Why is Stevie Nicks’ song called “Edge Of Seventeen”?

She continued: “My cousin John Nicks and I were in the room when he died. It was just me and John there. That was part of the song when I was running around the halls looking for someone – I thought, where is my mom? Where is his wife and the rest of the family? understanding the text: “Suddenly no one was standing in the corridor.”

But another part of the song captures a more collective sadness. The song, written in December 1980, was partly inspired by the murder of John Lennon, a death that shocked Nicks and the wider music community. “It was a very scary and sad moment for all of us in the rock and roll business, it scared us to death that some idiot could be so deranged that he would wait outside your apartment building without ever knowing you and shoot you dead,” Nicks said . For her, the “white-winged dove” represents him, stating, “The white dove was John Lennon and peace.”

While the song pays tribute to these two men, who died within weeks of each other, its meaning remains somewhat ambiguous, allowing listeners to forge their own connection to the song for decades. Much of this open interpretation comes down to the song’s title, as the lyrics “on the brink of seventeen” introduce a new contemplation of youth, age, rebellion and innocence.

Only she could answer questions about why that line was there and why Nicks decided to title the song after it. But the answer to the question of where this name came from is well known.

Who came up with the title “Edge of Seventeen”?

Technically speaking, the answer to the question of who titled “Edge of seventeen‘ is Stevie Nicks, but this phrase was created as a result of a misunderstanding. One day, while meeting with Tom Petty’s wife, Jane, Nicks misheard her. While telling the Fleetwood Mac singer the story of how the couple met, Jane stated that it happened “at the age of seventeen”. Nicks, however, misheard the word as “on the verge of seventeen”, surprised by the poetry and power of such a simple phrase.

In a 1981 interview with Los Angeles disc jockey Robert W. Morgan, Nicks told Jane, “It’s gotta be ‘edgy.’ “The Edge of Seventeen” is perfect. I’m going to write a song.” The song was originally intended to be about the Petty couple and their love story, but after being hit by grief following the deaths of her uncle and John Lennon, the song found a new focus but kept the title.

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