Let's talk about... OUTSIDE THE RAIN

FMlex · #1 09-20-2009, 10:11 PM

(With a quick search, it appears as if we haven't covered this great one yet!)

OUTSIDE THE RAIN.
Love it. Love the lyrics. The song is set up uniquely -- the whole "Look at my eyes, touch my face" has high emotion right at the end of the song (in live versions we lose the last lyric which I have at the bottom of this post because it's fab.u.lous.).
She had a good thing going on tour in the '80s when she flowed straight into "Dreams."

Stevie looks so pretty in this live concert, and I freaking love this blue cape.
Check it:

Oh and I was listening to the Wild Heart tour from Austin and she sings "Well Mick said that it's just one more link in the chain baby"
Ha, gotta say I thought that was pretty funny. If you have a copy of this, go listen to it if you've never noticed that before.

So what do yall think of this one?

"Love is a word that some entertain. If you find it, you have won the game..."

Phoenix · #2 09-20-2009, 10:23 PM

I ADORE THIS SONG. LIVE ESPECIALLY. I still whish that she had done this on Soundstage. I want a REALLY nice Clean, newer-sounding version. I love the one from Australia with the symphony. too bad it wasnt released. i always watch it on youtube, its cool to see her rocking out in the Beauty and the Beast gown!

daniellaaarisen · #3 09-20-2009, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FMlex

Oh and I was listening to the Wild Heart tour from Austin and she sings "Well Mick said that it's just one more link in the chain baby"
Ha, gotta say I thought that was pretty funny. If you have a copy of this, go listen to it if you've never noticed that before.

She also does this in the Red Rocks DVD.

Sooooooooo "Outside the Rain" is one of my favorite Stevie songs EVER. I think it is a beautiful combinaton of whimsical Stevie-esque lyrics and classic rock with a hint of accessible early 80s pop.

I will write more on this later tonight.

LukeA · #4 09-20-2009, 11:53 PM

I liked this song when it was touched up, re-recorded, and called "Straight Back".

daniellaaarisen · #5 09-21-2009, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phoenix

I ADORE THIS SONG. LIVE ESPECIALLY. I still whish that she had done this on Soundstage. I want a REALLY nice Clean, newer-sounding version. I love the one from Australia with the symphony. too bad it wasnt released. i always watch it on youtube, its cool to see her rocking out in the Beauty and the Beast gown!

Um, that video is magical. I can't believe I'd never seen it before!

Dodfather · #6 09-21-2009, 05:32 AM

Good choice for a thread. I love this Let's Talk About... series and really hope itkeeps going for ages, there are so many, many songs to cover!

Anyway, I'm going to sound a controversial note and say that when I first heard it Outside The Rain didn't do much for me. Then she seemed to open every single concert with it and I started to just get bored...until recently.

I don't know what happened but upon hearing it for the nth time about 6 months ago I suddenly loved it! It was very strange! The one part I had always loved was the "look in my eyes, touch my face" line but I found myself singing along to the whole thing this time and now it's one of my favourites right now.

The description from another poster of how it combines the ethereal and rocking Stevie is spot on and it's just what I was going to put to sum up my thoughts on the song if I'd gotten to this thread faster - haha!

I was also very surprised that it wasn't on Soundstage. With the way Stevie so rarely varies her set and so regularly has Outside The Rain as an opener I really thought it would be there, but hopefully not as the first number because she needs to change it up! I'm glad she did. Waddy has discussed this too and how always having this as the opener bugs him. I think it's on his Ledsge Q & A.

gypsy4life · #7 09-21-2009, 09:21 AM

I love the smooth, easy ethereal feel of this song..it's a candle light dinner, or a bubble bath....it's velvet.

michelej1 · #8 09-21-2009, 12:41 PM

I love the line, "and it's been like dying."

I love the directness of "look in my eyes; touch my face." Stevie doesn't often get so tactile (she does in Love Is when she talks about the softest lips, etc.). She is usually describing things more lofty and far less tangible than skin.

And when she says it's been a week, well love doesn't usually count itself in weeks. There's a certain timelessness to love, that causes you to count it in hours, days and years that stretch out through infinity. But not usually weeks. When she says, "it's been a week," it sounds to me like she's measuring something much more concrete than love. Like, I'm thinking a week since she and the "creature of the night" slept together. A week, a mere 7 days, that's left him desperate and lonely.

So, when she says "touch my face" in the end, it's very human and physical. Yes, very much as if words don't matter at all. So, she won't bother with the flowery description but will, instead get right to the center of the matter. There's a certain forcefulness to to it.

It's like Stevie, someone who usually hides behind ambiguous words herself, won't let the other person conceal this way. She's pushing aside pretense and facade and all the protective barriers you put up to shield yourself from pain and really penetrating. You miss me. Still. Miss looking at me, touching me. You can't hide it. You can't deny the heartache. Can't shroud it in song.

