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Our list of the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Steve Nicks’ Bella Donna LP looks at the real meanings behind the songs on Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna LP. Stevie Nicks became a household name by being a member of the band Fleetwood Mac. By late 1980, Stevie Nicks decided she wanted to spread her wings creatively. She wanted to define her own identity. She wanted to do something separate from Fleetwood Mac. The singer wrote songs for the album while she was still touring with Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks decided to pursue a solo career while she was still a member of the band. The album looks at her personal and professional life. The songs on this album are about her being under the spotlight while trying to maintain her personal life. Stevie Nicks talks about her independence and how she struggles to maintain it in a male dominated band. She goes into detail about society as well as her personal relationships.
Stevie Nicks released her debut album Bella Donna in July 1981. Bella Donna peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 charts. The album was on the charts for almost three years. The album sold over four million copies. Bella Donna has four singles. The singles were hits and all peaked in the Top 40 on the Hot 100 charts. Bella Donna was included on Billboard 200’s list of Greatest Albums of All Time. Fans enjoy listening to her music, but do you know the real meanings behind the songs on the LP? Our Real Meanings Behind Songs On Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna LP features the songs on from the album.
Stevie Nicks Bella Donna Album
# 1 – Bella Donna
The first song on our list of the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna LP is “Bella Donna.” The term “Bella Donna” is Italian for a beautiful woman. “Bella Donna” is about making decisions in life. Stevie Nicks wanted to talk about making changes in her life. She wanted different things because of what she was dealing with turmoil and drama in life. She talks about watching out for yourself because the music industry can kill you if you aren’t careful. This song is like getting a warning about the decisions you make in life from a family member or a friend.
The singer wanted to reclaim some normalcy in her life. Her life was hectic so she wanted to get back to her old self. She faced tough battles when she recorded the song. She gives listeners an inside look on how her life was a rollercoaster when she was recorded the song. She wanted to come out of the dark and face the light. In addition to facing her demons, she touched on her personal life. She talks about her man being her life and helping her deal with people who are keeping her from being happy. Stevie Nicks wrote this track while she was with Fleetwood Mac. She wanted to prove to the world that she could write songs with meaning and depth. She didn’t want the band to record the track. She wanted to record the track herself.
# 2 – Kind of Woman
The next song on the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Stevie Nick’s Bella Donna LP is “ Kind of Woman.” This track is a personal song for her. The “Edge of Seventeen” singer talks about how she felt when she was involved with a singer and musician. He was on tour while she was at home. She was wondering what was going on while he was on tour. She wasn’t sure if he was being approached by groupies while she was at home. She wasn’t sure if she was the “kind of woman” for him or if he would meet a better woman while he was away. She was insecure while he was gone because she didn’t know who he would meet while he was on tour.
The track is basically about temptation, infidelity and being wronged in a relationship. Stevie Nicks discusses the pain of someone possibly cheating. She wants to get revenge for him being tempted to cheat on her. She warns him that whichever “kind of woman” he wants will hurt him. Stevie Nicks is very good not to say the person’s name that she’s referring to in the song. She only says that she will miss the man who hurt her. She intends to use the influence she has over him to her advantage. Fans thought the song might be about Lindsay Buckingham. Stevie Nicks did admit in an interview that the song is about singer and musician Lindsay Buckingham. They dated each other before they were famous. The singer wrote the song before they were members of Fleetwood Mac. He was on tour with the group the Everly Brothers while she was working as a waitress.
# 3 – Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around ft. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
”Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” is about a difficult relationship. The relationship isn’t easy at all. The ballad is about a woman who is ready to end her relationship, but she can’t seem to let him go. He has a hold on her heart that she can’t shake. She wants him to stop dragging her heart around. He insists he’s not trying to hurt her. He wants to protect her. He feels like she needs someone to look out for her. He doesn’t want her to get hurt. The couple in the song go back and forth about what’s wrong with their relationship. She lets him know that no one will be there to take care of him when they break up. He reminds her that she’s the one who wants to leave their relationship.
