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The Penguin Discography: Kind Of Woman




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    Song Title »
Kind Of Woman
    Authors »
Stevie Nicks, Ben(mont) (M.) Tench(, III)

    Year Written »
1975

    Lyrics »

Temptation falls in your path
No hesitation why you ask
You have another waiting at home
And yes she matters to you
Kind of woman that'll haunt you
Kind of woman that'll haunt you
She matters to you
Kind of woman that'll haunt you
She matters to you

You didn't mean to meet her you cry
Oh but the sun goes down every night
She came to you when you were alone
And yes she matters to you
Kind of woman that'll haunt you
Kind of woman that'll haunt you
She matters to you

I promised myself... a long time ago
It would be difficult to let you go
If not at least within
The touch of my fingers -
It was close to being
In heaven -
Kind of woman that'll haunt you
To being in heaven
Kind of woman that'll haunt you
Is to be... in heaven
Kind of woman that'll haunt you
I know I know

    Fan Interpretation »

"Kind of Woman," displays Stevie in a different light than many of her other songs.

Her voice is very strong and low.  It seems that she is singing this to herself and not for anyone else.  You can almost imagine her sitting in her bedroom, maybe by a window with her knees up to her chest, singing so low, that only she herself can hear it.

It's almost surprising that she put it on the album, Bella Donna, an album which exhibits several songs of Stevie's that showcase her independence.

"Kind of Woman," however, is a song that shows her unsure side, a vulnerable and unconfident side.

This song is about a lover and could be about any lover. It was suggested it was possibly about Mick Fleetwood, but in fact, it is about Lindsey Buckingham. Stevie pointed out on a "Rockline" interview that Don Everly needed help touring and he called them.  Only Lindsey could go.  Stevie had to stay home alone and work as Lindsey went on this tour. 

This tore Stevie apart-- she knew Lindsey was "darling" and realized some other woman could win him over, even if for a night or even forever. 

She was so paralyzed by these thoughts, that she wrote a song about it.  It is so rare of Stevie to show this unshielded side of herself and it makes this song just a bit more special than the rest.

Temptation falls in your path
No hesitation why you ask
You have another waiting at home
And yes she matters to you
Kind of woman that'll haunt you
She matters to you.

Temptation is what this song is about.  Stevie is afraid Lindsey will be confronted with someone he will not be able to say "no" to. "No hesitation why you ask," it's almost as if she is role playing-- she's inside his head and as he is with another woman and she can hear him saying--"why didn't I stop--why did I do this?" The line, "you have another waiting at home" is Stevie waiting at home for him.  She is the forgotten one but she knows she matters to him. 

"Kind of woman that'll haunt you" this is reminiscent of the song, "Silver Springs" -  "the sound of my voice will haunt you" - she is speaking of herself and she knows that for eternity there will be love between them and that no matter what, he will remember her, she will haunt him. She'll never let him forget.

You didn't mean to meet her you cry
Oh but the sun goes down every night
She came to you when you were alone
And yes she matters to you
Kind of woman that'll haunt you
She matters to you.

As she did before, Stevie is now role playing--imagining how Lindsey will confront her.  He will say that he was so alone the sun went down and it became night.  He fell with the temptation ... she says it falls on the path. Almost excusing it--like its ok-- since it's in his "path" of life. "Haunt" in this verse reflects the fact that this "other" woman he was with will forever haunt him. He cheated on his girlfriend and it can be forgiven but not forgotten.

I promised myself a long time ago
Know it would be difficult to let you go
If not at least within
The touch of my fingers
It's close to being in heaven.

One can envision Stevie in tears writing this, imagining this whole circumstance in her head.  In reality, she knows that maybe she and Lindsey were not meant forever.  Maybe in a very twisted way, this is what she wants, so it won't be her fault if the relationship does end.  She sees herself becoming more independent--being alone was so hard, but maybe not as hard as she first thought.  She can be insanely paranoid and even jealous, but the dark truth still hangs over her. She also refers to touch often.  She believes that there can be a lot interpreted through touching. "Look in my eyes touch my face" are the lines in "Outside the Rain".  To Stevie, touch is the one thing that can truly connect two people. When she does embrace Lindsey, there is love shown between them both, for that moment in time they are as close as they can be to heaven. If nothing else was important about this relationship-- they could link souls for periods of time and reach heaven.