Actually, I don't know if I compare it to Dreams or what the problem is, but the music for OTR has never especially stirred, never meant as much to me as the lyrics.

Michele

michelej1 · #9 09-21-2009, 12:41 PM

I love the line, "and it's been like dying."

I love the directness of "look in my eyes; touch my face." Stevie doesn't often get so tactile (she does in Love Is when she talks about the softest lips, etc.). She is usually describing things more lofty and far less tangible than skin.

And when she says it's been a week, well love doesn't usually count itself in weeks. There's a certain timelessness to love, that causes you to count it in hours, days and years that stretch out through infinity. But not usually weeks. When she says, "it's been a week," it sounds to me like she's measuring something much more concrete than love. Like, I'm thinking a week since she and the "creature of the night" slept together. A week, a mere 7 days, that's left him desperate and lonely.

So, when she says "touch my face" in the end, it's very human and physical. Yes, very much as if words don't matter at all. So, she won't bother with the flowery description but will, instead get right to the center of the thing. There's a certain forcefulness to to it.

It's like Stevie, someone who usually hides behind ambiguous words herself, won't let the other person conceal this way. She's pushing aside pretense and facade and all the protective barriers you put up to shield yourself from pain and really penetrating. You miss me. Still. Miss looking at me, touching me. You can't hide it. You can't deny the heartache. Can't shroud it in song.

Actually, I don't know if I compare it to Dreams or what the problem is, but the music for OTR has never especially stirred, never meant as much to me as the lyrics.

Michele

nailatixela · #10 09-21-2009, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelej1

I love the line, "and it's been like dying."

Michele

Me too. And the next like, "no love's that hard to find" Is almost like a response to the previous line. If she really did write it as a response , than "it" in 'it's been like dieing" means finding love...then she (or someone else) is telling her that finding love isn't THAT hard, what's wrong with you.

I love this song live. I think she still does it justice but I love the WH and RAL versions with the extra add libs. "ooh no loves that hard to find. and this this time I'm tired of it, this time I'm tried of trying baby!" (I love the sexy sound stevie makes before her H's - esp. in this line, does anyone know what I mean)

Dodfather · #11 09-21-2009, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelej1

Actually, I don't know if I compare it to Dreams or what the problem is, but the music for OTR has never especially stirred, never meant as much to me as the lyrics.

Yep, that's what I mean with this song too,or at least I did for a long time until it grew on me.

michelej1 · #12 09-21-2009, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nailatixela

Me too. And the next like, "no love's that hard to find" Is almost like a response to the previous line. If she really did write it as a response , than "it" in 'it's been like dieing" means finding love...then she (or someone else) is telling her that finding love isn't THAT hard, what's wrong with you.

And what I took from it is that it was continuation of the previous line. Changing is like dying. Moving away from a familiar love. Losing it and letting it go is like dying.

Michele

Black_Moon · #13 09-21-2009, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nailatixela

Me too. And the next like, "no love's that hard to find" Is almost like a response to the previous line. If she really did write it as a response , than "it" in 'it's been like dieing" means finding love...then she (or someone else) is telling her that finding love isn't THAT hard, what's wrong with you.

I love this song live. I think she still does it justice but I love the WH and RAL versions with the extra add libs. "ooh no loves that hard to find. and this this time I'm tired of it, this time I'm tried of trying baby!" (I love the sexy sound stevie makes before her H's - esp. in this line, does anyone know what I mean)

I know exactly what you mean, but I'm not going to be able to put it into anymore romantic terms than her words getting caught in her throat. I noticed she does it with "Sara" - 'if you build your house'. I agree though, it is sort of sexy in a weird way.

daniellaaarisen · #14 09-21-2009, 05:41 PM

I agree with Michele on this one.

Also, I think that this song now stands (in my mind, anyway) as a representation of who Stevie was in this time period. You know-- the entire sex goddess, mystical enchantress who you "can't replace" thing. It glorifies all of that. I feel like this song is her own declaration of that. People "never thought [she'd] change but you know [she's] changing". She can define herself. It's just interesting.... She's declaring that she's "tired of trying" to find a love that's "hard to find". It's easier to be elusive and sensual, ethereal and dark-- ultimately "irreplacable" but so painfully transient.

All because she doesn't "wanna feel that".

"Love is a word that's some entertain
If you find it, you have won the game."

Sounds like she was still playing.

**jbrownsjr** · #15 09-21-2009, 05:43 PM

To me this defines Stevie Nicks without Fleetwood Mac... She had created an alternate sound that sort of distinguished my ears from FMac to her....

When I listen to some of her demos from Fmac that actually made it to her solo records I really notice the difference in Iovine vs Dashut...

This whole album is beautiful... but I love the way this song rocks... Great choice and yes she is stunning on stage singing it...