Deprecated: mysql_connect(): The mysql extension is deprecated and will be removed in the future: use mysqli or PDO instead in /home/penguin/mysql_connect.php on line 14
The Penguin Discography: Two Kinds Of Love




  - Advanced Search

    Song Title »
Two Kinds Of Love
    Authors »
Stevie Nicks, Rick/Richard Nowels, Rupert Hine

    Year Written »
1989

    Lyrics »

(Great temptation...)

Ooh and on you run...
You search for love...and you hate searching
You wait for love...and you hate waiting...
You say "I hate this!"
Well it's just another test...
'Cause there are two kinds of love
To do the thing that we do the best...
My masterpiece...

Who in the world do you think that you are fooling?
Well I've already done everything that you are doing
Well the two of us, well we must be...
A great temptation to have even started
Well don't you know, as you walk on by,
That great temptations never really die...

Well I talked to my famous friend last night
My third day up...well, his second nighter
He says, "I don't know how you do what you do...how do you let the world in?"
Well I say, "well there's no way out..."
Then I just play out the game
Well the two of us...Widow and a Dove

Who in the world do you think that you are fooling?
Well I've already done everything that you are doing
Well the two of us, well we must be...
A great temptation to have even started
Well don't you know, as you walk on by,
That great temptations never really die...

Ooh the two of us...
Estranged sometimes for their very survival
Outraged at each other...engaged to each other in their hearts...

But they live apart...

Two kinds of love...
One for the way you walk...
One for the way you love me...
(You're a great temptation...)

Two kinds of love...
One for the way you walk...
One for the way you love me...
(Two kinds of love...great temptation)

Two kinds of love...
One for the way you walk...
One for the way you love me...
(Two kinds of love...great temptation)

    Fan Interpretation »

Sometimes, in a relationship, it is hard to find a place where both people are happy and both are getting what they want and need from that relationship. Each person needs a particular kind of love; a special type that the relationship needs to be complete. That special love gives the relationship the life it needs and it is the driving force behind two people being together. This love differs from relationship to relationship; from person to person. Both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham have been exploring this concept in their songs from the early days up to the present. In 1973, this topic got them into Fleetwood Mac- in the form of one of their only true duets together, "Frozen Love." "And if you go forward (if you go forward) I'll meet you there/And if you climb up through the cold freezing air/Look down below you/Search out below/Cry out to life for a frozen love-" this refrain reflects the feeling of having to go in search of that special love-in this case, it is a "frozen love." In 1982, Stevie sang "I hope you find a love/Your own designs of love/That's alright" in "That's Alright" from Mirage.

She acknowledges that she might not have that special love for Lindsey, but she wants him to go find it. But he didn't-in 1987, he told the world that he was still "looking out for love/Big big love." But then Stevie shed new light onto their search in 1989-she realized that it was not one single kind of love, but rather, two separate loves, combined into an even greater one. What she and Lindsey needed, and what she and Don Henley had needed, and her and Jimmy Iovine, and what Lindsey and Carol Ann Harris had needed--indeed, what everyone who was in love needed-- was, in fact "two kinds of love." These two kinds of love combined into one pure, ultimate form of love-it became a single love, a love shared between them. "Two Kinds of Love" is a song that mirrors the complexity and the pain in the search.

Great temptation...

These words, almost whispered by Stevie in the beginning of the song, tell of the longing in her heart every time she sees a special man. It is easy to assume that that man is Lindsey Buckingham; after all, it was the two of them that had put so much effort into the finding of that "big love." These words introduce one of the major themes of this song. Stevie is tempted by many things about Lindsey-by the way he plays his guitar, by the way he sings, by the songs he writes, by the way his "great eyes" look at her, and certainly by his overall physical appearance. She felt that way from the very beginning. This sentiment is symbolic of the distress she feels now that they are apart; she feels sort of cheated, as if she has finally realized what they are missing, but he is not there to share it with her; after all, he had already walked out of Fleetwood Mac by this point.

