| "Edge of Seventeen" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Stevie Nicks | ||||
| from the album Bella Donna | ||||
| B-side | Edge of Seventeen (live edit) | |||
| Released | February 15, 1982 | |||
| Format | Vinyl record 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:10 (Single edit) 5:28 (LP version) |
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| Label | Modern Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Stevie Nicks | |||
| Producer | Jimmy Iovine | |||
| Stevie Nicks singles chronology | ||||
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"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.[1] The song was also sampled by Drum and Bass musician High Contrast in the song "Days Go By."
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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.[2]
Although Nicks originally planned to use the title for a song about Tom and Jane Petty[3], the deaths of her uncle Bill 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 Bill, who was dying of cancer. She remained with her uncle and his family until his death.[4]
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[5] 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.[6]
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[7][8][9] and in books of famous misheard lyrics.[10]
"Edge of Seventeen" was released as a 7" vinyl single in a 'single edit' 4:10 version in most territories in the picture sleeve featured above, but some countries used very different cover images for the single, Japan and the UK being key examples. The b-side of the single featured an edited (5:50) live version of the track, as captured on the last night of Nicks' "White Wing Dove" tour in December 1981. Promo 7" vinyl singles were also issued in some territories, including the US, and featured the single edit version on each side.
A highly collectable 12" promo in a unique glossy picture sleeve was issued in the US and featured the full-length album version on the A side and the full-length 9-minute live version on the B side. Copies of this very rare item now change hands for over $150 USD on auction sites.
The song is featured in the movie School of Rock and in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. It is also the entrance theme of the professional wrestling tag team The Canadian Ninjas, as well as that of one of its members, Portia Perez.
The title of the film Edge of Seventeen is based on the song title.
The song is parodied in an episode of South Park, wherein it is erroneously played by Fleetwood Mac.
In an episode of American Dad (Flirting With Disaster) Roger sings it, while high on cocaine
On The Hold Steady's album Separation Sunday, the song "Stevie Nix" includes the lines "Lord, to be seventeen forever" in presumed reference to Stevie Nicks' song.
The song is a downloadable content for Rock Band 3.
The song was covered by Lindsay Lohan on her 2005 album A Little More Personal (Raw).
Waddy Wachtel's distinctive guitar riff was sampled and used in the Destiny's Child song "Bootylicious." Stevie also appears in the video for that song.
| Chart (1981-1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles [11] | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks | 4 |
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