BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982
“Edge of Seventeen (Just Like the White Winged Dove)” is a song written and recorded by American singer Stevie Nicks, the third single from her successful 1981 solo debut album Bella Donna. Written by Nicks to express the grief resulting from the death of her uncle Jonathan and the murder of John Lennon during the same week of December 1980, the song features a distinctive, chugging 16th-note guitar riff, and a simple chord structure typical of Nicks’s songs.
Released as a single in early 1982, it just missed out on the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 making #11 and the live version on the B-side reached #26 on Billboard’s Top Tracks chart. The album track had previously made the Top 5 of Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart in 1981, peaking at number four. It is one of Nicks’ most enduring and recognizable songs, and has been covered by many artists. The distinctive riff was sampled by Destiny’s Child in their 2001 song “Bootylicious”, with Nicks in a cameo appearance in the music video, playing a guitar.
According to Nicks, the title came from a conversation she had with Tom Petty’s first wife, Jane, about the couple’s first meeting. Jane said they met “at the age of seventeen,” but her strong Southern accent made it sound like “edge of seventeen” to Nicks. The singer liked the sound of the phrase so much that she told Jane she would write a song for it and give her credit for the inspiration.
Although Nicks originally planned to use the title for a song about Tom and Jane Petty, the deaths of her uncle Jonathan and of John Lennon during the same week of December 1980 inspired a new song for which Nicks used the title. Nicks’ producer and friend Jimmy Iovine was a close friend of Lennon, and Nicks felt helpless to comfort him. Soon after, she flew home to Phoenix, Arizona, to be with her uncle Jonathan, who was dying of cancer. She remained with her uncle and his family until his death.
Throughout the song a distinctive 16th note guitar riff is played by Waddy Wachtel, progressing through C, D, and E-Minor chords. During the bridge, the chords alternate twice between E-Minor and C. Wachtel claimed that a track by The Police called “Bring on the Night” was the inspiration for the riff.
As is typical of Nicks’ songs, the lyrics are highly symbolic. Nicks has said that the white-winged dove represents the spirit leaving the body on death, and some of the verses capture her experience of the days leading up to her uncle Jonathan’s death.
Perhaps ironic for a song named for a mondegreen, the line “Just like a white-winged dove” is sometimes misheard as “Just like a one-winged dove” or “just like the world we know”, thus “Edge of Seventeen” has been cited frequently as a source of misheard lyrics since its release, and appears on a number of misheard lyrics web sites and in books of famous misheard lyrics.
This US 12″ promo contains previously un-released live versions of “Edge Of Seventeen” recorded at The Wilshire Theatre, Los Angeles, on December 13th 1981.
SIDE A:
Edge Of Seventeen (Extended Live Version) 8:07
SIDE B:
Edge Of Seventeen (Short Live Version) 5:57
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
CHARTS:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Edge Of Seventeen | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #11 |
| 1982 | Edge Of Seventeen (Live Version) | U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks | #4 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Modern Records – DMD 315
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock
Credits: Engineer – Shelly Yakus
Photography – Herbert Wheeler Worthington III
Producer – Jimmy Iovine
Written-By – S. Nicks*
NOTES:
Previously unreleased live version.
Recorded Live at The Wilshire Theatre, Los Angeles, on December 13th 1981
Promtional Copy Not For Sale
Find The 12″ On DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