Ooh and on you run
You search for love...and you hate searching
You wait for love... and you hate waiting...
You say "I hate this!"

Lindsey and Stevie have often seemed to have had discussions between them through their songs-that is, similar themes show up in their songs that seem as if they are having a conversation. In this instance, the conversation has been going on for ten years-in "Not That Funny," back in 1979, Lindsey commanded Stevie, "Don't make me wait!" Stevie responded in kind in "I Need To Know"-"You're making me wait." And then Stevie told him that "I Can't Wait" in 1985. Now she says that he is the one waiting, and she knows how much that bothers him. No one likes to wait around for something, especially when that something is the love of your life. A person just wants to get to the good parts. Stevie knows Lindsey is searching for a love, any love-but preferably the ultimate love of his life-the only one he will ever need.
As this song is a duet, sung with Bruce Hornsby, it can be assumed that his parts were perhaps intended to be Lindsey's side of the conversation-as that is what a duet is, in many ways-a musical conversation. In that case, then Stevie is the one searching-the one running. She is, however, more proactive about the situation than Lindsey is. Lindsey is just waiting for the love to come to him, Stevie is running around looking for it. However, whether Stevie is to be both the searcher and the waiter or only the searcher, one thing is certain: Both are unhappy in love, and neither is particularly satisfied. They are apart, separated from each other. And they hate it.
Well it's just another test...
Lindsey and Stevie's skills are being tested-their love for each other, their determination to stay together, their loyalty to one another. It's not the first test-in "Storms" from Tusk Stevie said that "This is only another test." Every problem that arises, every situation they must face, is one that tests their love and their relationship. Or maybe, the test could be for them to stay apart, because maybe they will be happier and more at peace that way. Can they survive without each other? This test puts strain on the relationship; it makes a person feel as if there is constant pressure and stress. And both felt the same way-in "Street of Dreams" from 1992, Lindsey asks his "daddy's stone," "Is this just a dream/Or is it just another test?" This constant pressure and stress was probably a factor in Lindsey's departure from Fleetwood Mac in 1987.
'Cause there are two kinds of love,
To do the thing that we do the best...
My masterpiece...
And so, for the first time, Stevie shares her realization with us-there are two kinds of love; two kinds essential to each and every relationship. Obviously, there are many kinds of love-the love Stevie had for her brother Christopher was not the same love she had for Lindsey. But she is saying that there are two kinds of love that must exist in every relationship-and especially in hers and Lindsey's. There are two different ways of loving someone, two different reasons to love that person. Those two different loves make it necessary for the two of them to love each other completely-and "to do the thing that we do the best." What is that, exactly? It could be just that- their relationship together. Or maybe she is talking about their relationship on stage- that special chemistry those two had together- that certain spark that ignites when their voices unite during a song. The words "My masterpiece" might be referring to how their best work came out of the pain of their relationship-"Dreams," "Silver Springs," "Go Your Own Way," "Tusk." But in the end, they are each the masterpiece-in the eyes of the other.
Who in the world do you think that you are fooling?
Well I've already done everything that you are doing
These first lines of the chorus are reminiscent of Lindsey's "What Makes You Think You're the One"-that same touch of sarcasm is present. Stevie is not impressed with his antics. Maybe she is telling him that she is not fooled by his leaving Fleetwood Mac-she knows he still loves her. And basically, she already did that-over five years before he did-when she decided to pursue a solo career-and that career was successful. At this point in the song, she is almost mocking him. She did, after all, call him "no great pretender," in 1979's "Angel." Also, it could be Lindsey's words to her-or their words to each other, as Stevie and Bruce sing this chorus together. Lindsey feels that he has, musically, tried everything before Stevie has. And he, too, is not impressed with her solo career-he knows that she still needs Fleetwood Mac to a certain extent, just as she knows that he still needs the band.
Well the two of us, well we must be...
A great temptation to have even started
