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“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” is Track 3 on Bella Donna, Stevie Nicks’ first solo album. It is a duet with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. It follows “Kind of Woman” and precedes “Think About It” in the album track order.
About the Song
Stevie had provided harmony vocals on “Insider,” a track from Tom Petty’s 1981 album Hard Promises, which was produced by him and Jimmy Iovine. Jimmy, who’d also been working on Stevie’s debut Bella Donna around the same time, suggested that she record Tom’s “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” to improve the album’s chances of being successful. Jimmy felt the album didn’t have a strong single to help market it. Jimmy’s theory turned out to be true, as “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” raced to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, boosting Bella Donna to No. 1 on the album chart. The song remains Stevie’s highest charting solo single to date.
Lyrics
Baby, you’ll come knocking on my front door
Same old line you used to use before
I said, yeah, well, what am I supposed to do
I didn’t know what I was getting into
So you’ve had a little trouble in town
Now you’re keeping some demons down
Stop draggin’ my
Stop draggin’ my
Stop draggin’ my heart around
It’s hard to think about what you’ve wanted
It’s hard to think about what you’ve lost
This doesn’t have to be the big get even
This doesn’t have to be anything at all
I know you really want to tell me good-bye
I know you really want to be your own girl
Baby, you could never look me in the eye
Yeah, you buckle with the weight of the words
There’s people running ’round loose in the world
Ain’t got nothing better to do
Than make a meal of some bright eyed kid
You need someone looking after you
I know you really want to tell me goodbye
I know you really want to be your own girl
Baby, you could never look me in the eye
Yeah, you buckle with the weight of the words
Stop draggin’ my heart around
Stop draggin’ my heart around
Stop draggin’ my heart around
(Tom Petty/Michael Campbell) © 1981 Gone Gator Music (ASCAP)/Wild Gator Music (ASCAP)
Release
On July 8, 1981, Modern Records released “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” as the lead single from Bella Donna. Coupled with “Kind of Woman” in the U.S., the single become a big hit, peaking at No. 3 (for 6 weeks) on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. The song’s accompanying music video was among the first music videos that aired on the MTV network in the summer of 1981.
“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” remains Stevie’s highest Billboard-charting single as a solo artist.
| Billboard Chart | Peak |
| Pop Singles | 3 |
| Album Rock | 2 |
Reference
Whitburn, J. (1995). Rock tracks: album rock 1981-1995. Record Research, Inc.