Kind of woman that'll haunt you
Is to be...in Heaven
I know I know.

In summary, Stevie is telling Lindsey that women will haunt through his life, but she is his heaven.  She is no longer looking through tears. She is looking through truth that sometimes only tears can bring.  She loves him with all her heart.  If this were to occur, she knows that her love and his guilt will forever be a reminder to him.  She knows how important that relationship will always be to them.  She's prophetic, her words can tell the future. " I know, I know" she can look life straight in the face and see where she will be.  She knows herself that well.  She knows that they will not last forever and she also knows that this will be the most important relationship she will ever have. Temptation is on her part too, the temptation of freedom.

When Stevie and Lindsey lived together, she made it very public that she cleaned for him, worked for him, and cooked for him.  She states that as she did this, Lindsey would lie on the floor playing his guitar, his friends all around him.  This is something she almost seems bitter about.
She may have felt tired, overworked and frustrated, knowing full well she couldn't last much longer.  Lindsey went on tour without her leaving her time to think. 

She doesn't want him to meet anyone, she wants them to be together forever, but maybe if this were to happen, it was meant to be that way.

Kind of woman, she is a certain kind.  Lindsey's kind maybe.  Or maybe the kind you never forget.  She has her initials in his heart and forever they will stay.  No matter what happens.

Bella Donna was Stevie's first album and symbolized freedom and independence. She got to show the world her solo music.  She wanted to expose herself, reach out to her fans.  "Kind Of Woman" is a song showing that road to freedom. How she discovered that she would one day be free.

Making up a story in her head was the only way she could see that she would in fact need to be alone.  The kind of woman that will haunt all of us.

(The interpretations to these lyrics were compiled through discussions on the message boards of the Penguin, The Ledge. It is entirely possible that the artists had something completely different in mind.)

    Tabs »
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    Performances »
Performance #1:
Running Time 3:08
Performers Russ(ell) Kunkel (Drums), Davey Johnston(e) (Acoustic Guitar), Roy Bittan (Piano), Ben(mont) (M.) Tench(, III) (Organ), Bob Glaub (Bass), (Ms.) Bobbye Hall (Percussion), Waddy (Robert) Wachtel (Guitar), Sharon Celani (Ladies Vocals By), Stevie Nicks (Lead Vocals By), Jimmy Iovine (Produced By), Lori Perry-Nicks/Perry/Nicks (Ladies Vocals By)
Appears On
Enchanted (1998)
Stevie Nicks
Bella Donna (1981)
Stevie Nicks
Performance #2:
CommentsPiano demo
Appears On
Cathouse Blues (0000)
Stevie Nicks
Performance #3:
Performers Stevie Nicks (Vocals)
Comments(Demo)
Appears On
Last Of The Uncirculated Rumours (0000)
Stevie Nicks
Performance #4:
Running Time 3:08
Performers Russ(ell) Kunkel (Drums), Davey Johnston(e) (Acoustic Guitar), Roy Bittan (Piano), Ben(mont) (M.) Tench(, III) (Organ), Bob Glaub (Bass), (Ms.) Bobbye Hall (Percussion), Waddy (Robert) Wachtel (Guitar), Sharon Celani (Ladies Vocals By), Stevie Nicks (Lead Vocals By), Jimmy Iovine (Produced By), Lori Perry-Nicks/Perry/Nicks (Ladies Vocals By)
Appears On
Stevie Nicks: Bella Donna (0000)
Warner Brothers Publications Inc.
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around/Kind Of Woman (0000)
Stevie Nicks

    Comments »

Musical bridge written by Ben(mont) Tench. (C) 1975 Published by Welsh Witch Music/BMI

    Reviews »
Add your review of Kind Of Woman here.

    Last Modified »
2010-09-24

    Discography Credits »
Interpretation prepared by Janet Strayer, Rhiannon, Becky, Spirit, Miss Scarlett, Tracy G., Eliza and Ann.