Lindsey and Stevie are tempting each other-so much that they fell in love and lived together for six years. "To have even started." Stevie is implying that she probably had an idea that to "start" was not the best thing...but Lindsey was tempting her so much, and she loved him so much, and she wanted to be with him too much to be scared off by the possibility of future heartache. Again, in "Storms," she says "I should have known from the start/I'd be the broken-hearted..." But the love tempted her-she knew their relationship would be special and unlike any other, and that it would be the experience of a lifetime.
Well don't you know...as you walk on by
That great temptations never really die...
Now she wants to know if he is aware that there will always be something between them. She will always be tempting him-and he will always be tempting her, and that will be torture for her. The lines "as you walk on by" could be referring to Lindsey literally walking past her, brushing up against her in a hallway; or maybe it is referring to Lindsey's going on with his life and moving on. Also, it could be that she is reminding him as he walks out of Fleetwood Mac that "I'll follow you down 'till the sound of my voice will haunt you/You'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you." Stevie is still attracted to Lindsey, both physically and emotionally, and she is reminding him that they will always feel that way about the other.
Well I talked to my famous friend last night
My third day up...well his second nighter
He says, "I don't know how you do what you do-
How do you let the world in..."
Who is the famous friend? Stevie had quite a few. The implication is that it is someone who is also a musician-and probably someone who has worked with her, and who is in awe of her talent and emotional capacity. It could be Bruce Hornsby-after all, that is who this duet is sung with. Maybe it is Michael Campbell. Maybe it is Rupert Hine or Rick Nowels. However, the idea is that this is someone very famous-so famous that it is a little interesting that he says those words to her and is so impressed by her. In that light, it makes the most sense for the famous person to be Tom Petty. As Paul Fishkin said in Stevie's "Behind the Music," "Tom and Henley...they knew. They were with her and they saw it." Tom Petty recognized Stevie's talent and was a good friend of hers as well, as well as the fact that their duet together, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," was Stevie's biggest solo hit. They have both been up for quite some time-and both are probably exhausted. Tom comments on her ability to express herself so completely in her songs. When you share so much of yourself, then you are sacrificing something-privacy, secrets. Stevie embraced her fans and told the whole world what she was feeling and what was happening in her life through her music. She welcomed the world into her world.
I say, "Well there's no way out...then I just play out the game..."
After she started sharing her soul, it was hard for her to pull back and take that part of her back. She was caught-in a web of success, failure, love, pain, happiness, and devastation. And she is moving on-playing out "the game." What game? Playing this game-and winning it-has always been a major them in both Stevie's and Lindsey's music. They toss this theme at each other through their songs. Stevie wrote two songs in particular that deal almost entirely with this idea of winning-interestingly enough, both appear on the Buckingham Nicks album. "Long Distance Winner" hails Lindsey as the ultimate winner. In "Races are Run," Stevie admits that some people always have to lose. Is she one of those, or one of those people that "always have to win"? In "Never Going Back Again," Lindsey told her that "You don't know what it means to win." In "Fireflies" in 1979, she again called him the "long distance winner." In "Go Insane," from 1985, Lindsey said that there were "two kinds of people in this world-winners, losers." He calls himself a loser-"I lost my power in this world/Because I did not use it." In "Doing The Best That I Can (Escape from Berlin)", from the same album as "Two Kinds of Love," The Other Side of the Mirror, Stevie admits that "I didn't win or lose...I just threw the cards." And once again, in this song, we get the image of her just doing something enough to get by. She doesn't have her whole heart in the "game" anymore. Why? Probably because she is tired-wiped out. She was addicted to Klonopin by this point, and was starting to drag. She still loved her music, but her energy was considerably lesser than what it had been ten years before.
Well the two of us...Widow and Dove...
