“Soldier’s Angel” is Track 8 on In Your Dreams (2011), Stevie Nicks’ seventh solo album. It follows “Annabel Lee” (“My Heart” on the U.S. Barnes & Noble and international versions of In Your Dreams) and precedes “Everybody Loves You” in the running order.
About the Song
“Soldier’s Angel” is inspired by Stevie’s visits to the Bethesda Naval Hospital and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2005, Stevie started to visit the medical center, meeting with recovering military service members, bringing them iPods filled with music, and most importantly, listening to their personal stories. In 2006, Stevie founded the Stevie Nicks Soldier’s Angel Foundation in their honor, with proceeds benefiting their recovery efforts.
“This song is from a poem written after my second visit to Walter Reed and Bethesda hospitals. I printed the poem, all verses of it and started to give it out to the soldiers and their families every time I visited. I always told them that someday it would be a song. But I could never write a chorus — those few lines eluded me. When I was in London with Fleetwood Mac in November 2009, an extremely tragic incident in Iraq concerning seven English soliders caused a four-page journal entry where I pulled the four-line chorus. I asked Lindsey (Buckingham) to help me record it — which brought Buckingham/Nicks back to life on this, my most revered song.
“My experience spending time with our wounded warriors at Walter Reed Hospital over the years have taught me more about heroism and humanity than I can ever possibly say here. The honor has been all mine, and this song is for all of them and their families.”
Stevie has been a long-time supporter of U.S. military service members. In 1991, she wrote the song “Desert Angel” (from Timespace) for the U.S. men and women who served in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
Sunflower Painting from ‘A Lady in Ukraine’
In 2022, Stevie received a special birthday gift from a Ukrainian woman named Julia. She wrote the following letter about the gift, which she read at shows during the 2022 tour.
“The next song was written 14 years ago. Sadly, I always knew it would be called back into service at some point in my life. Sometimes it’s easier to say how you feel in music and in pictures. I’ll let the song and the video tell the rest of the story. The sunflower painting was a birthday present for me from a lady in Ukraine. Her name is Julia. This is for Julia. This is ‘Soldier’s Angel.’“
When Russian invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Stevie joined the humanitarian aid effort to assist the Ukrainian people, or UN Crisis Relief. Its website and QR code appeared at the end of the special “Soldier’s Angel” video, which played during “Soldier’s Angel” at the 2022 shows.
Lyrics
I am a soldier’s angel
Through the eyes of a soldier
Through the eyes of a soldier
I am a soldier’s mother
Through the eyes of an angel
I am a soldier myself
And no one walks away
From this battle
I’m a soldier myself
In the presence of angels
I am a soldier’s widow
In the background at night
I am a ghostly shadow
As I follow close behind them
I try to push them gently
Back into the light
I am a soldier’s angel
Four years later
In a war of words between worlds
Mmm
About what is wrong
About what is righteous
I am a soldier’s girl
I am a soldier’s memory
As I write down these words
I try to write their stories
And explain them to the world
I float through the halls of the hospitals
I am a soldier’s nurse
I keep the tears inside
And put them down in verse
I am a soldier’s angel
Four years later
In a war of words between worlds
Mmm
About what is wrong
About what is righteous
I am a soldier’s girl
I am a soldier’s girlfriend
As I look upon their faces
They make me remember my first love
And going out to dances
They make me remember Camelot
And being young
And taking chances
They make me fall in love again
They give me all the answers
I am a soldier’s angel
Four years later
In a war of words between worlds
Mmm
About what is wrong
About what is righteous
I am a soldier’s girl
I’m a soldier in their army
They are the soldiers of my heart
I try to make them smile again
Though it tears me apart
Their bravery leaves me spellbound
I try to be a small part
Of bringing them back again
They are the soldiers of my heart
I am a soldier’s angel
Four years later
In a war of words between worlds
Mmm
About what is wrong
About what is righteous
I am a soldier’s girl
I’m a soldier’s angel
Through the eyes of a soldier
Through the eyes of a soldier
I’m a soldier’s mother
Through the eyes of an angel
I’m a soldier myself
No one walks away from this…battle
(Stevie Nicks) © 2011 Welsh Witch Music (BMI) Admin. by Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI)
References
Nicks, S. (2011). Stevie Nicks: Soldier’s angel. People.
Stewart, D. & Nicks, S. (2013). Stevie Nicks: In your dreams [documentary film]. Weapons of Mass Entertainment.