Song Lyrics Explained

Blog author: Shane Lambert (Stevie Nicks; Creative Commons by Matt Becker) "Landslide," as performed by Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac, isn't the easiest song to figure out. However, as a starting point, I wanted to figure out what the title referred to: what is a landslide a metaphor for? To figure that out we can start with the literal: a landslide is a geological event where high-ground Earth tumbles down a cliff or slope. It's an event that is sudden: the Earth can be stable in one second and then a split second later it comes crashing downward. This sudden, surprising, and clear change is what I'll focus on in making my point about the Fleetwood Mac song. A clear theme in "Landslide" is aging. How a landslide, as a metaphor relates to aging is something that I think anyone, let's say, 35 years or older will relate to. If you've ever looked in the mirror and had a terrible moment where you felt like you looked older than you did the la...

Blog author: Shane Lambert This isn't a difficult song, especially if you watch the music video. The setting is clearly a hospital and the circle of life is described. However, I'm going to argue that the song is deep in theism and religion with references to reincarnation . Taking a look at the first stanza: Lightning crashes and a new mother cries Her placenta falls to the floor The angel opens her eyes The confusion sets in Before the doctor can even close the door In this stanza, childbirth and its pains are described. Metaphors used in the stanza include "angel" for the newborn child and a feeling of "confusion" as life itself. Lightning crashes and an old mother dies Her intentions fall to the floor The angel closes her eyes The confusion that was hers Belongs now to the baby down the hall The paralleling lyrics between the first stanza and the second one are clear enough, but they describe contrasting situations. In the f...