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Our article looks at The Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Stevie Nicks Street Angel LP. Street Angel was released in June 1994. The album was released during a tough time in Stevie Nicks’ life. She just left Fleetwood Mac after a public breakup. She was recovering from her addiction to Klonopin. She proved she was up for the challenge of releasing a new album. The album peaked at number 45 on the Billboard 200 charts. Stevie Nicks wasn’t very happy with the album. She wasn’t a fan of the production on the album. She had an unsettling confrontation with one of the producers of the album. Stevie Nicks felt that the album needed more instrumentation. She wanted to go back and fix the album because of the way it was done. Glyn Johns let her know that she could stay out of the way and had to deal with the way the album was produced.
Stevie Nicks did another stint in rehab while the mixing was being done on the album. Her label wanted the album to be ready in time for her to promote it when she was finished with rehab. Stevie Nicks didn’t have control over how the album would turn out. When she was finished with rehab she went back into the studio to rerecord the majority of the album. The album still wasn’t the way she wanted it to be. Despite her issues with it, the album still went on to sell over 500,000 copies. The album features the singles “Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind” and “Blue Denim.” She wrote about relationships the same way she did on her previous albums. She also talks about social issues on the album. Take a stroll down memory lane and find out the Meanings Behind The Songs On Stevie Nicks’ Street Angel LP.
# 1 – Blue Denim
The first song on our list of The Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Stevie Nicks Street Angel LP is “Blue Denim.” “Blue Denim” is about a brief relationship. She talks about a man who was in her life for a short period of time. Stevie Nicks explains how his eyes can make you do whatever he wants you to do. You were under his spell as soon as you looked into his “blue denim” eyes. She thought about the way he was when she used to know him. She believes that he forgot about her. She didn’t forget how he was able to get to her. She turned away to hide how he affected her. He didn’t feel the way she did. She refused to let him see how much she’s hurting.
The narrator realized things could never work out between them. She doesn’t want him to know the pain she’s in because their relationship didn’t work. She assumed he would be there for her, but she lost him once again. He left her without any hope of reconciliation. The situation was hard for her because she was the one who ended the relationship. She thought she wanted to be free, but she wants him back. She had to settle with memories because she could never be with him. She has to move on to get away from her feelings. If there’s a chance they could get back together, she will find a way to make it happen. Fans wondered if this song was about Lindsey Buckingham. Stevie Nicks admitted this song is about him. This was the second single from the album.
# 2 – Greta
The next song on or list of The Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Stevie Nicks Street Angel LP is “Greta.” “Greta” is partly about the legend Greta Garbo. She wrote about her need for solitude. She wanted to be alone. She wondered what made Greta Garbo want to walk away from Hollywood and fame. Stevie Nicks was curious about her life and wanted to write a song about it. She thought about painting or writing a book about her life. She considered doing something else that was creative instead of being in the music business. She realized that she couldn’t do it. She wondered what it took for Greta Garbo to walk away from it all.
“Greta” is also about Stevie Nicks moving back to Phoenix. She dealt with the trauma of an earthquake that occurred in 1994. There was an earthquake that happened in Northridge in 1994. She packed up everything and moved to Phoenix. She liked being there, but she didn’t want to take any chances of being involved in another earthquake. She wanted to talk about her fears about being involved in a natural disaster. She didn’t want to take the risk of being in that position again so she had to remove herself from the situation.
# 3 – Street Angel ft. David Crosby
“Street Angel” is a social song about homelessness. In the title track, Stevie Nicks tackles the problem of homelessness. She wanted to tackle this subject because she thought about what it would be like if she were homeless. She gazed out her window and let her mind wander. She wondered what would happen if she were in that situation. The idea of homelessness was frightening to her. She didn’t know how she would react if she didn’t have a roof over her head. She would be okay with having money, but she would be petrified if she didn’t have a roof over her head.
Stevie Nicks talks about a character who doesn’t have a home. She meets a rich man who wants her to go away with him so she wouldn’t be poor anymore. He wants her to marry him so she wouldn’t be homeless. She realized she couldn’t go through with being with him. She couldn’t change her situation and be with the rich guy. She couldn’t change her ways and adjust to being a rich man’s wife. The character convinces him that she committed suicide by falling down the steps. She wanted him to forget about her so she told him that story. The character is a “street angel” because she is used to her life on the street. She was used to her way of life and didn’t think it would change.
