A few Nightbird reactions, which rarely gets reacted to on YouTube

[Jondalar]

I always liked this song because it has witchy, gothic vibe. I wish more people knew about it. It was hit and should have been put on her Crystal Vision Greatest Hits. At least a few people have reacted to it online.

[Straightback]

Thanks for posting. I especially enjoyed watching the reaction of the guy in the second video who was listening it to it for the first time. I've never been a hater of this song; in fact I' not ashamed to say I've always been a fan and enjoyed it and have always been surprised to see it get such a negative response on this forum. Is it her best song? No. But I love the vibe of the song, the atmospheric lyrics and the overlapping harmonies which I wish she would have done more of in some of her songs like she did one her demos. But that's me.

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by Straightback

Thanks for posting. I especially enjoyed watching the reaction of the guy in the second video who was listening it to it for the first time. I've never been a hater of this song; in fact I' not ashamed to say I've always been a fan and enjoyed it and have always been surprised to see it get such a negative response on this forum. Is it her best song? No. But I love the vibe of the song, the atmospheric lyrics and the overlapping harmonies which I wish she would have done more of in some of her songs like she did one her demos. But that's me.

Cool. A good companion song to Nightbird is John Stewart's Midnight Wind. It has that same dark, witchy feel and some of Stevie's best vocals. Her vocals really bring this song to life.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by Jondalar

Cool. A good companion song to Nightbird is John Stewart's Midnight Wind. It has that same dark, witchy feel and some of Stevie's best vocals. Her vocals really bring this song to life.

Her vocal on Midnight Wind is one of the best of her career. This was the song Stevie came into the studio to sing with John. Her singing on Gold was a fluke. They did it spontaneously for fun and thought it sounded good and kept it.
I personally hate Nighbird. I am not a fan of drum machines but for some reason this drum machine is especially annoying with its synthetic beat. The opening keyboard is dreaded and the chorus is confusing to sing. That is Sandy singing not Lori. The SNL live version is leaps better with real drums and with Lori. Its not the most creative musical track. IMHO it sounds like someone hit the casio keyboard button for a beat and randomly started playing.
Many years ago these supposed first listen videos fascinated me. But too many forced and fake reactions. Has anyone ever seen a video where they dont like the song? I have seen the guy before and he is a Stevie fan so I will give him a pass that his praise is authentic. I would not really call Nightbird a hit. You never hear it on the radio and songs that peak in the mid 30s are seldom heard again. I have resentment towards the song because it killed the Wild Heart. Don't blame it on me

[mitzo]

Thanks for this. I have always loved the song and it amazes me that people don't, it's quintessential Stevie. Yes, even the piano intro.

[David]

Originally Posted by mitzo

Thanks for this. I have always loved the song and it amazes me that people don't, it's quintessential Stevie. Yes, even the piano intro.

Stevie would kill me for saying this, but here is one song that did not need Waddy. That signature steel-pedal guitar of his drives me nuts on this one (and a little bit on “How Still My Love”). The way it’s arranged, the song needs to be either more liquid and ballad-y or more driving and rocking. But it seems sort of suspended between those two and it feels a little gelatinous. I might have dug a rearrangement of it for the Shangri-La album.

I think that Modern released it as a single after the tour because there was serious discussion about starting another U.S. leg in 1984. Angeleno Nicks fans got excited in January that year because the newspapers were hinting that Stevie was going to do a big co-headline show at Angel Stadium with Bowie and then later tour more dates with Julian Lennon opening for her. For whatever reason, nothing happened — unless you count starting to record “Mirror Mirror.” But, gosh, imagine more touring in 1984 with a great voice on her and songs like “All the Beautiful Worlds” and “Sorcerer” added to the set. As far as I know, the only show she did in 1984 was that nightclub in Dallas.

1984 was the beginning of the end for me, when nothing materialized and Stevie started wasting a lot of time. Thank God for Lindsey’s album that year, which was amazing on all counts. Other than that, I was really getting sick of Fleetwood Mac problems at that point. Following the band was like trying to follow your grandma up and down the J.C. Penney store aisles as she takes a few feet and then stops to look at something dumb for ten minutes!

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by David

Stevie would kill me for saying this, but here is one song that did not need Waddy. That signature steel-pedal guitar of his drives me nuts on this one (and a little bit on “How Still My Love”). The way it’s arranged, the song needs to be either more liquid and ballad-y or more driving and rocking. But it seems sort of suspended between those two and it feels a little gelatinous. I might have dug a rearrangement of it for the Shangri-La album.

