This is a song that although Prince doesn't get a songwritng credit he should. Prince's double synthisizer line IS the song. The story I heard was that Stevie was a big Prince fan and wanted him to contribute to the solo album she was working on. Word was that Prince showed up at the studio in the wee hours of the night, did not say a word to Stevie or anyone, positioned himself alongside 2 syths that were set up, played the incredible synth lines you hear in the song, and walked out. Again without saying a word. Just that simple and just that genius. Whether or not that story is apocryphal ultimately does not matter - what does matter is that those synths that Prince plays on "Stand Back" are incredible. Nobody can do it like that guy. No one.

LinnLM1 said:

C'mon that sounds like a myth. Like he wouldn't communicate to Stevie about how the song was already structured for where he would play, or to the engineer who had to record him?

Cinnie said:

Yeah, right? Great story though. I'm sure his time in the studio was brief, but I'm sure he would have said SOMETHING.

Prince shares copyright with Stevie on the song. Stevie (who has always adored Prince) says that she told Prince that he should share songwriting credit and he said cool but didn't want it listed on the album. But he does get royalties from he song. I heard Ms. Nicks talking about what went down. She said that she loved the song Little Red Corvette and wanted something like that musically for Stand Back. This was before she met with Prince. She had met Prince back in 77, early 78 with other members of Fleetwood Mac when he was cutting his first album. Anyway, she was a fan of LRC and she knew that P was cutting in Sunset Sound. So she arranged for Prince to come in. She said that she played Prince a rough idea of the song. She said she then asked him "You hate it don't you?" And she said he was like "No, I don't hate it." He then played the keyboard parts that u hear on the song to see if that was what she wanted. She said that she flipped cut it was exactly what she wanted. So he then cut the parts in one take each and then bounced. She felt that the parts that P added were so prominent and help form the song, she insisted that he share copyright in the songwriting. It was rumored that Prince and Stevie dated sometime after that. Stevie also talked about how Prince picked her up and drove like a lunuatic back to his house. And then drove like a lunatic back so Stevie wouldn't be late for her show. I read about that in an interview she gave on a radio station. She was telling Prince to slow down because the police would take them in being dressed the way they were.

That's a good story! I didn't know he'd dated Stevie Nicks... I LOVE Stevie Nicks voice, love it, love it...

I Love Stevie...I heard that too, but I knew they weren't going to the altar.

blackguitaristz said:

As I recall they met at at party Warner Bros. threw when Prince was recording his debut. She was one of the few people Prince talked to at the party. I think it was said they talked about clothing and their lack of height.

blackguitaristz said:

Wow, that's quite a story. I love stuff like this.

I like this kind of stories between artist

zucris said:

i love stevie and Prince----

Jeffiner said:

Well, Stevie herself has hinted at it a few times.

She talks about the song on this page: http://www.inherownwords....ndback.htm

It includes: 'Standback' lives in it's own timespace. It never belonged to me, it has always belonged to the world - and to Prince, who inspired the entire song.
~Stevie Nicks, Timespace Tourbook, 1991

&: I got married the day I wrote this song. We were driving to Santa Barbara and a new song by Prince came on, so we pulled over somewhere and got the tape. It just gave me an incredible idea, so I spent many hours that night writing a song

&: I phoned Prince out of the blue, hummed a melody, and he listened," says Nicks of the latter hit's gestation. "I hung up, and he came over within the hour. He listened again, and I said, 'Do you hate it?' He said, 'No,' and walked over to the synthesizers that were set up, was absolutely brilliant for about twenty five minutes, and then left. He was so uncanny, so wild, he spoiled me for every band I've ever had because nobody can exactly re-create - not even with two piano players-what Prince did all by his little self.
~Stevie Nicks, Rock Lives, by Timothy White,1991

FlamingRaindrop said:

There it is...

I always thought Prince dug Stevie's Belladonna album cover from 81. The dove. Stevie's purple dress, Stevie's boots and the fabric the boots are made of...I would see that and the imagery in Prince's thing a little later.