After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album Buckingham Nicks to little success, Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975, helping the band to become one of the best-selling music acts of all time with over 120 million records sold worldwide. Rumours, the band's second album with Nicks, became one of the best-selling albums worldwide, being certified 20× platinum in the US.[2]
In 1981, while remaining a member of Fleetwood Mac, Nicks began her solo career, releasing the studio album Bella Donna, which topped the Billboard 200 and has reached multiplatinum status.[3] She has released eight studio solo albums and seven studio albums with Fleetwood Mac, selling a certified total of 65 million copies in the US alone.[2]
After the release of her first solo album, Rolling Stone named her the "Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll".[4] Nicks was named one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time[5] and one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time[6] by Rolling Stone. Her Fleetwood Mac songs "Landslide", "Rhiannon", and "Dreams", with the last being the band's only number one hit in the US, together with her solo hit "Edge of Seventeen", have all been included in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[7] She is the first woman to have been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: first as a member of Fleetwood Mac in 1998 and then as a solo artist in 2019.[8]
Nicks has garnered eight Grammy Award[9] nominations and two American Music Award nominations as a solo artist. She has won numerous awards with Fleetwood Mac, including a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978 for Rumours.
The albums Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, and Bella Donna have been included in the "Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums" chart by Billboard.[10] Furthermore, Rumours was rated the seventh-greatest album of all time in Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time",[11] as well as the fourth-greatest album by female acts.[12]
Outside the Rain
Stevie Nicks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the heart skips a beat
So you're lonely
Creature of the night
It's been almost a week
Can you love me only
Look at me, for a very long time
Love is a word - I've been trying to find
Words don't matter
They don't matter at all
Maybe it's only a dream
I don't want to feel that
Well it's one more link - in the chain
I don't believe that
So you're still lonely
You say that it's been forever
Maybe you never knew me
Maybe you thought that
I'd never change but
You know I'm changing
You're wrong
And it's been like dying
No love's that hard to find
And I'm tired of
I'm tired of trying
Outside the rain
And the heart skips a beat
So you're lonely
Look in my eyes
Touch my face
Baby, there's no one
That can take my place
Look in my eyes, touch my face
Baby there's no one that
Can ever replace that heartache
Take away that heartache
Love is a word that some entertain
If you find it
You have won the game
Somebody said
"Outside the rain"
The opening line of Stevie Nicks's song "Outside The Rain" creates a vivid image in the mind of the listener. The sound of rain falling outside can easily make your heart race, and that's what Nicks is trying to convey through her lyrics. She describes the feeling of being alone and how it intensifies when it's raining outside. She then addresses her lover's loneliness and questions whether he can only love her and no one else.
In the second verse, Nicks talks about how words don't matter when it comes to love. She admits to struggling to find the right words to express how she feels but ultimately realizes that finding the right words is not important. Nicks then dismisses the idea of her lover's loneliness being a dream and how it's just one more obstacle to overcome.
The chorus repeats the image of being outside in the rain, and the heart skipping a beat due to loneliness. In the final verse, Nicks assures her lover that no one can take her place and that love is something worth pursuing. She ends the song with the haunting line, "Outside the rain."
Line by Line Meaning
Outside the rain
The singer is emphasizing on the bad weather outside and using it as a representation of her bad situation.
And the heart skips a beat
The singer is indicating that her heart is longing and beating for someone she loves dearly.
So you're lonely
The singer is asking her lover who might be feeling lonely as well, to pay attention to her and take care of her.
Creature of the night
The singer is calling herself and perhaps her lover a creature of the night, which could signify that they are passionate and intense individuals who love the night and its mysteries.
It's been almost a week
The singer is highlighting that it has been too long since her lover last showed her some love and care.
Can you love me only
The singer is asking her lover if he can love only her despite her flaws and complexities.
Look at me, for a very long time
The singer is showing her affection and asking her lover to look into her eyes and observe the depth of her love over time.
Long enough to know
The singer is indicating that Long enough to know the person one cares about.
Love is a word - I've been trying to find
The singer is stating that she is in search of the meaning of love which is just a word that means different things to different people.
Words don't matter
The singer is highlighting that mere words and promises are not enough to prove one's love unless they show it through their actions.
They don't matter at all
The singer is emphasizing the importance of love and care in a relationship and how words are trivial in comparison.
Maybe it's only a dream
The singer is suggesting that perhaps her relationship and the love she feels could all be just a figment of her imagination or a dream.
I don't want to feel that
The singer is expressing her desire not to lose hope in her love or have doubts about it being real.
Well it's one more link - in the chain
The singer is acknowledging that this could be just another difficulty or hurdle in their relationship and they have to work towards a solution together.
I don't believe that
The singer is rejecting the notion that their love is just a dream and instead chooses to believe in its reality.
So you're still lonely
The singer is asking her lover if he is still feeling lonely because he had not expressed his love to her earlier.
You say that it's been forever
The singer is highlighting that it feels like an eternity since her lover has shown her any affection.
Maybe you never knew me
The singer is suggesting that perhaps her lover does not understand or appreciate her true self and hence, they have not been able to connect emotionally.
Maybe you thought that
The singer is indicating that she believes her lover could have misunderstood her actions or intentions and hence has not shown her any love.
I'd never change but
The singer is acknowledging that perhaps her lover believed that she would never change and hence did not see the need to show her any love.
You know I'm changing
The singer is assuring her lover that she is evolving and changing with time and he needs to pay attention to her changing needs as well.
You're wrong
The singer is reassuring her lover that he is mistaken to think that she would never change and that she is capable of surprising him in numerous ways.
And it's been like dying
The singer is indicating that the lack of love and affection from her lover feels like she is slowly losing hope and dying inside.
No love's that hard to find
The singer is emphasizing that genuine love and care are hard to find in this world and hence should be cherished when found.
And I'm tired of
The singer is expressing her exasperation at the situation where she feels that her lover does not love her back anymore.
I'm tired of trying
The singer is exhausted from constantly trying to make the relationship work and having no success.
Look in my eyes, touch my face
The singer is asking her lover to feel her emotions and love by looking at her eyes and touching her face.
Baby there's no one that
The singer is reassuring her lover that no one can replace the love and affection she has for him.
Can ever replace that heartache
The singer is indicating that no matter what happens, the pain of not being loved by her lover can never be replaced by anyone else.
Love is a word that some entertain
The singer is indicating that the notion of love is often romanticized and its true meaning is lost in translation.
If you find it
The singer is suggesting that if one discovers true love, they have found the ultimate form of bliss and contentment in life.
You have won the game
The singer is indicating that if someone finds true love, they have achieved the ultimate goal in life and have won the game of love.
Somebody said
The singer is perhaps recalling a conversation with someone else who had used the phrase 'Outside the rain' which prompted her to write this song.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: STEVIE NICKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind