I can't believe I've been neglecting "Beautiful Child" all these years

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by tabruns

Do you have a source for this? I know that Nicks argued against Say You Will being a double album, but I've not seen where Nicks said anything about Tusk (other than that she hated the term "tusk").

In 1982 Stevie said,

"Well Tusk wasn't my album. Tusk was maily Lindsey's conception, dream, everything he wanted to do. Everybody just figured that for whatever his reasons were, it was important that he do that and we just sort of sat back and let him do it. I don't mean to sound blase or anything. I was there. I just didn't have very much to do with it. Because if I had much to do with it, it wouldn't have been a double album and it wouldn't -- it wouldn't have been crazy."

[tabruns]

Originally Posted by michelej1

In 1982 Stevie said,

Most interesting. You'd think that she'd be in favor of a double album if only because it gets more of her songs out there.

[fairydust75]

Has anybody every heard Stevie mention what this song is about? Any ideas? I love this song. I thought they did a great job with it on the SYW tour, simply beautiful...

[sleepless child]

I've always loved this song and I always wondered what it was about. I tend to think it was for Mick. All the songs from that era was about her relationship with him. Sara, Storms and I think Carol Harris said in her book that Angel was written for Mick. Beauty and the Beast was also recorded for Tusk in a blues style that ended up not being on the album and it was written for Mick also. So I think Beautiful Child is also for Mick.

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by fairydust75

Has anybody every heard Stevie mention what this song is about? Any ideas? I love this song. I thought they did a great job with it on the SYW tour, simply beautiful...

The song is about that first really earth shattering love that every single person has. The one that when it's over, you're never the same again... you don't view the world through the same lenses, etc. The song is about losing innocence because a love affair ends.

As for which of Stevie's many partners this song was about? I have no idea. Keep in mind though that the song is not about Stevie being a literal child when she met this person. It's a metaphor for her being an innocent. It could be about Lindsey, but it seems even more possible it's about somebody like Mick. Because she was thrown under the bus by Mick, yet had to walk away with her head up & remain friends and bandmates with him. That kind of a situation requires instant maturity, in my opinion. The song could just as well be about Stevie's affair with Don Henley, & their alleged aborted child too. If that kind of a situation doesn't make you grow up, I don't know what would.