This is a top-five favorite Mac song for me, and my wife's all-time favorite. There's so much going on in the song, both musically and lyrically, and it's so different from the "normal" Mac sound.
I've always felt this song was about the Buckingham Nicks cover shoot and the time around the BN album. Stevie has talked about the nude shot in interviews as being a thing she regrets in her career and something that made her vastly uncomfortable. I know Stevie's songs are often a hodge-podge lyrically and therefore tough to interpret but think about it:
"You could have said no
You could have said well I just can't"
Stevie has used those exact words about the BN cover shoot in interviews.
"Woah we were off the wall
We were mirrors of each other"
The picture was certainly off the wall, and the front and back covers of the BN album are mirror images.
The whole concept of "Paper Doll" could be seen as being about dressing up (or not dressing at all).
Often knowing a little FM or SN history makes her songs much more meaningful. I've always seen this song in that light.
~Jamie
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