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Bella Donna


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“Bella Donna” is the first track on Bella Donna (1981), Stevie Nicks’ first solo album. It precedes “Kind of Woman” in the album track order.

About the Song

Bella Donna was my idea for the name of this album before I even wrote the song “Bella Donna.” I always loved the sound of the words bella donna and that’s really how I get my ideas for songs. You know, “Rhiannon” was a sound before it was a song to me.

When I came off the road with Fleetwood Mac last year after our year tour — the year-Tusk Tour — I really had decided that it was time for me to make some decisions and some changes in my life, one of them being that I wanted to make sure I could still exist alone without Fleetwood Mac and without the entourage and without everything that went along with being in a very big rock and roll band. After six or seven years of that, you don’t really know anymore until you actually try to do something alone.

So I saw some time coming up that I was going to be free enough to be able to actually pick out the songs and do it and I did it to prove to myself that I could still exist alone. And if you listen to the words to “Bella Donna” you will realize I am not writing about a beautiful woman — I’m writing about the possibility of any woman not being beautiful anymore and just turning into an old, used-up woman. And if you listen once again to the words and you hear me say, “No speed limit / This is the fast lane / That’s just the way that it is here,” that is the way that is it there. “And the woman becomes tired and the woman disappears / And you never thought that your face would become thin,” but it did and it scared me and I didn’t like it and I decided that I had to go out and do something alone without the rest of everybody that had surrounded me for a long time.

And “Bella Donna” is really the symbol of that and why when you turn over the album it says “come in out of the darkness.” It was telling myself to come in out of the darkness and also offering the same question to everybody else. And it was a decision whether or not to remain in the darkness or not.”

Lyrics

You can ride high atop your pony
I know you won’t fall
’cause the whole thing’s phony

You can fly swingin’ from your trapeze
Scaring all the people
But you never scare me

Ooh, my bella donna
And we fight for the northern star

No speed limit
This is the fast lane
It’s just the way that it is here
And you say
I never thought it could

Bella donna
And we fight for the northern star

And the lady’s feeling
Just like the moon that she loves
Don’t you know that the stars are
A part of us
Oh, and the lady’s feeling
Just like the moon that she loves

And you say
But I never thought it could

My bella donna
Come in out of the darkness

You are in love with
And I’m ready to sail
It’s just a feeling
Ooh, oh…

Sort of captures your soul
Bella donna

And the woman may be awestruck
And the woman may truly care
But the woman is so tired
Oh…
So the woman disappears

Oh, come in out of the darkness
Ooh, Bella donna, my soul

Don’t change
Baby, please don’t change
And you say
And your face becomes thin
And it you never thought it could

Ooh, come in out of the darkness
Oh, bella donna
Ooh, ooh…

You are in love with
And I’m ready to sail
It’s just a feeling

(Stevie Nicks) © 1980 Welsh Witch Music (BMI) admin. by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Reference

Nicks, S. (1981). Stevie Nicks Interview.  Denis McNamara, inteviewer, WLIR 92.7 FM .

BELLA DONNA | Kind of Woman >

LIVE IN CONCERT (2023-2024)

Billy Joel and Stevie NicksStevie Nicks

November 29, 2023
San Diego, CA
Viejas Arena

December 2, 2023
Inglewood, CA
The Kia Forum

December 5, 2023
Palm Desert, CA
Acisure Arena

December  8, 2023 – BILLY JOEL
Phoenix, AZ
Chase Field

December 12, 2023
Sacramento, CA
Golden 1 Center

December 15, 2023
San Francisco, CA
Chase Center

February 10, 2024
Atlantic City, NJ

Mark G Etess Arena
On Sale Friday, September 29. 2023

February 14, 2024
Belmont Park, NY

UBS Arena
On Sale Friday, September 29. 2023

February 21, 2024
Greenville, SC

Bon Secours Wellness Arena
On Sale Friday, September 29. 2023

February 24, 2024
Hollywood, FL

Hard Rock Live ^
On Sale Friday, September 29. 2023

February 28, 2024
New Orleans, LA

Smoothie King Center
On Sale Friday, September 29. 2023

March 3, 2024
Omaha, NE

CHI Health Center
On Sale Friday, September 29. 2023

March 6, 2024 – North Little Rock, AR
Simmons Bank Arena
On Sale Friday, September 29. 2023