"Who is the beauty/Who the beast...There is no beauty without my beast..." We get the same idea here as in "Beauty and the Beast"-they are almost inseparable. Stevie can be assumed to be the Widow-after all, it is a feminine word. And yet she is at the same time associated with the image of the Dove-in songs such as "Edge of Seventeen" and "Nightbird." Maybe we finally get an answer here as to who is the nightbird and the "white-winged dove"-maybe it is Lindsey. Stevie is the widow because she is alone-truly alone. She was deeply affected by Lindsey leaving Fleetwood Mac; it caused her to think about him a lot and to probably try to analyze him a great deal. She feels almost as if he is dead-because "the memory is all that is left for you now." His leaving upset her and made her rethink her life a bit-she had depended on Fleetwood Mac very much and also, on Lindsey, as after they broke up, the only relationship she had with him by then was through Fleetwood Mac.
Who in the world do you think that you are fooling?
Well I've already done everything that you are doing
Well the two of us, well we must be...
A great temptation to have even started
Well don't you know, as you walk on by,
That great temptations never really die...
Stevie isn't fooled by Lindsey's other relationships. She knows that the relationships have not always been for the right reasons-and neither have all of hers. Stevie is coming to the realization that she must accept the "status quo" in terms of her relationship with Lindsey-at least for the time being. When he is done fooling the world, then it will be time for them to be together again. But she must stop fooling the world as well. She knows that sometimes, trying to be with anyone but him is somewhat of a futile search. She is trying to accept the fact that she will have to move on and that there may never be another solid, romantic relationship between them again. However, there is still a very potent attraction between them, and nothing will ever change that-even if they are worlds apart.
Ooh the two of us...
Estranged sometimes for their very survival
Outraged at each other...engaged to each other in their hearts...
Sometimes, in order to have peace, they must be apart from each other-"estranged." That estrangement is necessary for their peace of mind and well-being. They are fighting, but at the same time, they are connected through their souls-and will be for all time. Stevie steps outside the situation at this point-she is willing to "take on the situation but not the torment," at least from a musical point of view. She switches her pronoun from "us" to "they," which implies that she is on the outside, looking in. There is a pleading note to her voice in these lines, as if she would much rather not be "estranged" from him.
But they live apart...
Again, a line from "Beauty and the Beast" comes to mind here-"My darling lives in a world that is not mine..." Stevie lives in a world of chiffon, candles, velvet; it is, after all, her "velvet underground." As she says in "Street Angel" from 1994, "I try to bring you in...out of the cold." She tried to make her world and Lindsey's the same world, but they were too different. In a way, that separation made her love him all the more. The distance could be literal or figurative. After all, while they were still together, they lived in the same apartment, and even after they broke up, they still lived together, in a sense-at least while Fleetwood Mac was touring. But now the separation is complete-there is no logical reason for them to be together anymore. However, in a figurative sense, maybe they always lived apart-it was just an illusion that made them feel as if they were together. Maybe that is what Stevie meant when she asked him, "Did she make you cry/Make you break down/Shatter your illusions of love." Note the use of the phrase "illusions of love"-again, it is the idea of Lindsey's search for the perfect, ultimate love. Stevie wasn't willing to put up with the distance between them anymore. When she tried to close the gap, he said he wanted his freedom. And Stevie's response was simple-"Well who am I to keep you down?" And that could be the "game" referred to earlier-this game of trying to get closer, but not too close-"Love's like walking a real fine line, you get too close, you'll go blind..." Lindsey is running from her (after all, he is the "long distance winner") and Stevie is tired of chasing him. That distance between them, however, is necessary if they are to be together; and necessary for them to even be civil to each other.
Two kinds of love...
One for the way you walk...
One for the way you love me...
(You're a great temptation...)
And now, Stevie makes us finally understand what exactly those "two kinds of love" are-one is referring to the physical attraction between the two of them. She loves to just simply watch him and revel in that attraction. The other kind is because he loves her in a special way-as only he can. These two different kinds go hand in hand to make the relationship reach its ultimate potential. Because of the way he walks, and because of the way he loves her, he is a great temptation...and turning away from that temptation is killing her.
