"You Can't Fix This"

[SummerlongBoots]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I do wonder what exactly happened to change Stevie's songwriting style so much since her early Fleetwood Mac days.

I wonder if that "change" just comes from writing about her relationship issues over and over again until there's just nothing "fresh" to write about. I mean even during IYD's interviews, she was pointing out each song - "that was about Lindsey," "that was about Lindsey, too."

[johnnystorms]

well, there's nothing LITERAL about the "devil" pouring a "glass of champagne" and i still think her writing is fairly esoteric ... remember the DR argument over Throw Down? it seems like people SEEK things to criticize now... nothing we write here is going to CHANGE her writing style...i just don't see a VAST difference... esp regarding YCFT. it's a pretty opaque lyric.. unless she said, "it's about the death of my godson" no one could glean that from the lyric.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I do wonder what exactly happened to change Stevie's songwriting style so much since her early Fleetwood Mac days. Her songs used to be so mysteriously enigmatic, or as Lindsey said, written from the inside out. The great virtue of this was the fact they could be interpreted by the listener to mean almost anything.

Originally Posted by SummerlongBoots

I wonder if that "change" just comes from writing about her relationship issues over and over again until there's just nothing "fresh" to write about.

I've often thought that it was the continual criticism in rock music press over the years -- about Stevie's lyrics being "obtuse," "pseudo-mystical," and "becoming a caricature" -- that lead her to begin writing more straight-forward, literal songs.

[rhiannondontgo]

Highlight of my day was when I noticed that during recording YCFT, Stevie goes "I am kind of radical, y'know", after the engineer said "F*ckin' A! That girl can sing!"
Too funny.

[BrownEyedGirl26]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Yup, I most definitely prefer mystical, mysterious Stevie over literal Stevie. That's my main grip about this song. Other than that, it's certainly growing on me.

"NEVER DANCE WITH THE DEVIL, HE WILL BURN.. YOU.. DOWN" She is singing this song to get her message over to the audience here! The lyrics are so powerful and clear and even if she just saves one life through this song it will be worth it!

[wheart]

Music - A-
Lyrics - D+

Sorry Stevie...

[SummerlongBoots]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I've often thought that it was the continual criticism in rock music press over the years -- about Stevie's lyrics being "obtuse," "pseudo-mystical," and "becoming a caricature" -- that lead her to begin writing more straight-forward, literal songs.

Excellent point.

*Sigh*

What a cryin' shame.

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by wheart

Music - A-
Lyrics - D+

Sorry Stevie...

Music A-
Lyrics C+ = I like a lot of the song, she confuses things a bit with all the devil mentions, it's not as spacey as some of her other crap, but its not well written as IYDs stuff. I want to hear what gets edited in the final version. Lyrically, its a lot better than illume.

[michelej1]

The lyrics aren't as literal as something like SYW ( the song). The only problem is that the metaphor is already a cliche and Stevie often creates her own original ones. So that may make the lines a little disappointing .

I remember when Christine put Jacks of Heart, clowns and so many worn turns of phrase into a single song that my head almost exploded. Dancing with the devil may be just a bit trite, but I don't think it's bad.

Michele

[Sleepless-Child]

The lyrics are bad because they don't rhyme. SYW was straightforward but it rhymed, that's why it was a good pop tune imo.
I mean :

"Dancing with the devil
Call it respect, call it fear
But we never allowed the devil
To come to the party

We were careful in our way
Walked through the darkness
We made a pact not to dance with the devil
Even when the devil seemed to have a heart"

Nothing rhymes ! Even "The nightmare" has more musicality to it than this. Also she definitely says "devil" too much. I do like some of the lines, and the music is fantastic, and i like the atmosphere of the song, so it's a B/B- song (if we're doing grades), to me.

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by Sleepless-Child

The lyrics are bad because they don't rhyme. SYW was straightforward but it rhymed, that's why it was a good pop tune imo.
I mean :

"Dancing with the devil
Call it respect, call it fear
But we never allowed the devil
To come to the party

We were careful in our way
Walked through the darkness
We made a pact not to dance with the devil
Even when the devil seemed to have a heart"

Nothing rhymes ! Even "The nightmare" has more musicality to it than this. Also she definitely says "devil" too much. I do like some of the lines, and the music is fantastic, and i like the atmosphere of the song, so it's a B/B- song (if we're doing grades), to me.

Actually, that second stanza there does rhyme. It's just not your typical run-of-the-mill end rhyme. Heart rhymes with the first syllable of darkness. That was actually one of the better verses, to me.

It's not that the song as a whole is very literal - it's not. Obviously, the whole thing is pretty much a metaphor. It's just that the lines are very simple - they are no mystery in and of themselves.

All of the lines of a song don't necessarily have to rhyme... The problem is that sometimes they DO rhyme at a certain place, which makes it jarring when all of a sudden they don't. And the rhymes that are there are elementary... year-clear, glass-glass... I was actually expecting her to say "but we never allowed the devil to come near" after the "call it respect/call it fear" line. Seemed like it would have been the natural progression. Year/clear/fear/near.

That said... I love you Stevie. Music/vibe/sentiment/performance is all incredible, on the other hand. And I'm quite fond of the outro lyrics - there's an example of lyrics that don't rhyme and it's perfectly fine that they don't.

[APerfectLie]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

Actually, that second stanza there does rhyme. It's just not your typical run-of-the-mill end rhyme. Heart rhymes with the first syllable of darkness. That was actually one of the better verses, to me.

It's not that the song as a whole is very literal - it's not. Obviously, the whole thing is pretty much a metaphor. It's just that the lines are very simple - they are no mystery in and of themselves.

All of the lines of a song don't necessarily have to rhyme... The problem is that sometimes they DO rhyme at a certain place, which makes it jarring when all of a sudden they don't. And the rhymes that are there are elementary... year-clear, glass-glass... I was actually expecting her to say "but we never allowed the devil to come near" after the "call it respect/call it fear" line. Seemed like it would have been the natural progression. Year/clear/fear/near.

That said... I love you Stevie. Music/vibe/sentiment/performance is all incredible, on the other hand. And I'm quite fond of the outro lyrics - there's an example of lyrics that don't rhyme and it's perfectly fine that they don't.

This! I think in Wide Sargasso Sea she rhymes "this" with "this" and it bugs the **** out of me. It does rhyme, but it is not very poetic. Also, I feel the main problem lyrically with the song is that it is so repetitive.

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by APerfectLie

This! I think in Wide Sargasso Sea she rhymes "this" with "this" and it bugs the **** out of me. It does rhyme, but it is not very poetic. Also, I feel the main problem lyrically with the song is that it is so repetitive.

Well, it's kind of a rule (I know, I know, you wouldn't say that to Bob Dylan ) in writing that rhyming a word with itself kind of actually DOESN'T rhyme, in a weird way. It's like a double-negative or something.

I love Nightbird, but this part has always bugged me, too:

The winter is really here now
And the blankets that I love
Sometimes I am surrounded
By too much love

Reading it as prose it sounds fine, like she's emphasizing that there's too much love by using the word love more than once. But put it in a song and something about it just isn't quite right.

Again, I feel the need to reiterate... I love you Stevie

[sodascouts]

I'm with those who like the music but are unimpressed with the lyrics. They are trite, repetitive, and unintentionally hypocritical. The music rocks, though!

[SummerlongBoots]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

That said... I love you Stevie.

Again, I feel the need to reiterate... I love you Stevie