40 years after writing her Bella Donna solo classic, “Edge Of Seventeen,” Stevie Nicks has finally heard the sound of a white wing dove singing. Nicks, who wrote the song after hearing Tom Petty's first wife tell her that the couple had met at the “age of 17” — which due to her Southern accent sounded like, “edge of 17.”
Nicks posted a message and video to fans on her social media platforms giving the backstory to her singing dove:
In 1980 I was flying home from Phoenix, Arizona and I was handed a menu that said, “The white wing dove sings a song that sounds like she’s singing ooh, ooh, ooh. She makes her home here in the great Saguaro cactus that provides shelter and protection for her…” As you well know, I was very taken with that whole picture and went on to write “Edge Of Seventeen.” But over the last 40 years I can honestly say, I have never heard a dove sing — until now. Several days ago, outside my room, I started to hear the sound of a bird singing the same thing over and over. One little Ahhh — and then three OOH’s — over and over again. I thought it was an owl, but a friend said, “No, that’s a dove!” I started to cry. This dove had come here to watch over me.
So we filmed her singing her song and I am sending her out to you. With love, Stevie Nicks
p.s. She has been here for days. I think she’s here for good.
Stevie Nicks explained how the songwriting process works for her: “It just starts with a little inspiration. Something will happen to me; whether it's something that happens me, whether it's a man walks by me and just smiles at me in a certain way. . . And then I'm off, then. Y'know, it's like then my poem has begun. And if the poem gets finished, if it's laying around the house and the poem gets finished and I think it's good, then I'll go sit at the piano and I'll make it into a song.”