"Desert Angel" ~ Wonderful!

[mikebise]

I have no idea why I woke up with this song in my head this morning. But it was, so I ran to play it...

... And I got the same chills I got in August 1991, the first time I heard the song!

Stevie's voice just breaks my heart, it's so beautiful and so full of emotion. The piano twinkling throughout gives me goosebumps.

The line "This is the first thing that I have written since I wrote about freedom..." disturbed me the first time I heard it back then in 1991. "Freedom" would have been written in 1989 at the very latest, so, since "Desert Angel" was written in January 1991, that meant Stevie didn't write any songs in 1990? Of course, we didn't know about the Klonopin then, but I was saddened that Stevie seemingly was not able to write for some mysterious reason.

But "Desert Angel" is an incredible testament to Stevie's unique talents, lyrically and vocally.

The line "We thought it was a great beginning..." reminded me of how Stevie & FM gave money to Democratic candidates in the Late Seventies, in hopes of changing the country after the horrors of the then-current administration. Stevie also had so much hope for peace in the world in 1989 when the Soviet Union fell... but war still remained.

Those are just my impressions. It just looks like Stevie is such an optimistic person, and she truly hurts when other people are wronged. And "Desert Angel", even in the VERY midst of her tranqulizer addiction, proved that Stevie was still a songwriter capable of empathy and dedication. And her voice...

When she sings, "And where is my husband?? And where is my son?!" just underscores how wrong so many "fans" were in writing off Stevie's brilliance as kaput after 1983.

I love this song, and ALL eras of Stevie's incredible career. And I'm glad she's remained with us all these years, still today.

I've been listening to the Enchanted box set the past few weeks in my car and really got zoned out on Desert Angel a few times. I don't think it's a real favorite around here but I loved it when it came out. I loved the real instrumentation vs the heavy synth production of her last studio, OSOTM. It was a back to basics Stevie with Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Roy Bittan etc. I liked that

As far as the "Freedom" reference...I read it along the same lines but didn't get that deep into it as it's literally the ONLY thing she wrote. Do we know when Desert Angel was written? I thought it was just a lyric that sounded good not only due to the war theme of the song but also because a casual fan or observer would know that one of her last songs prior was called "Freedom." Not sure that it literally was the ONLY thing she wrote since then.

I think it's a very emotional song. Then again, I tend to like the more melodramatic depressing stuff lol.

[Travis]

I’m with you Mike. I loved this song the moment I heard it. Even though Stevie refers to 89-93 as the “lost years” still she had her moments of clarity. I rank the vocal delivery on this song way up there, it is so full of passion and emotion and the music is just beautiful. Who cares if it was a track she found (something that seems to bug some fans); it is what she did with it that turned it into the beautiful song that it is. Desert Angel is definitely in my top 10 Stevie songs.
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[Nikolaj]

Nice to read an appreciation of this not always appreciated song. I like the passion that builds in it. I really love the last minute and a half or so of the song, there's fire in her singing, 'operation desert shield, operation desert storm!'-- the whole song is worth it for her voice in that small segment of it. Also, as you (thread-starter) noted, there's something chilling about the 'where is my husband' part, earlier. I need to spin it, haven't listened to it in years.

[petep9000]

I appreciate this song too, I think the imagery is beautiful. The great red mountain, the shooting stars in the black desert sky which turn out to be rockets flying in a smokey oil-field inferno in Kuwait...heavy stuff.
And I agree, the "where is my husband? Where is my son?" is a very moving lyric, Klonopin or no.

And the "I was born in the desert.." is actually kind of rare for her, it is a true little piece of childhood biography from her, where she normally is more indirect and sings only of things in her adult life.

[seekerj]

I really love this song, too. I and my 1991 roommates, neither of which really liked Stevie at all, used to play this song all the time. They really liked it.

Regarding the time lapse between "Freedom" and "Desert Angel", I remember an interview from back then where Stevie said she had written the words to Desert Angel, and after that, Mike Campbell had sent her a tape of "tracks", and one of the tracks was the music that eventually became the music for Desert Angel. She said that as soon as this track started playing, she knew she had found her "Desert Angel" song.

So maybe it is just the words and not the music that she is talking about. (?)

[mikebise]

Yeah, I just love that shuddering drum machine chugging behind Stevie at the beginning, and how Mike's guitar seems to echo and compliment Stevie's way of singing.

The drum during, "Well, look up! It's a shooting star!"... Oooh! I just LOVE that!

Again, I don't think Stevie honestly wrote NOTHING in 1990, but maybe that's how she felt. Maybe "Desert Angel" was the first song to spark her creative fires. She did write "The Dance", "Blue Denim", "Listen To The Rain", "Jane's Song" and "The Mix-Down" in 1991, so perhaps "Desert Angel" helped her, despite the record company's demands.

BTW, I like how Sharon clarified on The NicksFix which "Faces of you" backing vocal was hers and which was Lori's - haha!

[David]

I liked this song at the time, but it's totally off my radar now.

[rocknalittle]

I cant even explain how much I ADORE this song! Its just simply wonderful! (chills, chills, chills...)

[SandyMac]

I have always loved this song for the same exact reasons as stated above.
The imagery of the lyrics are so powerful and "where is my husband, where is my son" sounds so haunting... and the powerful Operation Desert Shield Operation Desert Storm will always move me.

As far as "Freedom" goes, I always thought she was referencing when the last time she wrote about freedom in the Stars and Stripes. Thought I remember reading that somewhere on that is what is meant by those lyrics. Could be wrong, don't know, but that is my take on it.

[Nathan]

I think she's referring specifically to Freedom, the song.