I think that Modern released it as a single after the tour because there was serious discussion about starting another U.S. leg in 1984. Angeleno Nicks fans got excited in January that year because the newspapers were hinting that Stevie was going to do a big co-headline show at Angel Stadium with Bowie and then later tour more dates with Julian Lennon opening for her. For whatever reason, nothing happened — unless you count starting to record “Mirror Mirror.” But, gosh, imagine more touring in 1984 with a great voice on her and songs like “All the Beautiful Worlds” and “Sorcerer” added to the set. As far as I know, the only show she did in 1984 was that nightclub in Dallas.

1984 was the beginning of the end for me, when nothing materialized and Stevie started wasting a lot of time. Thank God for Lindsey’s album that year, which was amazing on all counts. Other than that, I was really getting sick of Fleetwood Mac problems at that point. Following the band was like trying to follow your grandma up and down the J.C. Penney store aisles as she takes a few feet and then stops to look at something dumb for ten minutes!

OMG. You explained Nightbird perfectly. Its like you took the words I wanted to say but could not explain and said them.
I also agree that 1984 was the beginning of her huge decline. She just got off the road with the biggest drug addict in rock in those days. She no longer had an interest in music or making music. It all became about the party and took her almost 2 years to do her next solo album which was a disaster IMHO.
1984 was great for Lindsey's solo album and Chris's solo album. I got excited in Feb 1984 when The Against All Odds soundtrack was released and Violet and Blue was a rock station staple. When I heard it I thought it was from her new album LOL. There was a Rolling Stone Article in late spring 1984 that said Nicks was putting the "finishing touches" on her next solo album. It would not be out for another 17 months.

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Her vocal on Midnight Wind is one of the best of her career. This was the song Stevie came into the studio to sing with John. Her singing on Gold was a fluke. They did it spontaneously for fun and thought it sounded good and kept it.
I personally hate Nighbird. I am not a fan of drum machines but for some reason this drum machine is especially annoying with its synthetic beat. The opening keyboard is dreaded and the chorus is confusing to sing. That is Sandy singing not Lori. The SNL live version is leaps better with real drums and with Lori. Its not the most creative musical track. IMHO it sounds like someone hit the casio keyboard button for a beat and randomly started playing.
Many years ago these supposed first listen videos fascinated me. But too many forced and fake reactions. Has anyone ever seen a video where they dont like the song? I have seen the guy before and he is a Stevie fan so I will give him a pass that his praise is authentic. I would not really call Nightbird a hit. You never hear it on the radio and songs that peak in the mid 30s are seldom heard again. I have resentment towards the song because it killed the Wild Heart. Don't blame it on me

What a Debbie Downer! Nightibird was a top 40 hit and it deserved to be one. Out of all her solo songs, this one is Stevie at her witchy best. The flow, the harmonies. I like how the lyrics are soo self-obsessed.The song is a vibe.
]

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by Jondalar

What a Debbie Downer! Nightibird was a top 40 hit and it deserved to be one. Out of all her solo songs, this one is Stevie at her witchy best. The flow, the harmonies. I like how the lyrics are soo self-obsessed.The song is a vibe.
]

Each of us don't like the same songs. I think we have opposite tastes when it comes to Stevie's solo career. I tend to like the rockers or the poetic slower drama songs. I think David hit the nail on the head. Nightbird is sort of not really a ballad but sort of and its hard to define. I remember tracking the song on American Top 40 and they called it a rare charting song of someone having a duet with themselves (or something like that). That cheap sounding drum machine track just is nails down a chalkboard for me which leads to a depressing and uninspiring keyboard track. I dont have issues with the lyrics and I like how parts of it is about her being on the road (I wear boots all summer long). Its the texture, flow and arrangement of the song that I dont like. The live performance on SNL is leaps and bounds better than the album track. Those real pounding drums by Liberty on SNL changed the dynamic of the song completely. This song is in the airy fairy category. I never like her airy fairy songs like Rock A Little. But I know others like them. Stevie herself even said its a favorite on the album. However she never performs it so it cant be that much of a favorite of hers. It was never going to be a single and it was a wasted opportunity to keep The Wild Heart going. But I am glad you like it. The Wild Heart is a mixed bag for me. Having said all of this, Nightbird is better than any song on RAL. Nightbird is with Goat and Garden with my least favorite tracks from the album. Wild Heart would have been better without them.
On a side note I was thinking about her SNL performance at the end of December 1983. Her performance on SNL was great. IMHO it was the end of an era for her. 1983 was such a wild year for her. She gets married to Kim in January 1983 and then honeymoons in Hawaii. She writes one of her biggest solo hits and uses Prince to record it. She finishes up her follow up to Bella Donna and cuts 3 videos for MTV (one is cut and is not released and scrapped). She becomes a big MTV star and starts on a 6 month solo tour which was a first for her sort of since Bella Donna was only a few shows. She was playing cities solo she never did before. She takes a boyfriend on the road and does copious amounts of blow on the road. Wild Heart is not as popular as Bella Donna but hits #5 on Billboard and on the heals of Flashdance and Thriller. When the tour ends she writes a ballad for her next solo album HAEWAFY. She gets nominated for a Grammy and American Music Award. She gives a Wild Heart left over to a major soundtrack. Then she caps off the year with a SNL performance of Nightbird. She sort of loses her way for the next 3 years and the wheels start coming off. But her life in 1983 was nothing short of a wild good time. 2 months into the new year 1984 she meets Dave Stewart after the Grammy awards and her life gets really crazy.

