Lyric Continuity

[DownOnRodeo]

I always get a kick out an artist referring, deliberately or coincidentally, to an earlier lyric. Stevie does it to an unparalleled standard, but I'm not that familiar with her solo catalogue. Here are some FM ones I can think of.

"Over and over" (Over & Over and the outro to WISYA)
"Don't let me down again" (DLMDA and the Live version of Over & Over)
"Here comes the night time, looking for a little more", etc (Not That Funny and I Know I'm Not Wrong)
"Someone's gotta change your mind" (SGCYM and Shuffle Riff)

Any others you can think of?

[jwys_soapbox]

I don't know if this this counts as lyrical continuity, but it certainly is thematic continuity...

I've always thought it interesting that Lindsey played on the Behind the Mask album in the title song. After his leaving it just seemed weird. But then he recorded a song called "Make Me a Mask" and that made the whole thing more weird... like he felt he was the subject of Christine's song or something. That's one of my favorite Mac song connections.

Oh, I did think of a good lyrical connection: "Mirror in the sky" is used in both "Landslide" and "Try for the Sun."

By the way, Down on Rodeo, what does the symbol in your gif mean?

John

[Wldhrt315]

At 11:30pm I can think of very little, of anything hehe but anyway....

"Track a ghost through the fog" is used in Angel and Sweet Girl.
"Crying in the morning, trying to be strong
Waiting for the spring to turn into the fall
Love don't mean what it says at all
My destiny says that I'm destined to fall" is the beginning verse of both Enchanted and Destiny

Outside the Rain is a continuation from Dreams but I think its just more of a thought continuation versus lyric continuation. Oh well!

In that sense, How Still My Love is supposed to be a continuation from Outside the Rain.

Anyway, good thread maybe when I am more awake I can think of more.

[DownOnRodeo]

I had never realised any of those connections. And Stevie lifted an entire opening stanza?? I guess, ironically, it is inspired and original in its own way!

Originally posted by jwys_soapbox

By the way, Down on Rodeo, what does the symbol in your gif mean?

Well in Japanese it has the meaning of 'god' (nothing to do with anything other than I like the form of the character!). By itself it reads 'kami' (as in 'kami-kaze' - 'the winds of the gods'), and together with the character for 'path', it makes the word 'Shinto'.

[seteca]

I can't believe nobody's mentioned the most obvious one!

"Somebody's got to see this through, all the world is laughing at you, somebody's got to sacrifice, if this whole thing's gonna turn out right". (You Do Or You Don't and Bleed To Love Her.)

[DownOnRodeo]

Originally posted by seteca
I can't believe nobody's mentioned the most obvious one!

"Somebody's got to see this through, all the world is laughing at you, somebody's got to sacrifice, if this whole thing's gonna turn out right". (You Do Or You Don't and Bleed To Love Her.)

I knew I was forgetting a couple of obvious ones! There's something in No Questions Asked that's repeated somehwere, isn't there? I can't remember where.
"It's all a rich tapestry"

[Johnny Stew]

Originally posted by DownOnRodeo
There's something in No Questions Asked that's repeated somehwere, isn't there? I can't remember where.

In "No Questions Asked," she sings, "and you miss those arms that used to go around you."
"Love Is" also includes that line, with "will you," replacing "and you."

"Enchanted" and "Destiny" are one of those "which came first, the chicken or the egg" kinda situations.
"Destiny" was actually written first, but became the basis for "Enchanted"... which ended up being released first.
"Destiny" wasn't revisited until 11 years later, when it saw the light of day on 'Street Angel.'

They share their first verse, but from the chorus onwards, both are unique.
I love the Yin & Yang nature of those two songs as a pair.

As for other songs with lyrical ties...
"Blue Lamp" and "Welcome To The Room... Sara," both feature a variation on the lines, "downstairs, where the big old house is mine... upstairs, where the stars laugh and shine."

"Whole Lotta Trouble" and "Thousand Days," share the lines, "you're not my friend, you're not my love... and this is something that we really don't discuss," and a variation on the lines, "where are you... sometimes I hear you crying... and I wake up, and I get throught it (/and I wake up... and still I wake up crying)."

"Whole Lotta Trouble" also borrows several passages from the demo/outtake, "(She Calls You) Missing"... as does "Love Is Like A River."

"If You Ever Did Believe," and the demo "Forest Of The Black Roses," feature the lyrics, "and the days go by, doing nothing about them... how much time will I have to spend."
She also makes use of "and the days go by," in "Edge Of Seventeen."

Stevie even references back to one of Lindsey's songs in "Mirror Mirror," when she sings, "I think you walk a thin line... walk a thin line."

There may be a few other examples that just aren't coming to me at the moment, but those are probably the biggest.

I love when Stevie (or any writer) references back to earlier lyrics. It's a fairly ingenious conceit, that lends the songs a continuity that goes beyond the fact that they just happen to have been written by the same person... well, when it's done properly!



Johnny Stew

[Sorcerer386]

The Chain and Gold Dust Woman -- "Running in the shadows"
To add to If You Ever Did Believe, Edge of 17 AND Planets of the Universe-- "And the days go by"
Edge of 17 and Nightbird -- "Just like the white winged dove"
Plus, I don't know The Nightmare very well, but it apparently makes many references to earlier Stevie songs.

[DownOnRodeo]

"Listen to the wind.." (The Chain and Tango in the Night)

[Cristian]

Christine uses a Stevie expression:

"It's time to move on to the rain
And finally break the chain"

on "All Over Again", for instance.

Mick mentions Peter Green's songs like "Man Of The World" on Time's "These Strange Times"...

And surely there are many more that I can't remember because I just don't have enough memory...


Song of the moment - Sooner Or Later

[PenguinHead]

Several song references in The Nightmare...

Sisters of the Moon -- So about the moon and her sisters...

Storms -- I stood with you against the storm...I said "I'd like to leave you with something warm"

Sara -- How many times drowning in the the sea..drowning

[jwys_soapbox]

Oh I forgot about one of my alltime favorite connections between two songs: If you listen to the melody of the portion of Planets of the Universe that was edited out of the album version (it's in the "Extended Album Version") you can hear that it is the same as the verse melody of "Sisters of the moon." Same melody, different lyrics, but enough to establish a connection nevertheless.

"You will remember, but I will die a slow death
It's only an overture to something that was best
And don't condescend to me no"

"Intense silence as she walked in the room
Her black robes were trailing, sister of the moon
and .... (can't remember the lyrics here)

John

[fleetfootmike]

Originally posted by Sorcerer386
The Chain and Gold Dust Woman -- "Running in the shadows"

Not on the original GDW - more, I think, a very deliberate after-the-fact borrowing from the Chain.

[chiliD]

Originally posted by Cristian
Mick mentions Peter Green's songs like "Man Of The World" on Time's "These Strange Times"...

Specifically, in "These Strange Times":

"...They said was a man of the world..."

"...I wish I was in love..."
-"Man Of The World

"Trying to make me do things I don't want to do
-"Green Manalishi"

He also mentions "Dreams" & "Walk A Thin Line" by title, as well as:

[i]"...things that make me wonder..."
-"Walk A Thin Line

[Mad4stevie]

One of my favorite demos from the 80's and a TISL favorite:

All the King's Horses and Fall from Grace -

"Not all the kings horses, could put it back together . . ."