Mirage: The Most Underrated Pop Record

[SpyNote]

Originally Posted by redbird

I don't exactly agree that "Empire State" and "Straight Back" are unconnected. I always saw "Empire State" as Lindsey's running away song, like "That's Alright" is Stevie's. New York is about as far from L.A. as you can get. And "Straight Back" is full of a kind of nostalgia, IMO, especially (obviously) "She remembers how good it can be, he remembers a melody." Like others on the album, these are both songs that have happened in the wake of some kind of watershed moment.

I can see "Empire State" being about a different kind of love, maybe a love for New York. But it's more about ambition, makin' it in the Big City, flying high. It's a song I could have pictured on Tusk, for its restlessness, but not so much on the laid back Mirage.

I look at "Straight Back" as Stevie forgetting why she and Lindsey wanted to became rock stars, which was fulfilling "the dream" to perform music. This is what I think all the ivory keys, melodies, and how good it can be talk is all about -- Stevie trying to turn herself around and head straight back to the sun, where all the energy is. So it's less about feeling nostalgic, but feeling inspired again to create great music again with Lindsey and Fleetwood Mac.

Just an interpretation. I can talk forever about Mirage.