[BigAl84]

Originally Posted by David

Following the band was like trying to follow your grandma up and down the J.C. Penney store aisles as she takes a few feet and then stops to look at something dumb for ten minutes!

JFC...I've felt the same way since 1997, I can't imagine how you felt decades later!!

That time off between '84-'85 really didn't do her any favors. Her substance issues seemed to exponentially spiral during that time. It makes one wonder if she would have been healthier on the road.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Her vocal on Midnight Wind is one of the best of her career. This was the song Stevie came into the studio to sing with John. Her singing on Gold was a fluke. They did it spontaneously for fun and thought it sounded good and kept it.

Absolutely agree.

I personally hate Nighbird. I am not a fan of drum machines but for some reason this drum machine is especially annoying with its synthetic beat. The opening keyboard is dreaded and the chorus is confusing to sing. That is Sandy singing not Lori. The SNL live version is leaps better with real drums and with Lori. Its not the most creative musical track. IMHO it sounds like someone hit the casio keyboard button for a beat and randomly started playing.

Yep.

I would not really call Nightbird a hit. You never hear it on the radio and songs that peak in the mid 30s are seldom heard again.

Yep. Not a hit, not a memorable song. Some of her dumbest lyrics...literally about her eye makeup. "sometimes the real color of my skeeeeeyun/my eyes without any shadow" Could have been a really neat song, but... Drugs mess with your mind, kids. This was the start of the downhill slide with Stevie where she was really not writing music anymore and latching onto others like Sandy to give her tracks to put vapid lyrics to. (Recall she even said in multiple interviews that she and Sandy were the "new Rodgers and Hammerstein" ) This was the beginning of her slide into thinking any words she farted onto the page were Shakespeare and no one was going to tell her otherwise. Again, decent vibe, but don't listen too closely

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

Absolutely agree.




Yep.






Yep. Not a hit, not a memorable song. Some of her dumbest lyrics...literally about her eye makeup. "sometimes the real color of my skeeeeeyun/my eyes without any shadow" Could have been a really neat song, but... Drugs mess with your mind, kids. This was the start of the downhill slide with Stevie where she was really not writing music anymore and latching onto others like Sandy to give her tracks to put vapid lyrics to. (Recall she even said in multiple interviews that she and Sandy were the "new Rodgers and Hammerstein" ) This was the beginning of her slide into thinking any words she farted onto the page were Shakespeare and no one was going to tell her otherwise. Again, decent vibe, but don't listen too closely

This statement is not the truth. That song would be SARA, which didn't make a lick of sense and yet, was a top 10 hit. It made her think she could sing anything and it didn't matter, as long as she had a good producer.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by Jondalar

This statement is not the truth. That song would be SARA, which didn't make a lick of sense and yet, was a top 10 hit. It made her think she could sing anything and it didn't matter, as long as she had a good producer.

Yeah, but they were coming off of Rumours, one of the biggest albums ever, and people were still into her. She'd still believe this up until Rock a Little, when her hubcaps came off the car, and were hurdling down the Pacific Coast Highway into the ocean. But by then, she was f*cked up all the time, with her friends (PAID STAFF) telling her that her farts smelled like roses.

What a f*cking nightmare of a career. It's amazing she made it through it.

[sue]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Yeah, but they were coming off of Rumours, one of the biggest albums ever, and people were still into her. She'd still believe this up until Rock a Little, when her hubcaps came off the car, and were hurdling down the Pacific Coast Highway into the ocean. But by then, she was f*cked up all the time, with her friends (PAID STAFF) telling her that her farts smelled like roses.

What a f*cking nightmare of a career. It's amazing she made it through it.

I’m concerned…
Your last sentence is almost, almost a complement …
Using Amazing in a sentence about Stevie.
Are you well ?

[vermicious knid]

I can't stand phony "reaction" videos. What I want to find again is the only good cover of the song I have ever heard, which was a young woman who made a video where her own voice singing backup vocals was layered over the main vocals. And the video had multiple images of her so that she and her duplicates were seen singing all the parts. I can't find it on youtube anymore!!!!!

Does anyone know the one I'm talking about?

And I've said before that the solution to "Nightbird" was to co-opt the beginning of "Sable on Blond" and use it for "Nightbird" instead. That would have given the song the drive it needed. Good song but potentially great.