# 4 – Docklands
“Docklands” is about a girl who grew up around the “Docklands.” She is with her family. Her father and sister give her advice about life. The narrator has dreams of a different life. Her father tells her that things won’t be bad for long. Things seem bad because she’s young. He wants her to look forward to the future because things will pick up for her. Her sister gives her advice too. She tells her to keep her guard up, but don’t forget about the people who love her. She has to be strong because she will have to carry the weight of life and the world on her shoulders.
The narrator watches the ship pass through the night while she’s on the “Docklands.” She dreams of a better life. Her dreams disappear as soon as daylight appears. She feels lost in the place she grew up in and doesn’t have a hand to hold. She has to try to hold on and know that things will get better for her. This is a cover song. The song was recorded by Mint Juleps.
# 5 – Listen to the Rain
The next song on our list of The Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Stevie Nicks Street Angel LP is “Listen to the Rain.” “Listen to the Rain” is about someone who is not like anyone she’s ever met before. He’s like a flash of light that shines brightly, and she knows that he’s different from other people. She knows that he’s hurt like the character from Phantom of the Opera. He lives in darkness. The narrator wants him to return to her. She wants him to get rid of the pain. She said that her world would revolve around him. She wants him to stop and “listen to the rain.” She wants him to take the time to “listen to the rain.”
The metaphoric song expresses how important it is to stop and smell the roses. She thinks he should follow his heart and do what’s right. She wants him to rise from the darkness. She cares about him too much to let him live in the dark. She insists that he live for the moment. Stevie Nicks doesn’t specify who she’s talking about in the song so fans will have to put on their song detective hats to figure out who she feels should “listen to the rain.”
# 6 – Destiny
“Destiny” is about a troubled relationship. She regrets that she didn’t tell him how she felt about him. She thought her relationship with him was different from the others. It was easy to fall into the same pattern as her other relationships. She thought love would be a beautiful thing, but it ended up failing her. She believes her “destiny” is to fail. She doesn’t think she’s meant to be happy. She wants to be strong, but it’s hard for her to do that. She’s devastated and heartbroken. She thought her relationship would last a lifetime, but it got shorter than she thought.
She’s wants to fight again even though she knows it will be a challenge. She has to get the courage to move on with her life so she can love again. She regretted keeping quiet when she wanted to voice her opinion to him. She will try her best to be strong even when she feels weak. This track was written for her second album The Wild Heart. The song is linked to “Enchanted.” She mixed the lyrics for both tracks to create this sound.
# 7 – Unconditional Love
“Unconditional Love” is about having unconditional feelings for the man in her life. She loves him flaws and all. She accepts him for who he is and loves him. She promises to be there for him whenever he’s down. She wants him to know that there are no conditions when it comes to love. She refuses to mess up and break their bond. Everything she wants is in his eyes. She would be with him no matter what and he wouldn’t have to ask her for another chance. She wants him to know that there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for him. She will always love him no matter what happens.
She pours her heart out to the man she loves with all her heart. She won’t give up on him because she will love him for the rest of her life. He is everything she ever needed in a man. She can stare in his eyes, and she would have all that she ever wanted in life. Fans wonder who she has “unconditional love” for in this song. She could be talking about Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood or Joe Walsh. It was supposed to be the lead single for the album, but it had to be reworked.
# 8 – Love Is Like a River
“Love Is Like a River” is a tale about the narrator being a believer in love. She’s a hopeless romantic who believes that love will conquer all. She believes that love will always be there. Unfortunately, she had to say goodbye to someone she loves. She believes in love, but she knows it had to come to an end. Love was worth it, but he didn’t see it the same way. He saw it as destructive. The relationship didn’t work for her because she was famous. It was hard to keep up a relationship while being in the public eye. The man in her life doesn’t seem to believe in love the way she does. He thought they needed to end.
The narrator had different ideas about love. She thought love could last as long as there’s still breath in your body. She refuses to believe that love won’t last. In her mind, love will only end when your heart gives up on it. Fans wondered if the song was about Joe Walsh. He broke up with her and it destroyed her. He told her that her life was too much for him. She reminded him that his lifestyle was similar to hers because he is in the music industry too.