The track is about the end of a relationship. They plead with each other to stop playing with their hearts. Stevie Nicks wanted singer and songwriter Tom Petty to write a song for the Bella Donna LP. He was hesitant about giving her the song. The song was supposed to be a solo track. Tom Petty was supposed to sing the song by himself. Producer Jimmy Iovine asked Tom Petty to let her record the track. He changed his mind and let her record the song. It’s a good thing he changed his mind because the song was hit for Stevie Nicks as well as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The song peaked at number three on the Hot 100 charts. This is the first single from the album. Stevie Nicks credited this song as the reason why Bella Donna was a hit.
# 4 – Think About It
“Think About It” is about optimism through heartbreak. The song is about looking at the big picture. Your relationship may be ending, but there’s still hope for you. It’s about a friend being there for someone during a tumultuous time. The friend gives her advice on what to do about her relationship. She advises her to “think about it” before making a big decision that will change her life. The friend in the song is also dealing with her relationship ending. She was having a tough time and wanted to walk away too. They wanted to keep their heads up while they were dealing with the trials and tribulations of their relationships ending.
She knew that her friend was hurting, but she knew she would be okay. She assures her that everything will work out. Stevie Nicks wrote this track for Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie. She wrote about the problems Christine McVie was having with her husband and Fleetwood Mac bandmate John McVie. Stevie Nicks was dealing with her problems too. She was going through relationship issues with Lindsay Buckingham while the McVies were dealing with their problems. This song is supposed to give you hope that things will be okay. You must “think about it” before you walk away from everything.
# 5 – After the Glitter Fades
The next song on the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Stevie Nick’s Bella Donna LP is “After the Glitter Fades.” The track is about the ups and downs of Hollywood. Stevie Nicks wants the listeners to know what happens to celebrities once the glamour and glitz are gone. Celebrities enjoy being famous, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. She talks about heartbreak, loneliness and lies in the song. It is an inside look on the harsh realities of being a celebrity. The song portrays an accurate look into what happened to Stevie Nicks in the 1970s. She must have had a crystal ball in her home because she was able to write about something she wasn’t familiar with at the time. When she wrote this track, she wasn’t a celebrity. She was able to foresee what life would be like as a celebrity and the ups and downs of fame.
Here is some trivia about the song. Stevie Nicks wrote this track before she and Lindsey Buckingham became household names. The song was also released almost 10 years after it was written. Stevie Nicks was able to see what celebrity fame would be like. She also wrote this song with Dolly Parton in mind to sing it. She thought “After the Glitter Fades” would be perfect for the famous country singer. Things didn’t go as planned when Stevie Nicks sent the song to Dolly Parton. She believes Dolly Parton didn’t get the song. She thought Dolly Parton would have wanted to sing the song if she got it. Stevie Nicks decided to record the song herself and the rest is history. This track was the fourth song released from the album.
# 6 – Edge of Seventeen
“Edge of Seventeen” is about the sadness she felt when her uncle and John Lennon passed away within a matter of days of each other. Stevie Nicks’ uncle wasn’t a celebrity, but he meant something to her. She was devastated when legendary singer and songwriter John Lennon was gunned down. She talked about how the days were going by when her uncle Jonathan was dealing with cancer. She also discussed the grief she felt when he passed away. She talked about the grief she felt when she found out about John Lennon being gunned down too. Their deaths happened within the same week of each other.
Stevie Nicks shares how she wanted to see her uncle the day before he passed away. He was at home with his wife when he passed away. She uses symbols and metaphors to express how she felt when she lost her uncle and John Lennon. “Edge of Seventeen” was originally supposed to be about Tom Petty and his wife at the time. The song was about when Tom Petty’s wife first met him at 17. Stevie Nicks changed the lyrics when her uncle and John Lennon died. She kept the title of the song. It’s the third single from the album. The song peaked at number four on the Mainstream Rock charts and number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The song was given new life when Destiny’s Child used the track as the sample for their hit single “Bootylicious.”
# 7 – How Still My Love
“How Still My Love” is about a woman who falls in love with a man who people think isn’t good enough for her. Stevie Nicks sings about being in a sexual relationship. The relationship is mostly physical. Even though the relationship is mostly physical, she doesn’t want to give it up. The “If Anyone Falls” singer talks about enjoying being with her man. People don’t think she should be with him, but there’s something about him that draws her to him. She’s overtaken by her physical attraction to him. She wants to move on and forget about him, but she can’t do it. The singer doesn’t want to love him in the song, but she can’t help herself.
