There's no denying that "Desert Angel" came from a very earnest and sincere place; Mama loves her boys (and girls) in uniform. But good intentions do not necessarily make good songs. Take "Jane," for example. It's a loving ode to a strong, courageous woman... but it's sooo bad. Maybe it's the very pedestrian/perfunctory music. Or maybe it's the cringe-worthy lyrics like "...the forgotten chimpanzee." Well, in my opinion, "Desert Angel" is chock-full of forgotten chimpanzees! "In a place the Indians call... Paradise Valley!" wins the HejiraNYC Hall of Cheese Lifetime Achievement Award. And, yes, I will admit that "Operation Desert Shield" always reminded me of a feminine hygiene product!
A seven-minute trainwreck like "Desert Angel" makes me sad. It's not only because it's about the pain of war. To me it sounds like someone trying to struggle through creative bankruptcy- writers block, if you will. What I loved about Stevie's great songs is that she was able to convey such deeply emotional stories in a decidedly succinct but powerful way; every word, every phrase had a purpose. Less was more. She also wove elaborate conceits around deceptively simple imagery, using little impressionistic snippets of a dialogue she conducts in her head. The result is that the lyrics were somewhat vague but also very accessible in an emotional way. It's kind of magical, actually. Unfortunately, "Desert Angel" has none of that magic for me. The lyrics are just very literal, very straightforward... and it seems almost as if she was trying to just stuff the song full of flowery filler that doesn't mean anything. There's no mystery there either. And to make matters worse, Mike Campbell contributes a cluttered, dense soundtrack full of all kinds of synthetic pinging and clanging sounds- perhaps an attempt to distract the listener from the maudlin lyrics.
Where the lyrics at least attempt to be heavy and urgent, the music sounds like the soundbed of a McDonalds commercial. I'm not sure if the horrible music is necessarily a reflection of Mike's technical musical skills as much as it is a reflection of just having very bad taste. There is a reason why it's TOM PETTY and the Heartbreakers- 'cause Mike needs someone with the talent and the musical ear of Tom Petty in order to be any good at all.