Two kinds of love...
One for the way you walk...
One for the way you love me...
(Two kinds of love...great temptation)
It can be said that in this verse, Stevie almost sums up everything she was trying to say throughout the entire song. Lindsey is a great temptation because of those two kinds of love...or maybe, those two kinds of love in themselves are the great temptation, and Stevie is even furthered tempted because she has found that with him. She is in awe of him. The "way you walk" could also be referring to how he was who he was...how he didn't let other people tell him what to do. Lindsey Buckingham is not a man that will be pushed around easily. And that impressed Stevie. She was impressed by his courage, by the way he walked out of Fleetwood Mac and, as in the almost eerily prophetic "The Second Time," he "could never look back..." But his walking out caused Stevie incredible pain-and that adds to the temptation, because after all, a temptation implies something we should stay away from, but we find it almost impossible to do that.
It is hard to tell if this song is entirely about Lindsey Buckingham. By this point in time, there had been so many men in Stevie's life, that her songs had multiple meanings and layers, and are probably about a multitude of people. However, due to the repetitious use of phrases of songs of hers and Lindsey's, it makes sense that this one is about Lindsey. Stevie was becoming more and more affected by the lifestyle she had chosen as time went on-and she more and more needed someone to take care of her and just to simply love her. There is a note of desperation in several lines of these songs-her voice sounds tinged with a sort of secret pain or hurt. That search-and that wait-for her "two kinds of love" were wearing her out. It had gotten to the point where she wanted Lindsey to realize what was happening to her, both physically (especially her addiction to tranquilizers) and emotionally. Letting the world in was exhausting her. She was tired of just playing out the game. Stevie was trying desperately to reach deep inside herself and pull out some more strength, but she needed someone there to help her through it. She wanted Lindsey to wake up-"who in the world do you think that you are fooling", but at the same time she knew it would take a while for that to happen. In the end, she knew that she had to find someone who would love her as she deserved to be loved-whether or not that man was Lindsey. Stevie knew that there was nothing for her to do but keep on searching, keep on waiting and keep on loving him in those two special ways, with her "two kinds of love."Sometimes, in a relationship, it is hard to find a place where both people are happy and both are getting what they want and need from that relationship. Each person needs a particular kind of love; a special type that the relationship needs to be complete. That special love gives the relationship the life it needs and it is the driving force behind two people being together. This love differs from relationship to relationship; from person to person. Both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham have been exploring this concept in their songs from the early days up to the present. In 1973, this topic got them into Fleetwood Mac- in the form of one of their only true duets together, "Frozen Love." "And if you go forward (if you go forward) I'll meet you there/And if you climb up through the cold freezing air/Look down below you/Search out below/Cry out to life for a frozen love-" this refrain reflects the feeling of having to go in search of that special love-in this case, it is a "frozen love." In 1982, Stevie sang "I hope you find a love/Your own designs of love/That's alright" in "That's Alright" from Mirage. She acknowledges that she might not have that special love for Lindsey, but she wants him to go find it. But he didn't-in 1987, he told the world that he was still "looking out for love/Big big love." But then Stevie shed new light onto their search in 1989-she realized that it was not one single kind of love, but rather, two separate loves, combined into an even greater one. What she and Lindsey needed, and what she and Don Henley had needed, and her and Jimmy Iovine, and what Lindsey and Carol Ann Harris had needed--indeed, what everyone who was in love needed-- was, in fact "two kinds of love." These two kinds of love combined into one pure, ultimate form of love-it became a single love, a love shared between them. "Two Kinds of Love" is a song that mirrors the complexity and the pain in the search.
Great temptation...