# 9 – Rose Garden
“Rose Garden” is about overcoming regret. She talks about things not being perfect in life. She was never promised perfection. Life was never intended to be easy for anyone. There are going to be times when it’s raining. She is thankful for the physical things that she has in life. She is grateful for the money, house and stardom. She wants all of that. The only thing that’s missing from her “rose garden” is the man she loves. She wants to have a ring on her finger, but that isn’t the case. He didn’t propose marriage to her. He broke her heart when she thought she had it all.
She describes how she has money, a house, and a garden. She has everything she needs to be happy except for the man she loves. He doesn’t want to commit to her and get married. She was blind to think that he loved her the way she loved him. He gave her material things instead of love. She didn’t realize until it was too late that she wanted love more than material things. He walked away and she was alone. She has everything she could ever want, but she’s still lonely.
# 10 – Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind
The next song on our list of The Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Stevie Nicks Street Angel LP “Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind.” “Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind” is about a man who hasn’t confessed how he feels about her. He keeps his feelings about her to himself. She’s hopeful that love will change his mind. She hopes that his feelings are strong enough that he will open up to her about how he feels about her. She was afraid that he wouldn’t feel the same way about her. She hopes love will open his eyes. She wonders what she could say to him to keep him from leaving her.
She hopes that love will touch his heart. The narrator believed she saw love in the dark. She thought he would have loved her while they were together. She thought a look or a touch would be enough for him to fall for her. She wanted that to be a reality. He wants her to be with him no matter where he is in the world, but he won’t show it. She tells him that she loves him, but he won’t say it back to her. He won’t give her the one thing that she wants most in the world. She hopes his love for her is strong enough to make him change his mind about keeping his feelings to himself. This is the first single from the album. The song peaked at number 57 on the Hot 100 charts and number 17 on the Adult Contemporary charts.
# 11 – Just Like a Woman
“Just Like a Woman” is about a woman who moves too fast. She talks about the things that she does that’s “just like a woman.” She takes like a woman, and she makes love like a woman. She gets hurt like a woman, but she breaks down like she’s a little girl. She lets him know that she fakes things the way a woman does. She felt like she was settling with the man. She doesn’t like the way he was treating her so she breaks up with him. She doesn’t want him to let on that they knew each other in the past. She doesn’t want anyone to know that they know each other.
The narrator doesn’t want to be reminded that she did everything she could for him since it didn’t work out between them. Stevie Nicks covered Bob Dylan’s track. She kept most of the lyrics the same. She changed a few of the lyrics towards the end of the song. Bob Dylan wanted to hear the song from a woman’s point of view. She wanted him to sing on the track with her, but he refused to do it. He was willing to play in the song, but he didn’t want to provide vocals.
# 12 – Kick It
“Kick It” is about a woman wanting to end something that is addictive. She wants it, but she has to let it go. She wants to stay one more night without saying goodbye. When the night is over, she doesn’t have a choice. She will say goodbye. She wants to keep going because she would rather die than end it, but she realizes that is the meaning of love. The narrator says she is waited for in Egypt because it is something she has to do. She sees he is waited for all day and night as well as all over the world. She thinks it is a strange love affair because it is like a war. She says she won’t be waiting the next day. The narrator says it hard for her, but she wouldn’t be crying.
She says she loves the person more than life itself. She would do anything, but she is willing to end it. She has to “kick it” so she can get over it. It is something that she has to do. She may end up alone, but she has to end it. Stevie Nicks’ fans may be curious about the subject of the song. It could be about one of her past relationships, but it may also be about her past drug addiction. The lyrics could read either way.
# 13 – Jane
The last song on our list of The Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Stevie Nicks Street Angel LP is “Jane.” “Jane” is about a doctor named Jane Goodall. Stevie Nicks was inspired by her story so she wanted to write a song for her. She considers the doctor her idol. The legend wrote about chimps and the cruelty they go through. She didn’t know anything about them so she had to write the song from Jane Goodall’s perspective. The singer wrote about Jane Goodall’s mission to save the chimpanzees. It broke Jane Goodall’s heart to watch the chimpanzees be put in cages. She felt like her child was going in the cage. The doctor felt they may as well have put her in the cage with the chimps.
Stevie Nicks wanted to write a tribute song to Jane Goodall after she found out about the cruelty to chimpanzees in experiments. She talked to Jane Goodall about her work when she met the doctor. She wanted to do something with her life just like Jane Goodall did. They were looking to do something important. They were alike and she was inspired to write about her story. Stevie Nicks felt that people became aware of animal cruelty because of Jane Goodall.
Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Stevie Nicks Street Angel Album article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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