March 9, 2024 – BILLY JOEL
Arlington, TX
AT&T Stadium

Two Icons One Night presented by Live Nation
^ Non-Live Nation show


Previous 2023 dates

March 10, 2023 – BILLY JOEL
Los Angeles, CA
SoFi Stadium

March 15, 2023
Seattle, WA
Climate Pledge Arena

March 18, 2023
Las Vegas, NV
T-Mobile Arena

May 12, 2023
Raleigh, NC
PNC Arena

May 16, 2023
Knoxville, TN
Thompson-Boling Arena

May 19, 2023 – BILLY JOEL
Nashville, TN
Nissan Stadium

May 22, 2023
Atlanta, GA
State Farm Arena

May 25, 2023
Orlando, FL
Amway Center

June 16, 2023 – BILLY JOEL
Philadelphia, PA
Lincoln Financial Field

June 20, 2023
Toronto, ON (Canada)
Scotiabank Arena

June 23, 2023
Chicago, IL
United Center

June 27, 2023
Louisville, KY
KFC Yum! Center

August 5, 2023 – BILLY JOEL
Columbus, OH
Ohio Stadium

August 8, 2023
Milwaukee, WI
Fiserv Forum

August 12, 2023
Houston, TX
Toyota Center

August 15, 2023
Austin, TX
Moody Center

August 19, 2023 – BILLY JOEL
Kansas City, MO
Arrowhead Stadium

September 23, 2023 – BILLY JOEL
Foxborough, MA
Gillette Stadium

September 27, 2023
Pittsburgh, PA
PPG Paints Arena

October 1, 2023
New York, NY
Madison Square Garden

October 4, 2023
Buffalo, NY
KeyBank Center

October 7, 2023 – BILLY JOEL
Baltimore, MD 
M&T Bank Stadium

October 28, 2023
Memphis, TN
FedEx Forum

November 1, 2023
Savannah, GA
Enmarket Arena

November 4, 2023
Allentown, PA
PPL Center

November 7, 2023
Detroit, MI
Little Caesars Arena

November 10, 2023 – BILLY JOEL
Minneapolis, MN
U.S. Bank Stadium



2022 Tour

Stevie Nicks

Jazz Aspen Snowmass
Snowmass, CO
Labor Day 2022

Ravinia Festival
Highland Park, IL
September 8, 2022
September 10, 2022

Pine Knob Music Theatre
Clarkston, MI
September 13, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

Sea Hear Now Festival
Asbury, NJ
September 17, 2022

Xfinity Center
Mansfield, MA
September 19, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

Maine Savings Amphitheatre
Bangor, ME
September 22, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

Sound on Sound Festival
Bridgeport, CT
September 24-25, 2022

Ohana Festival
Dana Point, CA
September 30, 2022

Hollywood Bowl
Los Angeles, CA
October 3, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

POSTPONED
Ak-Chin Pavilion

Phoenix, AZ
October 6, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

POSTPONED
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

The Woodlands, TX
October 9, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Alpharetta, GA
October 12, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

Ascend Amphitheater
Nashville, TN
October 16, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

Credit One Stadium
Charleston, SC
October 19, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

PNC Music Pavilion
Charlotte, NC
October 22, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Tampa, FL
October 25, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
West Palm Beach, FL
October 28, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

Orion Amphitheatre
Huntsville, AL
October 31, 2022

RESCHEDULED SHOWS

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
The Woodlands, TX
November 2, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton

Ak-Chin Pavilion
Phoenix, AZ
November 5, 2022
w/ Vanessa Carlton


For What It’s Worth (2022)

Edge of Midnight (2020)

Beautiful People Beautiful Problems (2017)

New Release

Stevie Nicks, Stand Back 1981-2017, compilation

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