Soldier's Angel

[Ghosty]

I had started to talk about this in the Underwhelmed thread, but figured it could have its own thread. About the song, and the topic.

I love her work that she does for the soldiers. Wish the song was different though.

Soldier's Angel - ehh, not loving it - yet. I like it. but it's not one of my favorites, yet. As usual, she is taking a huge, historical, major tragedy and writing not so much about IT, but about herself in the midst of it. Which is fine, but in this case I really wish she had made it their song, not hers. The word "I" is used way to much to make it not sound self-absorbed (I hate to say, because stevie is such a caring person, but it's just how it comes off sounding, imo). I know she was uplifting, comforting, inspiring for the soldiers she visited and wrote to, but she said she listened to them and they told her their story. I am sure there was a common thread linking all their unique stories. I wish she had written about that. I wish the song was really all about them and their state of mind, their experiences of war, not stevie's. We know how it effects us. Their story is what is hardly ever told. Some of her lyrics hit that (as I look upon their faces, I try to write their stories and tell them to the world, I keep the tears inside and put them down in verse, I try to push them gently into the light, no one walks away from this battle, soldiers of my heart). I want to hear what they said, what they are experiencing, how (or IF) they are healing.

I urge you all to rent RESTREPO. You can see parts on youtube, but it's something we all need to watch in its entirety. I wonder if Stevie has seen it? Here's a few bits on youtube - you need to see the whole thing, seriously - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvUdruvbdmI and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvUdruvbdmI

PLEASE rent it. It gives me an anxiety attack, it's very hard to get through.Watch it with someone, don't watch it alone. My godson was there for a year and thank God is okay, but I do worry, is he truly okay? Can anyone be okay after that. Death around you, being shot at anytime, seeing friends die, lining up stray dogs and having to kill them because they are spreading disease....heartache until your heart dies, sometimes.... 18 year old "children"...really. America's children being put through that.

I am happy my Godson was there when they closed Restrepo. And he came back home in one piece. but never the same. God bless him, and all of them.

[WildHearted]

I understand your sentiments. The phrase "I am a soldier's angel" itself comes off as very pretentious, unfortunately, even though I'm sure that was not Stevie's intention. However, I think the rest of the comparisons are very heartfelt, as she spends time with the Soldiers and hears their stories she begins to feel and relate to what the people in their lives feel, basically just showing how they have touched her.

[markolas]

I thought it would be awful, but I like it well enough. Yes, the lyrics are a bit self-absorbed, but Stevie is incapable of writing songs that aren't. Some are worse than others, and this is one is certainly not among the most egregious offenders.

I was really, really worried about Soldier's Angel and New Orleans, b/c Stevie just doesn't do socially conscious lyrics well. But I was pleasantly surprised by both of them, esp. New Orleans.

[-Lillith-]

I was very corious about that Song before i heard it the first time.
I know what you mean with the lyrics beeing a little self centered but this is the way Stevie writes.
She can only say and wants only to say what this situation does to her and how she feels, and that comes thru in this song very well.
it s her view on the situation and how she feels about it.
I think it really shows how hard it is to see and how much she wants to help.
The soldiers have all different storys and but can one who has not had this Situations really tell what they must feel like, even if they tell her ? .... i dont know.

The Song really touches me, i get your point thou.

I wrote about a death of a close family member , that was an overwhelming situation to me and i dont like to explain myself and so wrote and got some friends a copy to tell them what it is all about.
This death had affected many but what i wrote about it was very self centered as well. But non the less everybody who read it was very touched by it and understood the view, thou i talked about me in the situation most of the time instead of the whole story.
The song reminded me of this in a way of writing about something heavy like that...

Its a different thing but i mean the way to describe something in a self centered way better than about the subject itself.

Anyone know what i mean ?

[deribish]

maybe when she sings "i am a soldier's angel" she's talking about this great group:

http://www.soldiersangels.org/

[Jondalar]

She said the song was a very important song and it straddles a unique perspective that may or may not be important. The song is actually about the non-soldiers effected by the war. She is putting herself in the place of the mother's, wifes.... she is looking through their eyes in the song to say she understands. And it is a self-absorbed song, but it's done with a great sentiment and such a different perspective that it is just its own thing. And in its own way, the song shows that war equals pain.

She said this album was mostly about her experiences over the last 10 years and she spent many hours in that hospital listening to their pain. I like the different perspective of this song and think it is one of the best songs on the CD.

[-Lillith-]

Originally Posted by Jondalar

She said the song was a very important song and it straddles a unique perspective that may or may not be important. The song is actually about the non-soldiers effected by the war. She is putting herself in the place of the mother's, wifes.... she is looking through their eyes in the song to say she understands. And it is a self-absorbed song, but it's done with a great sentiment and such a different perspective that it is just its own thing. And in its own way, the song shows that war equals pain.

She said this album was mostly about her experiences over the last 10 years and she spent many hours in that hospital listening to their pain. I like the different perspective of this song and think it is one of the best songs on the CD.

