This might upset a few people, but it is nevertheless a fact. Stevie Nicks joining Fleetwood Mac was her lucky break. Before 1975, she had released an album with then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham in 1973 that had been a conspicuous failure. If she hadn’t joined Mac, then it might always have been that way.
Stevie Nicks needed a bit of luck, and she got it when Buckingham was asked to join Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham insisted Nicks came as part of the package, and she got lucky.
She moved on with them and realized her potential both with Mac and as a solo artist. There is no doubting her stage presence and that she gave a new style to the now Pop-Rock Fleetwood Mac. So, before getting into the meaning behind “Edge of Seventeen” song By Stevie Nicks, let’s see how she got there.
A New Direction
Fleetwood Mac had been probably the best Blues band in the UK in the 60s and early 70s. They were able to maintain their style whilst also releasing great singles. Most of the music was courtesy of Peter Green. Their “live blues” style was Peter Green. He was irreplaceable, and no one could come near to taking on his role.
When he left because of illness, the Blues Fleetwood Mac was over. If they wanted to continue, they had to change. They did dabble about with their style with other guitarists, but it didn’t work and just wasn’t the same. So, Mac decided to concentrate on the American market, and they recruited Buckingham and Nicks for a new direction.
Singer, Actress, or Both?
I always considered Stevie Nicks more of an actress than a great singer. There were plenty who sang with a better natural tone. But, if you liked her tone and the often harsh sound of Stevie Nicks’ voice, then she was for you.
But there was more to Stevie Nicks…
She had a presence about her, albeit rather strange at times. But, you always felt there was something very good inside waiting to come out. Her vocals were good and powerful. Her voice was not as pure and sympathetic as Christine McVie’s, but it was different. And, when she sang songs like “Storms” and “Sisters Of The Moon,” there was no one who could sound like that.
Also, let’s not forget Stevie Nicks’ songwriting, which at times, was of the highest quality. Her talent did come out in Mac, but in my view, it blossomed when she released her first solo album in 1981.
A Coming Of Age
I suppose you could call it that. She was still officially a member of the band when her solo career started. But maybe the best had already gone, and she, like the band once had, needed a new direction. For me, her first solo effort, Bella Donna, was that moment. She could do what she liked, and the album was quite startling.
I had always preferred the “Blues Mac” rather than the “Pop Mac.” So, when I got in my car to listen to it on a long drive, I was expecting a good album, not a great one. “Edge of Seventeen” was the sixth track, and I was already impressed. But, this was something else. This was Stevie Nicks firing both barrels.
Her First Real Solo?
“Edge of Seventeen” was the 3rd single from the album. For the previous two singles, she had collaborated with others. Firstly, with Tom Petty on “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” and then with Don Henley on “Leather and Lace.” “Edge of Seventeen,” though, was just her. It reached #11 in America and Canada.
Meaning Behind “Edge of Seventeen” Song By Stevie Nicks
A lot of the lyrics to our favorite and most memorable music are a reaction to an incident or incidents in our lives. And so it is with this song. The inspiration behind “Edge of Seventeen,” to an extent, was the loss of two “Johns” in December of 1980.
Stevie’s uncle Jonathan had suffered from cancer for a while, but it finally killed him that December. She remembers how the days just seemed to pass so fast, and she realized that time wasn’t going to slow down for her to spend time with him. “And the days go by.”
Stevie had gone to visit, and he was at home in Phoenix, Arizona. She remembers soft music playing and a somber atmosphere but a peaceful one. There were other lines in the song that referred to this visit; she sings that she went today and “Maybe I will go again.” Sadly, he died the next day.
In early December of 1980…
Stevie was in Australia with her producer and then-boyfriend Jimmy Iovine. John Lennon was murdered in New York City on December 8th. Iovine had done some work with John in the 70s and considered him a good friend. Needless to say, he was distraught. Nicks tried to comfort him, but she had to leave to get back to Phoenix because of her uncle Jonathan.
She says she didn’t know John personally but has the stories from Iovine. It left a scar on her to see him in such a bad way and to lose one of the great songwriters of the era.
Add that to the journey she was about to make to be with her very sick uncle, who she knew would not survive. Emotions must have been running high. It isn’t surprising then that the song evolved from these experiences. Something is reflected in the lyrics of “Edge of Seventeen.”
Another Twist
On the flight back from Australia to Arizona, she looked at the food menu, and it contained a reference to a white wing dove. More on that a bit later. Before all of these incidents transpired, Nicks was already thinking about a song she was going to write.
She was a good friend of Tom Petty and his wife of the time, Jane. Tom and Jane had been sweethearts at high school, and Jane suggested a title to her one day about being seventeen.
She said, “How about ‘The Age Of Seventeen’?” Jane had a very strong Southern accent, and Nicks thought she said “edge” instead of “age.” The song was originally going to be for Tom, and now she had her title.
Back To The White Winged Dove
Great songwriters have a way of creating lyrical links to visual images. This song does just that. The meanings in her lyrics might be obscure at times, but it is a very personal song for Stevie Nicks.
However, there is little doubt as to what she is saying here…
Initially, the lyrics included in the then-chorus were prompted by the death of Lennon. She saw him as a dove, representing his wish for peace in the world. But, the events of that month took more of a hold. No one in her close family had died before. So, it became a song about the aggressive finality of death.
In Lennon’s case, it had been ripped away from him. For her uncle, a gentle yet all too sudden passing. The white-winged dove meant the spirit leaving the body. She went “searching for an answer.” But, all she heard was the call of the dove, the bird singing, “Come away.” Alluding to the moment her uncle leaves the earth.
When interviewed about it, she said it brought up an emotion that anyone who has been in the same situation will be familiar with. The hopelessness of the situation. The feeling of being there but not being there at all because you can do nothing.
Emotions Portrayed In The Music
If you hadn’t heard it before, this isn’t the kind of song that you would imagine someone writing about these emotions. It almost feels wrong to say it is an exciting track. But, musically, it is a powerful track.
Would you expect something more delicate and meaningful? Those incidents were tragic and very dramatic. As is the song in many ways. Maybe a fitting tribute to the emotions that were all over her for a brief time. The dove came to represent tragedy and sadness, but it was also dramatic and exciting at the same time.
It is a song with a special meaning for Stevie Nicks, which is probably why she didn’t change it anyway over the years. When she performs it, she goes back to a very personal time that still resonates with her. It is still the closing song of her live shows. She says there isn’t anything else that could fill that spot, giving an experience, like a concert, closure.
In the Mood for More Somber Songs?
Well, check out our thoughts on the Best Sad Songs, the Saddest Rock Songs, the Best Songs About Depression, the Top Songs About Losing Someone, and the Top Songs About Letting Go of Someone You Love for more incredibly touching song selections.
Meaning Behind “Edge of Seventeen” Song By Stevie Nicks – Final Thoughts
In all the years since writing, recording, and performing the song, Nicks had never heard a dove sing for real. Then, in 2020, a dove came to the window of her home in Arizona and sang as it sat there. She videoed the experience and posted it on Twitter.
The dove made the sound she wrote in the song that she had not ever heard before. “Oooh, Oooh, Oooh.” Needless to say, she found the whole experience overwhelming.
Let’s close this look at one of Stevie Nicks’ memorable songs by seeing what she means about closing her shows with it. This is the full, live version. Sit down and strap in. That is the full eight minutes, including the audience reaction at the end, no encores (how could there be), and plenty of tears. As I said earlier, Stevie Nicks giving it both barrels.
Until next time, happy listening.
Do you like this article?
