Something in my heart died last night
Just one more chip off an already broken heart

Modern Records released June 10, 1983
#5 on U.S. Billboard charts July, 1983
RIAA Certification:
Gold 9-12-1983
Platinum 9-12-1983
Double-Platinum 11-10-1993

There is a reason
Why even the angels
Don't give up at all

There are those who believe that Stevie Nicks peaked soon after the release of The Wild Heart. Certainly it would become the last of her multi-platinum albums and she would move from mega-superstar to acquired taste with a cult following. Still, there was something here that remained what was the essence of Stevie Nicks. It was the essence of belief in things that no one else could openly believe in. At least, that no one could openly profess belief in because outside of Stevie no one else could make it sound plausible. No one could feel these things without making a mockery of themselves. She could and we knew it. She could and she meant it.

I am dealing with a man
When away from me stays deep inside my heart
And he says if anyone falls in love
It will be one of us

Are you going to tell me that your pleasures are that certain? That you know each step you take will produce the results you so desperately desire? Is there no pain in your past, present or future that tears at the fabric of your existence?

There was a danger
And the danger was
To fall in love

As much as Bella Donna, Stevie Nicks' first solo album is introspective and self-destructive, The Wild Heart is a declaration of independence. In their own way, the first two Stevie Nicks albums are mirror images of themselves taken on a tour of the circus. They are far from the same. As photographs they would be negatives of each other and need to be developed as such when your ear tunes in.

Well it's now you know
It's everywhere
You say you seek the truth
I say all is fair
Don't send me an answer

There is this cold edge to even the sharpest blade. We all know it, even as we march down the center trying to show our best face to those who are willing to look on. Yet, there is always more, there is something towards the within that defies their expectations. There is someone who haunts us. Someone who becomes our unwanted or unexplained reflection. They are there, no matter how often we tell ourselves they are not.

There was a danger
And the danger was
To fall in love

Internal turmoil has always been Stevie's forte and she displayed it with defiance on The Wild Heart. It is an album that for many of the rock ingenues of the early 1980s remains Stevie's best album. Critically, it never stood up to Bella Donna or Rock A Little but it had its own place. It had a life of its own.

Why the sad face... oh darling...
Was it my darkness... shadow light
I mean to cause no trouble for you
That is the story of my life

For the seedy Stevie Nicks underground, her signature song is not Edge of Seventeen but Enchanted. Stevie at one end of the spectrum was indeed enchanted, rising from her own ashes to great success and star status. Is that all there is to a fire? Those who toil in the trenches rarely understand the inner turmoil of those who live in the spotlight.

My eye make-up is dark and its careless
Some circles around my eyes
Sometimes the real colour of my skin
Is my eyes without any shadow

Does anyone really know what another person truly feels? Or do we just read the brochure and figure we know the basics and that is enough. Everyone lives within their own realm of consciousness. We just delude ourselves into believing that we understand that consciousness.

No one knows how I feel
What I say unless you read between my lines

The Wild Heart featured a return of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with a follow up to their duet with Stevie from Bella Donna with a new duet, I Will Run to You which would only help to fuel rumors of a deeper involvement between Stevie and Tom Petty. The spotlight at times can deal a crushing blow to one's personal life.

You've had time... come around
Will you please make up your mind
I... stand accused... on trial
Will you please make up your mind

And there it was, the portend of future trauma, the words from this album that for my own weak self would trumpet the future to come. Nothing ever changes... or does it.

If it's me that's driving you to this madness
Then there's one thing I'd like to say
Take a look at your life and your lovers
Nothing ever changes

The words drip out of these songs and you are never sure if they wrap you in a warm blanket or stab you with all too sharp blades. It works, and on many levels, exceeds Bella Donna and yet there is no comparison. The Wild Heart is the first Stevie Nicks album you should listen to, for it is alive in ways you will eventually understand.

One fallen leaf
Like the feather that it was
Was... freedom by choice
Or baby... was it love
Was it a thorn in your side
Something that you hide
Something you don't touch
Because it hurts too much

This album is often considered Stevie Nicks Lite. However, you can never listen with only half of your ear tuned in to the speaker. The words, you must read between the lines, because you yourself live between the lines. Are you the beauty or are you the beast? And do you even know the difference?

You're not a stranger to me
And you are something to see
You don't even know how to please
You say a lot... but you're unaware of how to leave.


Track List:
Wild Heart
If Anyone Falls
Gate and Garden
Enchanted
Nightbird
Stand Back
I Will Run to You
Nothing Ever Changes
Sable on Blond
Beauty and the Beast


All lyrics copyright 1982, 1983 Welsh Witch Music
except "I Will Run To You" copyright 1983 Gone Gator Music

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