Thats what i meant she s telling the story throu her eyes.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

I understand your sentiments. The phrase "I am a soldier's angel" itself comes off as very pretentious, unfortunately, even though I'm sure that was not Stevie's intention. However, I think the rest of the comparisons are very heartfelt, as she spends time with the Soldiers and hears their stories she begins to feel and relate to what the people in their lives feel, basically just showing how they have touched her.

That's a weird self-centric quirk with Stevie. Anytime she writes a song with a topical subject, she addresses it with a self-centered perspective. Illume is a great example. She happened to be in New York when 9-11 happpened. It was a huge tradegy; many people lost their lives. So she was inspired to write a song about it, but it was oddly emotionally disconnected to the event, and more about her burining insense and candles to dispel the smell!

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

That's a weird quirk with Stevie. Anytime she writes a song with a topical subject, she addresses it with a self-centered perspective. Illume is a great example. She happened to be in New York when 9-11 happpened. It was a huge tradegy; many people lost their lives. So she was inspired to write a song about it, but it was oddly emotionally disconnected to the event, and more about her burining insense and candles to dispel the smell!

Well, when you think about it.... it kind of makes sense, considering that she gets all of her songs and lyrics (nowadays) from her journals. Generally when you write in journals you are writing about yourself and your feelings - Stevie, it seems, is no exception... so with that taken into consideration, it's not quite so strange.

I mean, anytime Stevie writes on ANY subject it's all about her essentially.

[Ghosty]

Originally Posted by deribish

maybe when she sings "i am a soldier's angel" she's talking about this great group:

http://www.soldiersangels.org/

i think she would have put a link or mention to them on the liner notes or mentioned it in an interview??

[Ghosty]

Originally Posted by Jondalar

She said the song was a very important song and it straddles a unique perspective that may or may not be important. The song is actually about the non-soldiers effected by the war. She is putting herself in the place of the mother's, wifes.... she is looking through their eyes in the song to say she understands. And it is a self-absorbed song, but it's done with a great sentiment and such a different perspective that it is just its own thing. And in its own way, the song shows that war equals pain.

She said this album was mostly about her experiences over the last 10 years and she spent many hours in that hospital listening to their pain. I like the different perspective of this song and think it is one of the best songs on the CD.

i guess i heard it differently. i didn't see it as her singing about the soldiers' wives, mothers, etc,
i saw it as her saying she was there, the soldiers were kind of confiding in her as if she was their wife, their mother, etc.
and not that it is bad at all, her being there to comfort them, that is somethng very few celebrities have done. that's why i said how i hate to say it "sounds" self absorbed, because sn was so not being self-absorbed, visiting them, sending ipods, giving money, talking about them to the press to give them coverage, and truly, i bet, feeling heartache and pain over it. she's been wonderful to them and for them. she cares, i bet to the deepest of her heart. that, i have no doubt.

so, it's just me i guess. not my favorite song yet.

as for illume, it seems she was writing about someone she loves, realizing what is truly precious in life, after being in the midst of death and tragedy, and how you realize any time, anywhere, it could be us in that wreck, or our loved one. i like the lyrics a lot, and parts of the song. just was not my favorite. like, that probably wouldn't end up on a mixed cd of mine either. i like it, but it's not an all-time favorite.

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by Ghosty

i guess i heard it differently. i didn't see it as her singing about the soldiers' wives, mothers, etc,
i saw it as her saying she was there, the soldiers were kind of confiding in her as if she was their wife, their mother, etc.
and not that it is bad at all, her being there to comfort them, that is somethng very few celebrities have done. that's why i said how i hate to say it "sounds" self absorbed, because sn was so not being self-absorbed, visiting them, sending ipods, giving money, talking about them to the press to give them coverage, and truly, i bet, feeling heartache and pain over it. she's been wonderful to them and for them. she cares, i bet to the deepest of her heart. that, i have no doubt.

so, it's just me i guess. not my favorite song yet.

as for illume, it seems she was writing about someone she loves, realizing what is truly precious in life, after being in the midst of death and tragedy, and how you realize any time, anywhere, it could be us in that wreck, or our loved one. i like the lyrics a lot, and parts of the song. just was not my favorite. like, that probably wouldn't end up on a mixed cd of mine either. i like it, but it's not an all-time favorite.

I didn't say that. She putting herself in there place, looking through their eyes, not about them

[Ghosty]

i guess i worded it wrong. sorry.

i didn't see it as her being in their place, but as her thinking the soldiers were sort of putting her in their place. if that makes sense? do you know wha i mean? subtle difference, i guess.

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by Ghosty

i guess i worded it wrong. sorry.

i didn't see it as her being in their place, but as her thinking the soldiers were sort of putting her in their place. if that makes sense? do you know wha i mean? subtle difference, i guess.

I'm not sure if this is what you mean... but I saw it as like, when the soldier's were telling her their stories and she went to visit them, she was overwhelmed with emotion and she begins to feel and relate to the feelings of all of the people in a soldier's life - their mothers, their girlfriends, etc.

[Ghosty]

kind of. and since their wife, parents, etc weren't there, she was sort of filling that void for the soldiers, in that moment. idk.