first song break at her L.A. show at the Forum (7-18-86). Of course, at the time, you didn't know what it was. But in retrospect, you know what it is! Fleetwood Mac tracked "Juliet" in 1986. Stevie sings bits of songs she's writing at the time at some of her shows, like the way she sings that "where has the white bird flown" stuff during "Sisters of the Moon" in Atlanta August 1980.

Sulamith, what a great interpretation!! I just loved it...I always considered Juliet to be the hidden gem on OTOSM...

Somethng of a Dreamer, it's funny what you said, because I think Juliet is one of her more straightforward songs even tho she tried to be cryptic with her poetry...to me, it's definetely about adjusting and finally accepting that she is a rock-n-roll star and the price for that has been husband, children and family...

during the first verse, I definetely get an FM vibe also...about being in the band and wanting fame and realizing that it's not all it's cracked up to be...David is right, I definetely see Mick as the "some man's ancient drum", he's the leader of the band.

the second verse, Sulamith has said it all...perfectly. I just wish I had thought of it...I can really see the parent connection with the blue lamp. It also ties into the whole theme of OTOSM with Alice traveling through the mirror...I can see how Stevie tends to compartmentalize her life...with FM, solo and home with her parents, Chris and family...and going through a mirror is a perfect allusion for that...

the last bridge (two bridges in one song, doesn't that count as musical genius??) always get's to me, it is the classic psychological babble...Woman are from Venus, Men are from Mars. but Stevie says is much more poetically, with the wonderful romantic drama a woman has and the practical hard-edged nature a man has...and just a quick heads up to Bruce Hornsby, his voice is quiet perfection on this album...

She says "The sky is crying." He says "No, the sky is blue."
He says "The sky is not crying," he says "The sky is blue."
She says "The sky is crying." He says "The sky is blue."
Can you get into that? ...yes I can!!!
"The sky is crying..." He says "No, the sky is blue..."

damn it, that sky is crying...and I'm not doing one more load of your dirty laundry!! :laugh:

it's an interesting why she picked the name Juliet, at first glance, you know it's a tragedy about two young people who end up committing suicide but Juliet is not really a tragic figure in her personality or temperament(had to consult the dictionary for that one)...in fact she is the only one in the whole story that remains true to herself and her love without letting the passions of the outside world change her, even Romeo is unable to do that, he ends up being dragged into reality by killing her couisin, what's his name?? so in the end, Juliet remains the only strong, honest, true and perhaps happiest character in the play (btw, suicide is stupid) and there is something good about that...so after all, get some ribbons and some bows and get back out on the road again...

last note, I think Stevie always tries to put an FM type tune on each of her cd's. She has often said that Outside the Rain on Bella Donna is a continuation of Dreams. Juliet is her FM salute on OTOSM...

Bella, thanks for your nice comments! I told you guys I could seriously write a book!

Also, Man! What a great way to look at the Juliet angle! i never thought about the fact that the character of Juliet stayed true to herself, and maybe that is what Stevie was trying to say....very cool!


I laughed out loud over your comment about "that sky is crying dammit and I'm not doing any more of your dirty laundry!" HAHA!! How true! There was a radio interview from around the time he left where she said almost that very thing!
She said that in the studio that if Linds thought the wall was gray she was sure it would be pink, and in ordrer to get a song on a record she would have to say, 'Ok, Lindsey.....the wall is gray...'. She then finished this little talk off by saying, "We are talking about a man who was in love with a woman and wanted her to just fade into the background. He would just as soon I stay home and do laundry."

You are right on about the sky comments.....she is just conveying how they couldn't communicate, like they were from different worlds.

The song "No Questions Asked" also has alot of clues in there from around that same time. She still wants that physical connection with him, and she promises that if he will only give in one more time, she won't ask him anything. Then when he doesn't, she just breaks down like a little girl. She cries and changes her mind. Now that he is gone, SHE wants HIM back!
They are so interesting, aren't they?