These words, almost whispered by Stevie in the beginning of the song, tell of the longing in her heart every time she sees a special man. It is easy to assume that that man is Lindsey Buckingham; after all, it was the two of them that had put so much effort into the finding of that "big love." These words introduce one of the major themes of this song. Stevie is tempted by many things about Lindsey-by the way he plays his guitar, by the way he sings, by the songs he writes, by the way his "great eyes" look at her, and certainly by his overall physical appearance. She felt that way from the very beginning. This sentiment is symbolic of the distress she feels now that they are apart; she feels sort of cheated, as if she has finally realized what they are missing, but he is not there to share it with her; after all, he had already walked out of Fleetwood Mac by this point.
Ooh and on you run
You search for love...and you hate searching
You wait for love... and you hate waiting...
You say "I hate this!"
Lindsey and Stevie have often seemed to have had discussions between them through their songs-that is, similar themes show up in their songs that seem as if they are having a conversation. In this instance, the conversation has been going on for ten years-in "Not That Funny," back in 1979, Lindsey commanded Stevie, "Don't make me wait!" Stevie responded in kind in "I Need To Know"-"You're making me wait." And then Stevie told him that "I Can't Wait" in 1985. Now she says that he is the one waiting, and she knows how much that bothers him. No one likes to wait around for something, especially when that something is the love of your life. A person just wants to get to the good parts. Stevie knows Lindsey is searching for a love, any love-but preferably the ultimate love of his life-the only one he will ever need.
As this song is a duet, sung with Bruce Hornsby, it can be assumed that his parts were perhaps intended to be Lindsey's side of the conversation-as that is what a duet is, in many ways-a musical conversation. In that case, then Stevie is the one searching-the one running. She is, however, more proactive about the situation than Lindsey is. Lindsey is just waiting for the love to come to him, Stevie is running around looking for it. However, whether Stevie is to be both the searcher and the waiter or only the searcher, one thing is certain: Both are unhappy in love, and neither is particularly satisfied. They are apart, separated from each other. And they hate it.
Well it's just another test...
Lindsey and Stevie's skills are being tested-their love for each other, their determination to stay together, their loyalty to one another. It's not the first test-in "Storms" from Tusk Stevie said that "This is only another test." Every problem that arises, every situation they must face, is one that tests their love and their relationship. Or maybe, the test could be for them to stay apart, because maybe they will be happier and more at peace that way. Can they survive without each other? This test puts strain on the relationship; it makes a person feel as if there is constant pressure and stress. And both felt the same way-in "Street of Dreams" from 1992, Lindsey asks his "daddy's stone," "Is this just a dream/Or is it just another test?" This constant pressure and stress was probably a factor in Lindsey's departure from Fleetwood Mac in 1987.
'Cause there are two kinds of love,
To do the thing that we do the best...
My masterpiece...
And so, for the first time, Stevie shares her realization with us-there are two kinds of love; two kinds essential to each and every relationship. Obviously, there are many kinds of love-the love Stevie had for her brother Christopher was not the same love she had for Lindsey. But she is saying that there are two kinds of love that must exist in every relationship-and especially in hers and Lindsey's. There are two different ways of loving someone, two different reasons to love that person. Those two different loves make it necessary for the two of them to love each other completely-and "to do the thing that we do the best." What is that, exactly? It could be just that- their relationship together. Or maybe she is talking about their relationship on stage- that special chemistry those two had together- that certain spark that ignites when their voices unite during a song. The words "My masterpiece" might be referring to how their best work came out of the pain of their relationship-"Dreams," "Silver Springs," "Go Your Own Way," "Tusk." But in the end, they are each the masterpiece-in the eyes of the other.
Who in the world do you think that you are fooling?
Well I've already done everything that you are doing
