The Meaning Behind The Lyrics Of ‘Stand Back’ By Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks for American Horror Story - disseminationmachine / Youtube
Stevie Nicks’ marriage to Kim Anderson may not be a keeper, but she sure had a lightning bulb moment on their way to honeymoon, as it was the first time she conceived the idea of her hit, “Stand Back.”
It all started when Prince’s 1982 song “Little Red Corvette” came on the radio, and Nicks felt inclined to buy a tape recorder quick to note her idea for a new song. Back in 2018, the singer-songwriter explained: “All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I’m singing along, going, ‘Stand Back.” “I’m like, ‘Kim, pull over! We need to buy a tape recorder because I need to record this.’ And so, we careen off the freeway to find a radio, record shop or something, and we go in and we buy a little tape recorder.”
Nicks used Prince’s instrumental melody on the song as she began to fill up “the holes” on the latter’s recording. “What I’m singing along is very, very different from what he’s singing,” she added.
Another fun moment worth noting for this one was Prince’s agreement to provide synthesizers for the song, which was mystifying and phenomenal. On the recording, Nicks took a shot and called the “Purple Rain” singer; he came over that same night, played the synths, and just left. “[He] disappeared like a dream,” Nicks said. Prince also negotiated the songwriting royalties to be 50-50, but he was left uncredited for the song.
“Stand Back” reached no. 2 on the Top Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. This also remains one of Stevie Nicks’ favorite songs on stage.
Lyrics:
Just an invitation would have been just fine
Said no to him again and again
First, he took my heart, then he ran
No one knows how I feel
What I say, unless you read between my lines
One man walked away from me
First he took my hand
Take me home
Stand back, stand back
In the middle of my room, I did not hear from you
It’s alright, it’s alright
To be standing in a line (Standing in a line)
To be standing in a line
I would cry
La la la la la la la la la
La la
La la la la la
Do not turn away my friend
Like a willow, I can bend
No man calls my name
No man came
So, I walked on down, away from you
Maybe your attention was more than you could do
One man did not call
He asked me for my love, and that was all
In the middle of my room, I did not hear from you
It’s alright, it’s alright
To be standing in a line (Standing in a line)
To be standing in a line
I would cry
La la la la la la la la la
La la
La la la la la la la
Doo-doo, doo-doo
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la
La la la la la, wo-ah
So, I walked, walked down the line, away from you
Maybe your attention was more than I could do
One man did not call
Well, he asked me for my love, that was all
Stand back, stand back
In the middle of my room, I did not hear from you
It’s alright, it’s alright
To be standing in a line (Standing in a line)
To be standing in a line
I would cry
Well, I need a little sympathy (Cry)
Well, I need a little sympathy
Well, you could be standing in (Stand back)
Well, you could be standing in (Stand back)
Well, you could be standing in (Stand back)
Take me home
Take me home (Stand back)
Won’t you take me home?
Well, I need a little sympathy (Stand back)
Well, you could be standing in (Stand back)
Why don’t you take me home?
Why don’t you take me home? (Stand back)
Take me home (Alright)
Take me home (Alright)
