"Stand Back" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Stevie Nicks from her second solo
studio album ''
The Wild Heart'' (1983). The song was released as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from the album in May 1983 and reached number five on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the
Top Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in August of that year. "Stand Back" has been a staple in Nicks' live shows since its pre-album debut at the 1983
US Festival
The US Festival (''US'' pronounced like the pronoun, not as initials) was the name of two early 1980s music and culture festivals in southern California, held east of Los Angeles, near San Bernardino.
Background
Steve Wozniak, cofound ...
, and it has also been included in the
Fleetwood Mac tour set lists since 1987.
In the United Kingdom, the single was Nicks' first 12" release, featuring a different glossy picture sleeve and the inclusion of a third track, "Wild Heart". A 12" promotional single was also released to United States radio stations in 1983, featuring a full-colour sleeve, but playing the standard album version (in mono and stereo) on both sides.
Background and composition
Nicks has often told the story of how she wrote "Stand Back". She wrote it on the day of her marriage to Kim Anderson on January 29, 1983. The newlyweds were driving up to
San Ysidro Ranch in
Santa Barbara when
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
's song "
Little Red Corvette
"Little Red Corvette" is a song by American recording artist Prince. The song combines a Linn LM-1 beat and slow synth buildup with a rock chorus, over which Prince, using several automobile metaphors, recalls a one-night stand with a beautiful ...
" came on the radio. Nicks started humming along to the melody, especially inspired by the lush synthesizers on the song, and "Stand Back" was born. The couple stopped and got a tape recorder and Nicks recorded the demo in the honeymoon suite that night. Later, when Nicks went into the studio to record the song, she called Prince and told him the story of how she wrote the song to his melody. On the night of February 8, 1983, Prince came to the studio
and played synthesizers on it, although his contribution is uncredited on the album. He and Nicks did agree however to split the publishing royalties on the song 50-50. Then, she says, "he just got up and left as if the whole thing happened in a dream."
Synth player Dave Bluefield (who also programmed the song's rhythm on a drum machine) revealed that while he played the main chords on the song (using an
Oberheim OB-Xa
The Oberheim OB-Xa was the second of Oberheim's OB-series polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizers, replacing the OB-X with updated features.
History
The OB-Xa was released in December 1980, replacing the OB-X after only a year on the mark ...
synthesizer), Prince did the "8th note up beats" in the upper octaves during the choruses (first heard at the 0:54 mark - supposedly played with just two fingers). It's possible that Prince played other synth parts that didn't make the final mix.
[
There were two mixes made of the song: the generally more well-known album version (4:48) and the edited single version (4:18). Differences between the two are somewhat subtle, but the single version tends to have more of a "collapsed" or "mono" sound to it and the electronic drum programs are mixed rather dry and flattened, especially in the song's intro bars; whereas the drum tracks on the album version are accentuated by a generous amount of reverb effect and harder compression. Acoustic drums were given a more backseat role on "Stand Back". There is a further "polished" version of the track, with crisper percussion and louder foreground synth, featured on Nicks' 1991 compilation album '' Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks'', remixed by ]Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is an American mix engineer. He is the brother of both Tom Lord-Alge and Jeff Lord-Alge, both of whom are also audio engineers. Chris and Tom are known for their abundant use of dynamic compression for molding mixes that play wel ...
with a run time of 4:59.
“Stand Back” is performed in the key of B minor
B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major.
The B natural minor scale is:
:
Changes need ...
with a tempo
In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
of 116 beats per minute in common time
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...
. The song follows a chord progression of A/G – G – D/A – A – D/A – G/B – Bm – A/B – B/D – G, and Nicks’ vocals span from A3 to B4.
Reception
'' Cash Box'' said it represents "both familiar and challenging listening," combining Nicks' traditional "vamp posture" with dance music.
Music video
Two music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
s were filmed for the single. The first, which was never aired and is referred to as the "Scarlett Version", was a lavish production directed by Brian Grant and features Nicks in a ''Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind most often refers to:
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel
Gone with the Wind may also refer to:
Music
* ''Gone with the Wind'' ...
'' type scenario. Upon seeing the completed video, Nicks rejected it as, according to Grant, she felt she looked fat. This version can now be found (with Nicks' commentary) on the DVD supplement of her 2007 collection ''Crystal Visions – The Very Best of Stevie Nicks
''Crystal Visions... The Very Best of Stevie Nicks'' is a compilation album released by the American singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks. It features songs from her solo career, as well as her career with Fleetwood Mac. It ...
''.
As an alternative, a second video was made on a much lower budget than the original. Directed by choreographer Jeffrey Hornaday
Jeffrey Hornaday is an American choreographer and film director. He has choreographed films such as ''Flashdance'', ''Dick Tracy'', ''Captain Eo'' and ''A Chorus Line'' .
Hornaday was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for his di ...
, it features Nicks performing the song behind a microphone in a spotlight-filled room surrounded by glass walls and mirrors, interspersed with shots of choreographed dance sequences. This was the version aired on television and was also included on Nicks' 1986 video compilation ''I Can't Wait - The Video Collection'' as well as the aforementioned ''Crystal Visions'' compilation DVD.