These first lines of the chorus are reminiscent of Lindsey's "What Makes You Think You're the One"-that same touch of sarcasm is present. Stevie is not impressed with his antics. Maybe she is telling him that she is not fooled by his leaving Fleetwood Mac-she knows he still loves her. And basically, she already did that-over five years before he did-when she decided to pursue a solo career-and that career was successful. At this point in the song, she is almost mocking him. She did, after all, call him "no great pretender," in 1979's "Angel." Also, it could be Lindsey's words to her-or their words to each other, as Stevie and Bruce sing this chorus together. Lindsey feels that he has, musically, tried everything before Stevie has. And he, too, is not impressed with her solo career-he knows that she still needs Fleetwood Mac to a certain extent, just as she knows that he still needs the band.
Well the two of us, well we must be...
A great temptation to have even started
Lindsey and Stevie are tempting each other-so much that they fell in love and lived together for six years. "To have even started." Stevie is implying that she probably had an idea that to "start" was not the best thing...but Lindsey was tempting her so much, and she loved him so much, and she wanted to be with him too much to be scared off by the possibility of future heartache. Again, in "Storms," she says "I should have known from the start/I'd be the broken-hearted..." But the love tempted her-she knew their relationship would be special and unlike any other, and that it would be the experience of a lifetime.
Well don't you know...as you walk on by
That great temptations never really die...
Now she wants to know if he is aware that there will always be something between them. She will always be tempting him-and he will always be tempting her, and that will be torture for her. The lines "as you walk on by" could be referring to Lindsey literally walking past her, brushing up against her in a hallway; or maybe it is referring to Lindsey's going on with his life and moving on. Also, it could be that she is reminding him as he walks out of Fleetwood Mac that "I'll follow you down 'till the sound of my voice will haunt you/You'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you." Stevie is still attracted to Lindsey, both physically and emotionally, and she is reminding him that they will always feel that way about the other.
Well I talked to my famous friend last night
My third day up...well his second nighter
He says, "I don't know how you do what you do-
How do you let the world in..."
Who is the famous friend? Stevie had quite a few. The implication is that it is someone who is also a musician-and probably someone who has worked with her, and who is in awe of her talent and emotional capacity. It could be Bruce Hornsby-after all, that is who this duet is sung with. Maybe it is Michael Campbell. Maybe it is Rupert Hine or Rick Nowels. However, the idea is that this is someone very famous-so famous that it is a little interesting that he says those words to her and is so impressed by her. In that light, it makes the most sense for the famous person to be Tom Petty. As Paul Fishkin said in Stevie's "Behind the Music," "Tom and Henley...they knew. They were with her and they saw it." Tom Petty recognized Stevie's talent and was a good friend of hers as well, as well as the fact that their duet together, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," was Stevie's biggest solo hit. They have both been up for quite some time-and both are probably exhausted. Tom comments on her ability to express herself so completely in her songs. When you share so much of yourself, then you are sacrificing something-privacy, secrets. Stevie embraced her fans and told the whole world what she was feeling and what was happening in her life through her music. She welcomed the world into her world.
I say, "Well there's no way out...then I just play out the game..."
After she started sharing her soul, it was hard for her to pull back and take that part of her back. She was caught-in a web of success, failure, love, pain, happiness, and devastation. And she is moving on-playing out "the game." What game? Playing this game-and winning it-has always been a major them in both Stevie's and Lindsey's music. They toss this theme at each other through their songs. Stevie wrote two songs in particular that deal almost entirely with this idea of winning-interestingly enough, both appear on the Buckingham Nicks album. "Long Distance Winner" hails Lindsey as the ultimate winner. In "Races are Run," Stevie admits that some people always have to lose. Is she one of those, or one of those people that "always have to win"? In "Never Going Back Again," Lindsey told her that "You don't know what it means to win." In "Fireflies" in 1979, she again called him the "long distance winner." In "Go Insane," from 1985, Lindsey said that there were "two kinds of people in this world-winners, losers." He calls himself a loser-"I lost my power in this world/Because I did not use it." In "Doing The Best That I Can (Escape from Berlin)", from the same album as "Two Kinds of Love," The Other Side of the Mirror, Stevie admits that "I didn't win or lose...I just threw the cards." And once again, in this song, we get the image of her just doing something enough to get by. She doesn't have her whole heart in the "game" anymore. Why? Probably because she is tired-wiped out. She was addicted to Klonopin by this point, and was starting to drag. She still loved her music, but her energy was considerably lesser than what it had been ten years before.
