Bella Donna: Stevie Nicks and the Heartbreakers?

Twenty-one years ago today, the world got its first taste of Stevie Nicks the twirling solo artist, as opposed to Stevie Nicks, the twirling centerpiece of rock super group Fleetwood Mac. Backed in large part by the seasoned musicians such as Tom Petty's Heartbreakers, Stevie Nicks released her first single, which is actually a duet written by Tom Petty himself, Stop Dragging My Heart Around. Two weeks later her debut album, Bella Donna, was released and took the world by storm. A Rolling Stone cover crowned her the Queen of Rock, and the album eventually went to #1 on the Billboard chart with two top-10 singles and has been certified quadruple platinum, selling over 4 million copies.

I first heard Bella Donna a few years ago and played it just about every day for three months. Casual fans of Stevie or 80’s radio stations might recognize the singles, but the album as a whole has a lovely, cohesive feel from front to back. I don't think it sounds dated at all, probably because even at the time of its release, this didn't sound like the R&B/New Wave/Easy Listening/Punk stuff on the airwaves.

Highlights

Bella Donna - When you hear pony rhymed with phony, it could only be the product of rock's crystal-visioned poet. Ushering us to come in out of the darkness, Bella Donna is about a woman who has achieved great success but wants to get away from her crazy, fast-paced life. Autobiographical? You betcha. The music is unobtrusive, soft, like walking through a fog.

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around – The aforementioned lead single is a "she said, he said" breakup song, written by Tom Petty, then put on this album when he passed on using it for his own project. The vocals are quite feisty from both Tom and Stevie, with her showing off her great strength of singing harmony. Yeah you buckle with the weight of the words. Reached #3 on the charts in July 1981.

Think About It – Written for and dedicated to Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie, this is a very optimistic, keep on keepin’, upbeat track. This is quite different from most of Stevie’s other songs, seeing that it’s lyrics are rather straight-forward, almost written in the vernacular instead of cryptic poetry.

After the Glitter Fades – The most intriguing thing about this country-flavored ballad about the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle is the prophetic nature of the lyrics, written prior to her joining Fleetwood Mac, long before any success whatsoever in the music industry. Lines such as, What I seem to touch these days has turned to gold really did happen. Each one of her next 7 solo albums, not to mention the 9 band album, were at least gold albums, with many of them going platinum many times over. The loneliness of a one-night stand is hard to take refers not to a love affair but to performing on the road, leaving each city behind for the next destination. Reached #32 on the charts in May 1982.

Edge of 17 - The most rock song on this album is also one of her most famous songs, known for the references to the white winged dove. Today’s generation might recognize the sampled synthesizer running throughout the Destiny's Child song "Bootylicious." The lyrics are highly symbolic, written about the deaths of John Lennon and her uncle, though I would never have guessed that had I not read various interviews. And the days go by like a strand in the wind, in the web that is my own I begin again. Reached #6 on the charts in October 1981.

Leather and Lace - Another "he said, she said" duet, this time a love ballad with former boyfriend and Eagle, Don Henley. It was originally written for Waylon Jennings, who supplied the title and asked Stevie to do the rest, though he never recorded the song. The romantic lyrics are perfectly executed in a nice blending of two fine vocalists, and it contains a line that makes this girl swoon every time, First time I saw you, I knew with you to light my nights, somehow I would get by.

The Highwayman – A perfect song to end the album, this is a slow, pretty ballad, almost like a lullaby, a tale of two people falling in love under questionable conditions. The imagery is very ethereal, with verses containing phrases such as, her horse is like a dragonfly and heartbeats on the wind and dream begun in wine. Don Henley makes another appearance, this on drums and backing vocals.

The other three songs, Outside the Rain, Kind of Woman, and How Still My Love are nice as well, though they don’t stand out in my mind as containing any special characteristics. Outside the Rain reference Fleetwood Mac’s hit song The Chain with the mention of one more link in the chain and is still a fixture of recent concert setlists. That song and Kind of Woman were among other songs included on Stevie’s 1998 3-CD "Enchanted" box set.

Conclusion

Overall, Bella Donna is quite a gem filled with 10 well-written and performed songs. However, I don’t listen to it a whole lot anymore because 8 of the songs (all except Think About It and How Still My Love) are included in the (fantastic) Enchanted Box Set. I had this album prior to that set, and it was a good primer for Stevie’s early solo work, though a casual fan might be better off with her greatest hits CD, Timespace, which includes Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, Edge of 17, and Leather and Lace. Otherwise, Bella Donna is a solid, nicely crafted album that was very important in Stevie’s progression as a solo artist and the music is soothing to listen to while falling asleep, unless you’re like me an feel the urge to start dancing and twirling around the room.