Live performances
Nicks performed the song as the musical guest on the December 10, 1983 ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' episode, with Liberty DeVitto
Liberatori "Liberty" DeVitto (born August 8, 1950) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his work as a drummer for New York singer-songwriter Billy Joel's recording and touring band. He has also been a session drummer on recordings ...
of Billy Joel fame on drums and Marilyn Martin
Marilyn Martin (born May 4, 1954) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 1985 hit duet with Phil Collins, "Separate Lives", her only number one.
Early life
Marilyn Martin was born on May 4, 1954, in Tennessee but raise ...
singing backup.
One live performance of the song in Nicks' solo shows is captured in the 2009 CD release '' The Soundstage Sessions'', where Nicks chose the track as the opening number to her show, rather than placing it towards the climactic end of the setlist as per previous tours.
Performances with Fleetwood Mac
Nicks began performing "Stand Back" with Fleetwood Mac on the band's 1987 tour. It is included on the Fleetwood Mac live concert video ''Tango in the Night'' (recorded in December 1987) and a (slightly extended) audio version from the same show is included in the 4-disc boxed set '' 25 Years – The Chain''. Since then, the song has been performed on every Fleetwood Mac tour (with the exception of the On with the Show Tour) Nicks has been a part of, including the ''Behind the Mask'' tour in 1990, ''The Dance'' reunion tour in 1997, the ''Say You Will'' tour in 2003 (it is featured in the 2004 CD/DVD set '' Fleetwood Mac: Live in Boston''), the 2009 ''Unleashed Tour'', as well as the band's 2013 world tour.
Legacy
Sky Ferreira
Sky Tonia Ferreira (born July 8, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, model, and actress. As a teenager, Ferreira began uploading videos on Myspace of herself singing songs she had written, which led to her discovery by producers Bloods ...
and Rod Stewart have performed cover versions of the song. Additionally, the song was sampled in the song "No Way to Hide" by German techno band Scooter, which was featured on their 2012 album "Music for a Big Night Out".
Credits and personnel
* Stevie Nicks – vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
*Jimmy Iovine
James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces ...
– producer
* David Williams – guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
* Sandy Stewart – synthesizer
*Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
- synthesizer
*Bobbye Hall
Bobbye Jean Hall is an American percussionist who has recorded with a variety of rock, soul, blues and jazz artists, and has appeared on 20 songs that reached the top ten in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Early career, work for Motown and move to ...
– percussion
*Waddy Wachtel
Robert "Waddy" Wachtel (born May 24, 1947) is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Kim Carnes, Randy ...
– guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
* Ian Wallace – percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
*Russ Kunkel
Russell Kunkel (born September 27, 1948) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Dan F ...
– drum overdubs
Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...
* Steve Lukather – guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
*Marvin Caruso – drums
*David Bluefield – OB-Xa synthesizer and DMX drum machine programming
*Sharon Celani – background vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
*Lori Perry-Nicks – background vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
*Shelly Yakus
Sheldon Gershon "Shelly" Yakus (born November 1945) is an American music engineer and mixer. Formerly chief engineer and vice president of A&M Records, he was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Yakus is referenced ...
– engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...
*Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is an American mix engineer. He is the brother of both Tom Lord-Alge and Jeff Lord-Alge, both of whom are also audio engineers. Chris and Tom are known for their abundant use of dynamic compression for molding mixes that play wel ...
– mixer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Linus Loves version
In 2003, Scottish electronic music duo Linus Loves released a cover of "Stand Back" with vocals by Sam Obernik. This version reached No. 31 on the UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and No. 73 on the Australian ARIA Charts
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offic ...
.
''Crystal Visions'' version
The song was remixed and released again as a single on August 28, 2007 to promote Nicks' compilation album ''Crystal Visions – The Very Best of Stevie Nicks
''Crystal Visions... The Very Best of Stevie Nicks'' is a compilation album released by the American singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks. It features songs from her solo career, as well as her career with Fleetwood Mac. It ...
''. This time the single went to number two on the US Dance Club Songs chart and number-one on the Hot Dance Single Sales
In the issue dated March 16, 1985, ''Billboard'' magazine debuted its first chart devoted exclusively to 12-inch Singles Sales. The 50-position weekly ranking joined ''Billboard''s established Club Songs chart, reduced to the same 50 positions, ...
chart.
Charts
Year-end charts
Notes and references
*''Timespace – The Best of Stevie Nicks
''Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks'' is a compilation album featuring songs from the solo career of American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks. It was released on September 3, 1991. The album features many of her hit singles, along with thre ...
'', liner notes
*''Crystal Visions – The Very Best of Stevie Nicks
''Crystal Visions... The Very Best of Stevie Nicks'' is a compilation album released by the American singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks. It features songs from her solo career, as well as her career with Fleetwood Mac. It ...
, liner notes and commentary
{{Authority control
1983 songs
1983 singles
2003 singles
Stevie Nicks songs
Songs written by Stevie Nicks
Song recordings produced by Jimmy Iovine
Reprise Records singles
Modern Records (1980) singles