Thursday, September 04, 2014

VIDEO PREMIERE: Stevie Nicks "Lady" plus companion Commentary Video

I love this!... Not only does she look stunning, but the video perfectly fits the stripped down track that features just Stevie's voice along with piano.  Below is a commentary video where Stevie talks all about "Lady".

ELLE Exclusive: Watch Stevie Nicks Perform Beloved Secret Track, "Lady"
by: Sergio Kletnoy

It's a new song. Well, only sort of. "This is a song that has really stayed in my head all these years," Stevie Nicks says of "Lady," from her soon-to-be-released eighth studio album, 24 Karat Gold – Songs From The Vault, out October 7.

"Sometimes I'll find myself humming it, or whistling it, and this has been going on since I wrote it...in 1971."

Full article at Elle.com





Stevie talks about "Lady"




Pre-Order Stevie Nicks "24 Karat Gold - Songs From The Vault" from Stevienicksofficial.com
Available October 7th.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful video. Stevie looks beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Smart choice for video--she doesn't need any special effects or extra's in a song like this. For the LEDGE people, you guys are the meanest people over there---i for one love this blog/web as it stays positive - we have enough hate in our everyday lives all around. Thanks to the positive people - and enjoy the music- S.D.

Anonymous said...

Home run !!! She knocked it right out of the park !!! Fabulous - beautiful. Classic Nicks at her best.

MplsMike said...

Perfect video for this song!!!!!

Brian said...

I just want to take the time to say thank you if you are reading for being so dedicated to your fans for years and years. You could of had a family and married life but you chosen fans first you could of any man in your life but no you didn't and for that I will be forever dedicated to you!!!

Anonymous said...

I think it's quite a nice video, Stevie looks great...the only thing I feel it is missing is an audience. It would have been so easy to fill those theatre chairs, too bad they didn't. I think they were going for the simplistic feel, much as in the song itself, but I think an audience would have added to it greatly, and if they picked the audience from the fan base, it would have made it that much more special. Still, very nice simplistic video.

me said...

Come on guys. I love Stevie. We ALL love Stevie. But that video . . . there are maybe a few dozen people on this planet who would give that a second watch. I've never bought into fans writing that Stevie only did this album to finish a contract, but I truly believe this uninspired video was thrown together just to meet an obligation. It looks Cheaper than Free!

Anonymous said...

its a ballot song and I think it fits the song nicely

Anonymous said...

Stephen, I appreciate your take on this. When I first listened to the song a couple weeks ago I was not into it. Then I shared with a friend who is not as much of a Stevie fan and she said this was an incredible song. It made me go back and listen a couple of times. I have to say I was wrong. I think this song is so timely and fits into what Stevie wanted with this project. Then I watched the video today. Again...I think this is exactly what she wanted with this project. If a few dozen play it then a few dozen play it....it is so close to her heart...I think this album is going to be one of her best.

Lady, You Need to Move! said...

@Anonymous:
I think you meant to say it's a "ballad". ;-)

I've got to agree with Stephen here. This video is just plain dull. For a song that is over five minutes long her just standing there and wiggling around and making hand gestures. It really is an uninspired video. I understand the entire idea that the video is meant to convey simplicity. Nothing complicated or overly glamorous that would distract from the song any. I get that, I really do. Doing nothing like she is here is just as bad as doing too much. I've never been a fan of this song and I still am not by any means. This video did absolutely nothing to even try and win me over to this song.

We all have our own opinions and I love reading all of them. You never know when something someone else thinks might make you stop and re-think how you see something and open your eyes to something you didn't see before.

My opinion is that I haven't heard a single thing yet that leads me to think this will be the best, or even one of the best, Stevie Nicks albums to date. I didn't care for IYD at all and this record isn't winning me over yet. I love Dave Stewart by himself and back in his Eurythmics days but I really do not think he is the right producer for Stevie. He either doesn't know how to or doesn't want to tell her "no" when she needs to hear it. Stevie needs someone who will not be afraid to tell her when her choices and what she wants will not work even when they know she will snap back with something as crazy as "you wouldn't say that to Bob Dylan". While they have made some songs together that have been passably good, in the hands of different producers, most of the material from IYD and most of these songs could have ended up being excellent. She needs Lindsey or Jimmy Iovine. Although I don't think anything can salvage Mable Normand or Lady for me as I find them both to be dreadful songs. I'm holding out hope that Blue Water will not be ruined as that is one of my top five favorite unreleased Stevie songs. I was pleased to know it made the cut then began seriously worrying when I started hearing the recent song clips and the full tracks of The Dealer and Lady. I have faith she can pull off a good vocal for it and just pray that it is Dave Stewart playing the piano on it and not her. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! In this difficult world, thank you Stevie for providing some Beauty.