That's basically what I meant - that the cryptic aspect of Juliet, and most of her other cryptic songs, is in her poety. If you read the lyrics to Juliet as a poem, it makes no sense - especially if you know nothing about Stevie and her background and her life...

However, if you look at practically any of the other songs on TOSOTM, they read much more easily. I think it's because the imagery isn't as complex. To the average listener, and even to people who had been listening to it forever, like me, the imagery in Juliet could spark a million questions - like "what is this with the dancing to the beat of an ancient drum" "what is the book of miracles she's consulting" "what is the deal with tying the connection with ribbons and bows" "why is she a little bit like Juliet" --- and that's why i don't think the song is not very straighforward at all. if you let yourself get hung up on things like that it can easily conceal the message of the meaning of the song. but i think everyone has done a great job with it!

I really liked Sulamith's interpretaion of this song. Next to "Ooh My Love", this is the BEST thing on OSOTM!!

I'll throw in a couple of things....

Believe it or not, Stevie tends to be extremely reverential in her lyrical stanzas. Pulling bits and pieces out of her journals to create a complete lyric is not uncommon- nor is using the same lyrical idea in multiple songs to convey the same emotion.

The "It was way too hard..." definitely has to be about ditching coke.

With that in mind, Stevie as the "Missionary dancing to the beat of some man's ancient drum" could have some reference to her very close relationship to Mick Fleetwood during the Rock A Little tour and the fact that he would play that talking drum that he got from Peter Green.

I think maybe she decided to look back on herself, but since the story is "a hard one to tell", she didn't know what to say. So "she consults her book of Miracles"- which would be Stevie's journals.

Cry...and the wind says fly on
Well now you're on your own
You're back out on the road again for a million reasons
Well you're back out on the road again
And you try to tie together some connections...
You get some ribbons and some bows and get back out on the road again

This whole stanza definitely refers to Stevie away from Fleetwood Mac and still doing the touring thing. It especially corresponds to her touring with Bob Dylan- getting the ribbons and the bows together- a direct lift from "Just Like a Woman", which she might have sung that summer of '86.

The only other thing I have to throw in is the "sky is crying" routine. From what I've read a lot of people surrounding Stevie tend to consider her somewhat of a drama queen- even Christine McVie has stated with some sarcasm about Stevie's lyrics being "obscure". Perhaps, at this time in Stevie's life she was unsure of herself. Having just purged coke and booze, having to prove herself on her own without Fleetwood Mac, discovering she would have to go BACK to Fleetwood Mac and attempt to do an album- with ALL that history and Lindsey producing. It doesn't sound very appetizing. Perhaps at that time Stevie was telling her trusted friends, "This is all so DEPRESSING!" ("the sky is crying")- and the response to her drama was "Come on, you've got it great- and you have everything to look forward to in the future" ("the sky is blue").

I think by using that back and forth as a vamp at the end of the song she is basically trying to reinforce the idea that the world isn't at an end. She got over coke, she got over getting booted out of Australia, she got over her relationship with Jimmy Iovine, she realized she had to face Fleetwood Mac AND Lindsey. It's just a mantra over and over and over, until Stevie herself finally screams "She said, "No the sky-y-y-y is BLUE!" Then asking herself, "Well, can you get into that???"- as if deciding to move forward and on with her life.

I LOVE this song!!! It just kicks ass.....

I was just wondering if there are any known live versions of the song... I've never heard one, but you know how she often changes or adds some lyrics to the live versions of versions songs? That might give us a further look into the song if anyone knows of any.

Well, sorry about my misinterpretation of Juliet being about cocaine. It was obviously written before she went to Betty Ford, so yes, I tend to agree with just looking back at Fleetwood Mac. I also always thought of Mick when she sang about "some man's ancient drum." But someone said this and it's so true: it's always important to know when the song was WRITTEN, not when it was released.

As far as live performances, Stevie did this song ONE time at a Canada show I believe during OSOTM tour, along with Talk to Me, and the video is out there I think, or at least I think there is an audio version of this show. I've seen it on many traders' sites, and it mentions it in the "Set lists" section of nicksfix.