What is Sable on Blond about?

[twinmatrix]

Here are the lyrics.

But I seriously have no idea what it's about.

Isn't a sable some kind of animal? An animal on blond? There's literally an animal sitting on her blonde hair? Is that it?

And the lyrics make NO sense to me. Blond on blond? Excalibur? Frost covered windows? Something fell? What is going on???

Yet I see for a lot of you this is your favorite song from Wild Heart. So someone please tell me. xD Thank you.

[Feather Blade]

Well, I couldn't vouch for what the song is actually about, but I do know that sable can also be a reference to the color. Kind of a dark brownish hue. I think of it as meaning someone's hair. Sable on blond like two people lying close together so their hair is tousled up together. Kind of a pillow talk sort of thing. Just my opinion though.

[twinmatrix]

Oh, interesting. I thought the song had something sexual about it, kinda like Blue Water.

And I don't need to know what the song is REALLY about, just what you guys interpret it as. Considering it's a fan favorite.

[sorcerer999]

"Sable on Blond is my serious statement on The Wild Heart. It fits into a particular group of my songs; 'Rhiannon,' 'Beautiful Child' and 'Sara'. It reflects the mood I was in when I moved into my new house last year. It was a time when I was learning how to live with myself.
Sable on Blond meant to learn how to be a stranger, to learn to be with yourself, to learn to be one color. In the legend of Excalibur, the sword is there for protection, but you don't call upon it unless it's absolutely necessary. During that period in my life, I was learning how not to call on the sword."


~Stevie Nicks - Rock Magazine 1983

[twinmatrix]

Originally Posted by sorcerer999

"Sable on Blond is my serious statement on The Wild Heart. It fits into a particular group of my songs; 'Rhiannon,' 'Beautiful Child' and 'Sara'. It reflects the mood I was in when I moved into my new house last year. It was a time when I was learning how to live with myself.
Sable on Blond meant to learn how to be a stranger, to learn to be with yourself, to learn to be one color. In the legend of Excalibur, the sword is there for protection, but you don't call upon it unless it's absolutely necessary. During that period in my life, I was learning how not to call on the sword."


~Stevie Nicks - Rock Magazine 1983

Well that's just confusing, but thank you very much for the quote.

So she's referring to her true self as Excalibur..? Or am I misreading that?

[michelej1]

Some more of Stevie's comments:

It fits into a particular group of my songs; Rhiannon, Beautiful Child
and Sara. It reflects the mood I was in when I moved into my new house last
year. It was a time when I was learning how to live with myself. Sable on Blond
meant to learn how to be a stranger, to learn to be with yourself, to learn to
be one color. In the legend of Excalibur, the sword is there for protection, but
you don't call upon it unless it's absolutely necessary. During that period in
my life, I was learning how not to call on the sword."

" 'Learn to be a stranger/blonde on blonde/' is
learn to live with yourself; in other words, one color: blonde on blonde. Um,
you know, you can't live with anybody else until you learn to live with
yourself. 'In silence she says Excalibur' is in the story, when Arthur says
don't call on the sword unless it's your last chance, and you have no other
choice, you have to call on the sword. But if you call on it and it's too soon,
then it breaks, and you're left. So, this says learn to depend on yourself
before you ever ask for that kind of special extra help."

Have you come to see/that my face is not seen/outside my frost covered window] "Have you come to check up on me, to see that I don't leave my house."

[StreetAngel86]

this song is SMUT
and i love it

"In silence she says, "Excalibur"."

eeeeeeeeew

[singertobe]

Originally Posted by StreetAngel86

this song is SMUT
and i love it

"In silence she says, "Excalibur"."

eeeeeeeeew

Huh? What does Excalibur mean? (I know absolutely nothing about the reproduction process)

[PenguinHead]

More often than not, there is no definitive meaning to many of her songs. They are montages of images, situations and feelings - some are obvious, some are abstract personal manifestations.

When I listen to a song like Sable on Blonde, I'm not yearning for a literal narrative.
It's like having a dream where you recall various disjointed scenarios.
You're incapable of putting them together to define it, but it leaves you with a feeling or mood that you've experienced something, or been somewhere.

Often, when Stevie is asked a question regarding what a particular song is about, she will address the circumstance that inspired the song. The meanings are usually non-linear, and subject to personal interpretation, sort of like a Rorschach ink blot test.

[twinmatrix]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

More often than not, there is no definitive meaning to many of her songs. They are montages of images, situations and feelings - some are obvious, some are abstract personal manifestations.

When I listen to a song like Sable on Blonde, I'm not yearning for a literal narrative.
It's like having a dream where you recall various disjointed scenarios.
You're incapable of putting them together to define it, but it leaves you with a feeling or mood that you've experienced something, or been somewhere.

Often, when Stevie is asked a question regarding what a particular song is about, she will address the circumstance that inspired the song. The meanings are usually non-linear, and subject to personal interpretation, sort of like a Rorschach ink blot test.

That's true, and I'm fine not knowing the literal meaning of a song.

But for example, I didn't even know sable was a color, or the point of mentioning Excalibur, so that was helpful.

With 99% of her music, I can "feel" what it's about, even though the lyrics are very abstract.

Sable on Blond and Sisters of the Moon are 2 songs I really don't get or feel at all.

But this topic helped, so thank you. <3

[Danigirl]

One of my favorite songs of Stevie's. The words "learn to be a stranger" just resonate with me. I always come across Bob Dylans' "Blonde on Blonde" and seem to question if Stevie, in her seclusion, played that album?

[twinmatrix]

Originally Posted by Danigirl

One of my favorite songs of Stevie's. The words "learn to be a stranger" just resonate with me. I always come across Bob Dylans' "Blonde on Blonde" and seem to question if Stevie, in her seclusion, played that album?

May I ask what it means for you? Those words.

[Maxd9]

Originally Posted by twinmatrix

May I ask what it means for you? Those words.

I always assumed it was written about a relationship that had broken down. Learning to be a stranger, to me, was about learning how not to be reliant on a person you've been so close to, how to adapt to not seeing them or talking to them.

I had never read Stevie's quotes on the song, so thanks for posting them. Definitely one of my favourites songs on TWH.

[reebokandlace]

Originally Posted by singertobe

Huh? What does Excalibur mean? (I know absolutely nothing about the reproduction process)

I always thought her reference to Excalibur was a pet name for her lovers penis (or what she named her strap on).

Sable on blonde were the colors of the bushes laying on top of each other. Yep, that is my interpretation.

[bombaysaffires]

The quote Michele posted is the interview I recall about that song and still have on tape. Excalibur is from the legend of King Arthur and like Stevie says, it is the symbol of supernatural help. So when King Arthur is in deep trouble Excalibur will save him, but only if he has used up all his other options. If he calls on the sword to save him when there was something he could do for himself (he's just being lazy) the sword "knows" this and breaks, and then, when he realllllly needs some divine intervention to get out of a bad situation, he won't have it because he wasted it earlier. So I always took her line "in silence she says Excalibur" to be about her being in a dire situation (relationship, the band, whatever) where she's run out of options and nothing but divine intervention will get her out of it or make it bearable.