Bella Donna Bella Donna Bella Donna - Page 4

GypsyNomad · #46 06-30-2005, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarmaContestant

Such loving, loyal fans. No wonder the woman is still touring....all these sucker fans will gladly pay to see her perform the same songs 20 years running....even if they don't buy her records. Why go into the studio when your hardcore fans do nothing but complain about your songs, your writings, accuse you of stealing lyrics, and bitch that your album covers are shoddy, cheap and a rip off of someone else's idea. For the record, Stevie says that she concieved the cover of Bella Donna in a dream....where she saw a bright vertical white line, against a dark background. She realized the bright light was herself, coming in out of the darkness. She talks about this in her Rolling Stone interview, the issue where she is on the cover with the bird.

Then again, she probably stole this dream from someone else, too.

I realize that everyone is entitled to their own opinions (which is exactly why I feel comfortable here expressing my own)....but, gosh, why all the unnecessary cruelty?

Anyway, that being said, I still like all of you.

I totally agree with you. I myself could not believe what was posted earlier... all of those quotes are very similar to her lyrics, hell maybe she intentionaly did use some of the lines from those books and poems because she loved them so much... but she didn't steal anything! Stuff like this happens all of the time with musicans, writers, animators, and visual artists in general. But its all done subconsciously and we don't realize it at first. I go to art school in NY, we learned about this.... I myself was told that I draw and write like certain people (Burton, Gorey, Syndack), but that doesn't mean I am stealing their particular style or idea.... Stevie obviously read thier works over the course of many years, maybe starting in her teens, and was probably just inspired, these were her teachers, people she aspired to write like. Did you know that apprentices of master artists paint or draw almost like their teachers? Most of those song were never released anyway, she probably wrote them for herself and has never made a dime from them. And look at the vast majority of songs she hasn't been accused of "stealing"..... 'Rhiannon', for one is a Masterpiece! I don't mean to rant, but this really annoyed the hell out of me.... Of course everyone has a write to speak their minds, but if you have to go dig up so much unnecessary dirt one someone you love and admire so much just to make them look like a rotten thief, then why are you wasting your time listening to her music in the first place? I will always think Stevie is wonderful and talented no matter what

~Carei

David · #47 06-30-2005, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GypsyNomad

I totally agree with you. I myself could not believe what was posted earlier... all of those quotes are very similar to her lyrics, hell maybe she intentionaly did use some of the lines from those books and poems because she loved them so much... but she didn't steal anything!

Where do you live? I'd like to borrow your car.

Quote:

Stuff like this happens all of the time with musicans, writers, animators, and visual artists in general.

It's been happening a lot lately at various newspapers around the country. But newspapers tend to deal pretty harshly with plagiarism, & most of those responsible for "borrowing" are now asking customers, "Would you like fries with that?"

sparky · #48 06-30-2005, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nixxxed

It's the boots It's the boots It's the boots.

And the bird And the bird And the bird.

I love that picture.
Makes me miss my cockatoo Wilbur that nobody's business.

GypsyNomad · #49 07-01-2005, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

It's been happening a lot lately at various newspapers around the country. But newspapers tend to deal pretty harshly with plagiarism, & most of those responsible for "borrowing" are now asking customers, "Would you like fries with that?"

I'm not saying it's right to plagiarize by any means.... but a few lines, or even the subject of the song that is similar to others is nothing to point fingers at... St. Cecilia was the parton saint of music, Rhiannon and Melacine are well known mythological characters from thousands of years ago, no one owns them or their stories. I guess no one can relate to what I'm talking about. Hundreds of artists have copied the scene from 'The Last Supper', many of these copying from fellow painters, but Stevie writes one song about St. Cecilia, Rhiannon, characters from various novels, etc... and its some big deal? I did a children's book for my thesis based on Tim Burton's 'The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and other Stories'. My characters, poems, and subject was were completely my own, but the idea, format, & inspiration was from him. Hell, I even dedicated the book to the guy AND Stevie, whose songs also inspired me to write those poems. I hope I'm not pissing anyone off, I never meant to

One of my teachers once said, "no idea is EVER original, everything we create comes from what we know or dream. Everything is created from something else we've seen, on the street, or in nature. But they way you transform your idea IS you own. Like life, ART is a cycle."

~Carei

Johnny Stew · #50 07-01-2005, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GypsyNomad

I totally agree with you. I myself could not believe what was posted earlier... all of those quotes are very similar to her lyrics, hell maybe she intentionaly did use some of the lines from those books and poems because she loved them so much...

Stevie has been pretty honest in the past about her literary influences. She has said that she'll sit down with one of her favorite books... something by Wilde or Poe and so on... and just randomly skip to a chapter, read a little of it, and then let it "filter through her" into the lyrics she writes.

There's actually an organization that commends contemporary songwriters for the use of literary references in their music. I can't find the link for it at the moment, but I'll post it when I do.
In the meantime, here's an extensive (though not complete) list of songs... hugely famous and completely obscure... that feature literary references:
http://www.listology.com/content_sho...ontent_id.3800

darklinensuit · #51 07-01-2005, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

Stevie has been pretty honest in the past about her literary influences. She has said that she'll sit down with one of her favorite books... something by Wilde or Poe and so on... and just randomly skip to a chapter, read a little of it, and then let it "filter through her" into the lyrics she writes.

There's actually an organization that commends contemporary songwriters for the use of literary references in their music. I can't find the link for it at the moment, but I'll post it when I do.
In the meantime, here's an extensive (though not complete) list of songs... hugely famous and completey obscure... that feature literary references:
http://www.listology.com/content_sho...ontent_id.3800

I commend them as well.
I never would have read that Hawthorne short story five years ago had I not loved the RTTg demo. I did not care for Hawthorne back when I was in school, and if not for Stevie's interest in him, I'd have avoided him, I imagine.
(That having been said, I haven't read him again since reading the story.

)

- Jake

Johnny Stew · #52 07-01-2005, 02:43 PM

I found my bookmark for the organization I mentioned....

Artists For Literacy.

trackaghost · #53 07-01-2005, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

It's a brilliant cover- sexy but feminine, girly but rawk chick. And the beaded hair flaps (or whatever the heck you call those) were quite sexy. I used to draw pictures of the cover as a kid... I found it challenging to capture that facial expression as well as all of the folds of her dress.

Only much later did I realize that it was a direct rip-off of the cover of Cher's "Dark Lady" album. Even the calligraphy was similar!:

Hmmm, I think Stevie's cover is way better.

I also think Bella Donna may have been inspired by Patti Smith's 1979 album Wave.

darklinensuit · #54 07-01-2005, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackaghost

Hmmm, I think Stevie's cover is way better.

I also think Bella Donna may have been inspired by Patti Smith's 1979 album Wave.

And Patti Smith looks like she was inspired by The Ring.

- Jake

Johnny Stew · #55 07-01-2005, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackaghost

I also think Bella Donna may have been inspired by Patti Smith's 1979 album Wave.

Let's not forget Fleetwood Mac's 'Pious Bird Of Good Omen'....

Of course, Stevie has been on the opposite end of imitation....

gldstwmn · #56 07-01-2005, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

It's a brilliant cover- sexy but feminine, girly but rawk chick. And the beaded hair flaps (or whatever the heck you call those) were quite sexy. I used to draw pictures of the cover as a kid... I found it challenging to capture that facial expression as well as all of the folds of her dress.

Only much later did I realize that it was a direct rip-off of the cover of Cher's "Dark Lady" album. Even the calligraphy was similar!:

That Cher cover is fab.