Street Angel... who is it about?

louielouie2000 · #1 11-25-2009, 12:14 AM

So I've always assumed Street Angel was about Lindsey. About his leaving Fleetwood Mac, and his and Stevie's lifelong frenemy-ship dissolving

.

But listening to it recently I'm starting to really think it is about Mick. My first clue was the verse that went:

"A Charles Dickens character with your top hat and your scarf..."

That'd definitely be Mick, not Lindsey.

"When you pulled me through the rainbow, I thought you'd stop."

That could be about Mick pulling Stevie into Fleetwood Mac and stardom. Then there's the verse:

"when you were a homeless angel, that drove you wild... strange and elusive"

Mick was literally homeless for a period in the '80s. Then the song goes on:

"No amount of crying changes your mind, no amount of praying brings you inside. I know that you love me, and that you always will. You just stand outside and call to me, my street angel."

I have to wonder if this is about Stevie's leaving the band after Mick refusing to let her have Silver Springs for Timespace. The evidence for that theory continues...

"So I ended it all for the both of us. I fell down the stairs, a broken ragdoll. But you never knew, you just thought I went away.... with nothing more to hope for. But you don't hear voices anymore, no, my sweet street angel."

Seems like a pretty solid case for it being about Mick to me. Them fighting and her leaving the band a completely broken person. I could still see that last couple of verses being about Lindsey though. I just can't decide. What do y'all think??

vivfox · #2 11-25-2009, 12:50 AM

I think it's about Stevie and her view of the homeless in Hollyweird.

lacesundone · #3 11-25-2009, 01:04 AM

Street Angel is an amazing song... A few years ago Bella Donna (Santa Barbara) performed it at NOTS.... I think I was the only person who loved it. I would love to hear Stevie sing it live.

LukeA · #4 11-25-2009, 02:43 AM

I think its about Mick as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

"When you pulled me through the rainbow, I thought you'd stop."

That could be about Mick pulling Stevie into Fleetwood Mac and stardom.

I've always thought this referred to their fling in Australia... I seem to recall her mentioning them romping through the countryside at sunrise, with a rainbow mentioned. I'll have to dig out the quote.

GypsyBlueEyes · #5 11-25-2009, 03:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LukeA

I think its about Mick as well.

I've always thought this referred to their fling in Australia... I seem to recall her mentioning them romping through the countryside at sunrise, with a rainbow mentioned. I'll have to dig out the quote.

Okay, if there is any quote out there even remotely resembling that, please find it! That would be a must read! Oh the imagery of a quote like that...the two of them doing whatever it is that one does in the countryside at sunrise, a beautiful rainbow (cause you know Stevie, it isn't going to be just any old rainbow...its going to be the most beautiful one she'd ever seen). Yep, I'd like to read about that!

StreetAngel86 · #6 11-25-2009, 04:43 AM

i love this board

definitely about lindsey. i never questioned that.

Street angels aren't like any one you know
They do what they want
and the go where they go

mirrors

You're not like other people
you do what you want to

HOWEVER

i think the Dickensian references pertain to Mama.
and she's just talking about herself in the 3rd person
but she's talking like she's lindsey singing it
if Lindsey is the Street Angel...Stevie is the Dickens persona

this is my favorite stevie song in the whole stevie universe

i cant explain it
it's so sad, and dark.
and the fact that she wants to kill herself to end the so their relationship wouldn't be weird.

but then there's imagery of rainbows and children. which is a "happy" constrast to the morbid tone of the song. there's no more rainbows. there's no children. even though that's where he thought he'd sent her off to. but coz there's no "street angel" in her life...she doesnt want that life aaaaaaaaaaw man it's so sad and SOOOOOOOO good.

i dont know why people dont love this song
ive never thought about what it means til this thread
it's brilliant

ETA: alternatively this whole song could be about stevie. she is a gemini. hence the 2 "personas" in the song *so confused*

Nikolaj · #7 11-25-2009, 06:49 AM

I agree with vivfox. I think the song is a limo-view from Stevie of certain Hollywood kids she'd see wandering, and of one she noticed who was always there, then disappeared, who gave up and left Los Angeles and went back to his family to take care of him because he couldn't take care of himself. Just a hunch, but that's the feel I get from the song.

chriskisn · #8 11-25-2009, 06:58 AM

Seriously though is every damn song about Lindsey or do the fans just read too much into her music?

Aussie W/Heart · #9 11-25-2009, 07:20 AM

Im with you street angel86, Street Angel is one of my fav's too!!! I love it, Could be about Mick, but I have always thought it was about a real homeless person, she see's whilst driving by in her limo...

Sanne2 · #10 11-25-2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chriskisn

Seriously though is every damn song about Lindsey or do the fans just read too much into her music?

Yes, except for EO17, BATB, HAEWAFY and Nightbird

petep9000 · #11 11-25-2009, 08:11 AM

I think Street Angel is about Stevie Nicks. She says her inspiration for her look was 'The Artful Dodger', and in SA she mentions "a Charles Dickens character" with top hat and scarf.
I remember a radio interview she did for TOSOTM in '89, some lady called in and asked who a certain song was about. Stevie hazily replied, "well, all my songs are about me, Debbie."

My friends got a huge amount of mileage out of that line, because they were convinced already that Stevie was self-absorbed, LOL. I remember my friend Lynn said "why doesn't Stevie just write a song called 'Me, Me, Me'"?

Lala · #12 11-25-2009, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GypsyBlueEyes

Okay, if there is any quote out there even remotely resembling that, please find it! That would be a must read! Oh the imagery of a quote like that...the two of them doing whatever it is that one does in the countryside at sunrise, a beautiful rainbow (cause you know Stevie, it isn't going to be just any old rainbow...its going to be the most beautiful one she'd ever seen). Yep, I'd like to read about that!

The quote is from Mick's book. Don't get excited. There isn't much "romp" description. I always found this part to be very bittersweet.

It started up in New Zealand. Late one night,
after the concert, a Samoan limo driver took me
and Stevie for a long cruise along mountains and
ridgebacks at dawn. At one point we got out and
walked a bit in silence, waiting for the sun to
rise. There was a mist that turned to a gentle
rain, soaking us to our skin.

We were driven back to our hotel in a
ferocious downpour, clinging to each other in the
back of the car. Up in her suite, I said, "I think
I'd like to stay here tonight."

While looking for that quote, I found this one, which is a little more positive, and possibly the one you were thinking of...

I remember going to Hawaii by myself in
February. I told Jenny I wanted to inspect some
property I had bought on Maui, but the real
reason was to visit Stevie, who was renting a
house with her friend Sara Recor and another
lady. They were supposed to meet my plane, but
they had taken a dot of acid and gone to the
wrong airport. We rendezvoused later at a
restaurant, and then went on to Stevie's house.
There were a bunch of hammocks on the beach in
front of the place, and that evening we lay in
them, swinging gently in the mid-Pacific zephyr,
watching the stupefying purple sunset and
dreaming of nothing but peace and serenity.

As for Street Angel...I just bought the album a few weeks ago, and just assumed from the 'Angel' in the title that it was about Lindsey. Perhaps it's a little bit of both...like Sara

petep9000 · #13 11-25-2009, 10:57 PM

Hah. And Stevie said in an interview not too long ago that she was terrified of psychedelics and only did it once prior to joining FM. I think Mick mentions Stevie dropping twice in that book, in fact. If I recall correctly, the other time was during the Rolling Stone cover shoot when they are in bed. Stevie and John were tripping while giggling over a Playboy.

She's the master of revisionist history.