ScottD said...

I think this song is amazing and that In Your Dreams is second only to Bella Donna as a true Stevie masterpiece and love what Stevie and Dave Stewart have done. I think the video really suits the song and the theatre she's singing in makes a pretty gorgeous backdrop!

Tom Bosway said...

Absolute Perfection!!!
Including the way the Piano fades away and the recording ends...
Love You just as much as ever Stevie!
Thanks Dave!
Tom Bosway.

Anonymous said...

My take... this IS a beautiful ballad and probably as true to any original demo that we will hear on the complete album. This is a beautiful video in concept. Very few singers are good at lip sync. The emotion and body language of actual singing is lost. The editing is all jump cuts and only exaggerates that. I HATE writing negative stuff but honest opinions from life long fans are legitimate critiques. I think this video could have been spectacular if Stevie had sung that song LIVE while standing all alone on that stage with microphones properly placed in the house. She could have done it five times and the best take could have been chosen for this video. One single camera, or multi cameras dissolving, but all one continuos take. I think that would have been true to the concept of this "high concept" video. She said in the interview that she knows how to sing this song exactly as the 1971 demo, so certainly she could have performed it "live" for the video almost exactly as the new album version. That way the single would sound almost exactly like the video version. Casual fans would think it was the same recording, and hard core fans would know that the two were actually different takes of the same song; just like the album version/radio cut and the live version/B-side cut of Edge of Seventeen back in 1981.

Anonymous said...

For Stevie this song and video are a perfect way to highlight an album of old demos recorded for her true lifelong fans. The song is brilliant and making a simple video of her singing alone in an empty theatre is genus. Stevie is a great artist and this is simply wonderful. I cannot believe she has given us something so beautiful at this point in her career. "In Your Dreams" was a terrific album, but this surpasses anything on it, just extraordinary ! ! !

Anonymous said...

First off, I have to say, like most on here, I consider myself to be a big Stevie Nicks fan. I've seen her and FM at least 57 times in concert. Been to benefit shows she's done in PHX, New Years Eve gig in Las Vegas, etc... But like several people have said, this song does nothing for me. Yes these are all demos, although this one isn't a demo we've heard before, all the others are demos we've fallen in love with and have lietened too for years. As politely as I can say...with the way Stevie's voice has changed over the years, these songs NEED more production. Dave did an amazing job on IYD. Best producer she's ever had outside of Lindsey, but every clip I've heard so far has kind of made me cringe. I will say that so far, The Dealer is the best in my opinion. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Blue Water will be the best song she's recorded since Silver Springs. I've always thought that song had the lyrics and emotional gravitas to be a HUGE hit.

me said...

^ I agree. Now THAT is art! I still like the song and think this is going to be a really strong album. I can't wait.

Anonymous said...

Why should Stevie be "produced" to sound like anyone other than herself? Of course her voice has changed and she is starting to look older as well (and she is still a very beautiful woman), but what do people expect from someone who is 66 years old? Her voice is still very pretty and she can still sing. I am sure if Stevie felt otherwise, she would no longer continue to record. You can tell that she is very excited about this project and thanks to Dave Stewart, it's being promoted heavily, which is more than anyone has done for her previous solo albums. I think this CD is going to be wonderful - we will all have our favorite cuts that we will play before the others, but to get something like this, is incredible.

Anonymous said...

So Stevie's voice needs more production? How about auto-tune, would that do it for you? Sorry, but I love Stevie's voice just as it is and think that in many ways it's stronger than ever. I also absolutely disagree that it needs more production! When I listen to some of her vocals on Rock a Little, Tango in the Night, or The Other Side of the Mirror and compare them to anything she's sung since The Dance, I think the difference is like night and day as far as her voice being a lot stronger now. She's often talked about how hard she's worked with her vocal coach for years now. I guess you figure that's been a huge waste of time? Sorry but I get so sick of hearing about how her voice has changed!

Unknown said...

I respectfully disagree with everything you are saying here with the exception of your worry over "Blue Water". The demo cut is absolutely perfect & is one of my all time favorites. I cannot imagine that she can improve on it let alone even come close to performing a better alternate take on it. We shall soon see. I think "Lady" is stunning & I am blown away by her performance of it. One of her best in decades in my opinion and IYD (every cut) far overshadows the dreadful collection she gave us with TISGL.

Unknown said...

Well said. Thank you ��

Anonymous said...

You're missing the point. Look at videos of her recording songs on IYD, just the vocals, no music, then the final product and how lush it sounds. Same with some of the studio footage of the recording of Say You Will. With no music some of the vocals, in my opinion, were harsh, but the final product- music added and Lindsey's production and her songs on Say You Will are some of my favorite songs post 70's and 80's. Have you ever listened to 'Illume' at 11 (volume)? AMAZING!