Stevie Nicks also talks about trying to still her love so she won’t fall too easily. She can’t control her feelings for him. He makes it easy for her to love him when they are together. She lets him know that her love is forever. She feels peace when she’s with him. People let her know that he’s not the one for her. She doesn’t want to love him, but she can’t help it. Her heart fell in love with him anyway. It occurs to her that she needs to let him go. She wants him to go his way, but she doesn’t want him to forget about her. She knows he’ll come back to her one day. She knows he will do what he can for her. The couple have been together for a long time and have a history together. As the song progresses, she talks about how they are still together. The meaning behind the song is that if love is meant to be, it will last as long as it’s right for both of you. Stevie Nicks has been linked to different men throughout her career. The song could be about anyone.
# 8 – Leather and Lace ft. Don Henley
“Leather and Lace” is about a couple in the music industry who are trying to make their relationship work despite their problems. The song is about the good times and bad times in a relationship. She yearns for the man she loves to come back to her life. It’s an honest song about love. She doesn’t hold back when it concerns the ups and downs of love. Stevie Nicks informs listeners that it takes work and compromise to make a relationship last. You have to put someone else’s needs before your own. When they got together, she believed their relationship would last forever. She lets him know they will be together forever no matter what happens. She wants him to love her and stay in her life.
Leather describes the tough exterior of the man in the relationship while lace is delicate and graceful like the female in the relationship. She wants his leather, and he wants her lace. Don Henley tells the story of a man who is tough and scared, but feels better when he’s with her. He lets her know that men are raised to be strong, but they can have a sensitive side too. Men aren’t supposed to show that they can be vulnerable. He can be scared and vulnerable too. Her love helps him get through the tough times in his life. “Leather and Lace” is a love song about a couple who complete each other with the strengths the other one has.
They balance each other out. Her soft and delicate side balances with his tough and strong side. Together they make the perfect pair. Stevie Nicks and Don Henley were dating when they recorded this song. She originally wrote it for country singer Waylon Jennings and his wife Jessie Colter. Once they broke up, she decided to keep the song for herself. She asked Don Henley to record it with her. “Leather and Lace” is the second single from the album. The song peaked at number six on the Hot 100 charts.
# 9 – Outside The Rain
“Outside the Rain” is about a strained relationship. The woman wishes that her man could share the same feelings she has for him. He doesn’t want to express how much he loves her. She’s tired of being the one making all the sacrifices. She’s convinced no one could take her place in his heart. She loves him and no one will love him the way she does. She wants to know if he will love only her. She thought their relationship was just a dream. The narrator tells the man that she has waited for love for a long time. She didn’t think words mattered at all when it came to love. She questioned if their love was just a dream, but he lets her know that it’s a link in a chain.
Stevie Nicks didn’t publicly admit who the song is about. Her fans believed it could be about Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood since she had a relationship with him. The song could also be about her relationship with Lindsay Buckingham. The “Rooms on Fire” singer was involved with both of them so the song could be about either of them. She could be talking about a different relationship. She didn’t say who she’s talking about in the song. Whether the song is about Mick Fleetwood or Lindsay Buckingham, she believes that she’s won the game because she had love in her life.
# 10 – The Highwayman
The last song on the list of the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Stevie Nick’s Bella Donna LP is “The Highwayman.” “The Highwayman” is a story that Stevie Nicks created. The song is based on the poem by the same name. She wrote a fictional story about “The Highwayman.” She compared “the Highwayman” to male musicians. In the poem, he’s a wonderful person who is similar to Robin Hood. He stole from the rich to give to the poor. Stevie Nicks thinks male musicians have “the Highwayman” mentality at times. He is romantic to the people who matter to him. She thinks male musicians are romantic too. The track is about a woman who has a dream that he was there one minute and gone the next.
Stevie Nicks delves into the song by discussing how she’s never taken seriously as a female songwriter. The men in the industry only saw her as a girl. She wanted to be taken seriously as a songwriter. The track is basically about what a woman needs to do in order to excel with men in music. She feels like women can’t make any noise if they want to succeed in music. She has to slow down to let the man win in order for them to get together or do anything in general like writing songs. Stevie Nicks was dating Don Henley and wrote the song about him as well as other men like him. She wanted him to sing and play in the song because it’s about him. He as well as other men were her Highwaymen.
Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Stevie Nicks Bella Donna Album article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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