Gypsy video rumors: The "3" Necklace and Masking Tape

[Nixxxed]

At the end of the video for "Gypsy", while Stevie is twirling around the edge of the cliff and in the closeups, she is wearing a necklace that is a diamond-encrusted "3". (Sorry, I tried to find a picture, but all I could find from several sites was just her face shot from said closeups...)

A long time ago, a friend of mine told me that someone gave the necklace to her as a present, symbolizing the sale of 3 million copies of Bella Donna (by the time the video was shot). He also said that the rest of the band didn't know what it meant at first, but once they found out (during or after that shoot) they were really pissed.

He also mentioned something about all the pieces of masking tape on her stereo controls in the opening shot, but I don't remember exactly what it signified. Something about how she couldn't operate (then-)modern stereo equipment without all these little tape-notes and people made fun of her. So she demanded that her personal stereo be brought in and made sure it would be filmed as a f*ck-you to whomever (Lindsey perhaps?).

Can anyone confirm or expand on these? Any other good "Gypsy" video tidbits???

[Johnny Stew]

Stevie is indeed wearing a gold "3" on her necklace in the "Gypsy" video, but 'Bella Donna' wasn't certified Triple-Platinum until October 30th, 1984... well over two years after the "Gypsy" video was filmed.

Stevie has talked in the past about the ancient symbolism of the number three... the three points on a pyramid, the Holy Trinity, etc.
Stevie made nods to this with the gold pyramid she often wore on stage (you can see it in the 'In Concert' video), the three white roses on the front and back covers of 'Bella Donna,' and the three "sides" of herself, as represented on the cover of 'The Wild Heart.'

So anyway, the number has a lot of significance to Stevie, but it seems unlikely, given the timing, that the "3" she wore in the "Gypsy" video had anything to do with how many copies her first solo album had sold.

[EnchantedSLN]

Here's the 3 you're talking about. I don't know if the story is true. There is however a Mirage photoshoot (by Hurell?) where she is wearing it in a couple shots, and in the rest the necklace is pulled tight like a choker and the charm has been moved to the back so you can't see it. But maybe the photographer thought it was ugly or something.

I've never heard the bit about the masking tape on the stereo. But when we got our very first computer in the house, I put little tags on the wires so I'd know where they went if we had to unhook it. So don't feel bad, Stevie

[EnchantedSLN]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

Stevie is indeed wearing a gold "3" on her necklace in the "Gypsy" video, but 'Bella Donna' wasn't certified Triple-Platinum until October 30th, 1984... well over two years after the "Gypsy" video was filmed.

This could be completely imagined, but I thought I remembered reading that it was made with the prediction that Bella Donna would hit the 3 million mark because Stevie or the friend that made it for her had a dream, or something.

[Nixxxed]

Wow - thanks for the info, folks! Now that Tiff posted the pic, I must say I'm disappointed to see that it's just a gold '3' instead of a diamond one. Call me materialistic. After I heard the story from my friend, I only ever saw the video on 10th-generation VHS tapes or briefly in Mac documentaries - it had long since disappeared from rotation on MTV/VH1. The way Stevie is filmed in the scene, it sure shines like it's made of diamonds, but then so does she.

Regardless, it's really one of the little details that sticks with me from the video, which is funny because 3 is my unlucky number (both Astrology-wise and in reality). In 1993, I was entering year 3 with my 3rd boyfriend, and we moved into Apt #3 at 2383 Winrock in Houston -- no, I'm not making this up. Long story short (too late!), our apartment was robbed, his car was hit while parked on the street, my car basically exploded, he lost his job, and my grandmother died during the first 3 months we were living there. Yes, we moved.

Oh yeah, the other detail from the cliff/forest scene I really like is that the trees Stevie is dancing through don't have any tops - they're all cut off. I'm sure that signifies something. But then again, they could have just been cutting corners since the budget for the video was so high.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by Nixxxed

Oh yeah, the other detail from the cliff/forest scene I really like is that the trees Stevie is dancing through don't have any tops - they're all cut off. I'm sure that signifies something. But then again, they could have just been cutting corners since the budget for the video was so high.

Unfortunately the reason behind the topless trees (easy there, Jake... I said "topless trees," not "topless Stevies") is rather mundane.
The director, Russell Mulcahy, had intended on cropping the top and bottom of the footage, to replicate the look of a theatrical film. I'm not sure why they didn't end up following thru on that idea... but it was probably a budgetary reason.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by Nixxxed

Wow - thanks for the info, folks! Now that Tiff posted the pic, I must say I'm disappointed to see that it's just a gold '3' instead of a diamond one. Call me materialistic.

Stevie did not want to set yet another trend and instead left it to Run DMC and the soon to be had rap explosion!!!!

[Nixxxed]

Well, another small disappointment for me -- I just dug through boxes for my VHS copy of "Gypsy" because I just had to see it after thinking about it for 2 days.

I managed to pause the picture right on the stereo shot (which took 15 minutes due to my dinosaur of a VCR), and what I thought was masking tape notes all these years, instead looks to be a shawl draped over the table just below the stereo unit. The shawl has these white stripes that reflect onto the stereo...



Oh well. As long as I don't find out there really isn't a Santa Claus, I guess I'll be okay.

[Nixxxed]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

The director, Russell Mulcahy, had intended on cropping the top and bottom of the footage, to replicate the look of a theatrical film. I'm not sure why they didn't end up following thru on that idea... but it was probably a budgetary reason.

It's probably because of the whole widescreen/pan&scan format issues. Until Mulcahy directed all those fab Duran Duran videos, I don't think there were many, if any, widescreen videos shown on MTV.

Man, if I had a dollar for every argument I've had trying to convince people that they're really seeing all the picture in most widescreen movies, I'd own Microsoft, and Bill Gates would be my cabana boy. But I'd send him to The Swan for a makeover first...

[Livia]

She's wearing the diamond-encrusted 3 necklace on the HBO poster. And in the Wild Heart press kit, she does mention that someone gave it to her for Bella Donna selling 3 million copies (I don't recall if it was because it really had, or someone had dreamt it.)

[darklinensuit]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

Unfortunately the reason behind the topless trees (easy there, Jake... I said "topless trees," not "topless Stevies") is rather mundane.

Actually I read it as "topless tees."

- Jake