Anonymous said...

In other words, over produce Stevie's voice so it doesn't even sound like her.....In the documentary Destiny Rules, Stevie singing Goodbye Baby prior to recording it is beautiful. The end result was awful. Her voice sounded different and as always, when Lindsey produces something of hers, he has a tendency to drowned her out with too much production.

EJ said...

I was surprised at all the negativity towards the video on other sites and Facebook. I think it's perfect and the fact that she's singing to an empty theatre really goes with the lyrics.

Stevie is never this vulnerable in a video. Five minutes of just her standing there singing? I was shocked since her videos usually have a ton of distractions, especially the IYD videos.

Anyway, I absolutely love this track and think the video is one of her best yet. The setting is haunting, yet beautiful, and she looks amazing. Have to say that top she's wearing is super cool ;-)

Anonymous said...

Everybody keeps saying how wonderful it is that Stevie is "just standing there singing". She's not singing. She's posing. I tried to be gracious in my previous comment that not very many singers are very good at lip sync. Stevie herself has said in many interviews over the years that she doesn't like making "videos" and is not a model or an actress. Unfortunately this piece of film only serves to heighten those weaknesses. As I said before, the CONCEPT of this video is brilliant, but the execution of it is disappointing. The lighting is harsh and unflattering, and the editing shows zero attempt at continuity, which should have been rule number one for something attempting to simulate a live performance. If Stevie had just stood there and actually SUNG the song all alone on that stage (not lip sync emotionlessly) then right now I'd probably be typing that this is the greatest performance Stevie has ever done in the genre of video production. This video sadly missed a huge opportunity to portray Stevie as the legendary live performer chanteuse that we all know she is and have all witnessed in concert since 1975.

Anonymous said...

I think that Stevie did her best solo work with Jimmy Iovine or Sheryl Crow producing her. Just one opinion.

Anonymous said...

I'm just really happy that I was actually able to just ultimately skip over the above comments about the "harsh lighting" among other things about Stevie's new video! I didn't even need to read any further! I'm sure it's the same big fan who so politely trashed Stevie's voice and the production on the new album since the clips started coming...

Dave M. from Honolulu said...

Hey there Anonymous 7 September 2014 23:59:

I'm the fan who criticized the "harsh lighting". It is your loss that you didn't understand the context of my commentary or even take the time to read or comprehend it in it's entirety. I'm not a troll, a closet Stevie hater, or one of those banned creatures with wings from Oz. I would never trash Stevie's voice at any point of her career. Stevie has always given 100 percent at every moment at whatever level she was capable of at whatever point of her life she was at. I have dozens of 1983 and 1986 live concerts on audio cassette where Stevie could barely talk, let along sing, and I treasure every one of them. Stevie could recite the phone book with laryngitis and I would listen with fascination. I also am not the person who criticized the production on the new album. On the contrary, it is PERFECT. LESS IS MORE. This album is clearly true to the spirit of Stevie's demo recordings. I think "Lady" is a brilliant audio recording; among her best ever. If you took the time to read my comments you would know that I was differentiating between the appeal of an actual live performance and that of a "lip sync acting" performance. This video is the later. My point was that it would have served Stevie better to actually sing that song live on that stage in that rented theater. Because she did not sing it live the editors had to piece together many different takes and it lost the visual essence and emotion of a live performance. I suggest you take the time to read the comments in their entirety, string together which ones pertain to which ones, and not simply fast forward after reading one sentence you don't like and then reply with a negative slam, as you openly admitted to doing in your reply. Additionally, so that I am not mistakenly quoted by you or anyone else in the future, I will now sign my name on everything I submit to this website. Then you can properly reference my contributions and understand my comments as they are intended. I have frequently begged users of this website to end the bashing, trashing, and hating in previous comments I have submitted. If I write that I don't care for something Stevie does, it is because I am a lifetime fan who feels he has earned his right to express a legitimate constructive suggestion. In this case: "Stevie, why didn't you just sing it live for the video?"

John Seger said...

Um, in music videos, artists lip sync 99% of the time. Remember Mtv? Dumb. Some people just live to complain. Be thankful she hasn't retired yet.

Dave M. from Honolulu said...

John,
My comments in this thread contained a couple dozen compliments spanning Stevie's entire career and one piece of constructive criticism concerning one particular video, which was "it would have been wonderful if she has sung live in that empty theater". I don't think that adds up to somebody who "just lives to complain". And I'm not dumb. Nor was my commentary. Show some respect next time before typing a one sentence reply to a long heartfelt essay.

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