Well the two of us...Widow and Dove...
"Who is the beauty/Who the beast...There is no beauty without my beast..." We get the same idea here as in "Beauty and the Beast"-they are almost inseparable. Stevie can be assumed to be the Widow-after all, it is a feminine word. And yet she is at the same time associated with the image of the Dove-in songs such as "Edge of Seventeen" and "Nightbird." Maybe we finally get an answer here as to who is the nightbird and the "white-winged dove"-maybe it is Lindsey. Stevie is the widow because she is alone-truly alone. She was deeply affected by Lindsey leaving Fleetwood Mac; it caused her to think about him a lot and to probably try to analyze him a great deal. She feels almost as if he is dead-because "the memory is all that is left for you now." His leaving upset her and made her rethink her life a bit-she had depended on Fleetwood Mac very much and also, on Lindsey, as after they broke up, the only relationship she had with him by then was through Fleetwood Mac.
Who in the world do you think that you are fooling?
Well I've already done everything that you are doing
Well the two of us, well we must be...
A great temptation to have even started
Well don't you know, as you walk on by,
That great temptations never really die...
Stevie isn't fooled by Lindsey's other relationships. She knows that the relationships have not always been for the right reasons-and neither have all of hers. Stevie is coming to the realization that she must accept the "status quo" in terms of her relationship with Lindsey-at least for the time being. When he is done fooling the world, then it will be time for them to be together again. But she must stop fooling the world as well. She knows that sometimes, trying to be with anyone but him is somewhat of a futile search. She is trying to accept the fact that she will have to move on and that there may never be another solid, romantic relationship between them again. However, there is still a very potent attraction between them, and nothing will ever change that-even if they are worlds apart.
Ooh the two of us...
Estranged sometimes for their very survival
Outraged at each other...engaged to each other in their hearts...
Sometimes, in order to have peace, they must be apart from each other-"estranged." That estrangement is necessary for their peace of mind and well-being. They are fighting, but at the same time, they are connected through their souls-and will be for all time. Stevie steps outside the situation at this point-she is willing to "take on the situation but not the torment," at least from a musical point of view. She switches her pronoun from "us" to "they," which implies that she is on the outside, looking in. There is a pleading note to her voice in these lines, as if she would much rather not be "estranged" from him.
But they live apart...
Again, a line from "Beauty and the Beast" comes to mind here-"My darling lives in a world that is not mine..." Stevie lives in a world of chiffon, candles, velvet; it is, after all, her "velvet underground." As she says in "Street Angel" from 1994, "I try to bring you in...out of the cold." She tried to make her world and Lindsey's the same world, but they were too different. In a way, that separation made her love him all the more. The distance could be literal or figurative. After all, while they were still together, they lived in the same apartment, and even after they broke up, they still lived together, in a sense-at least while Fleetwood Mac was touring. But now the separation is complete-there is no logical reason for them to be together anymore. However, in a figurative sense, maybe they always lived apart-it was just an illusion that made them feel as if they were together. Maybe that is what Stevie meant when she asked him, "Did she make you cry/Make you break down/Shatter your illusions of love." Note the use of the phrase "illusions of love"-again, it is the idea of Lindsey's search for the perfect, ultimate love. Stevie wasn't willing to put up with the distance between them anymore. When she tried to close the gap, he said he wanted his freedom. And Stevie's response was simple-"Well who am I to keep you down?" And that could be the "game" referred to earlier-this game of trying to get closer, but not too close-"Love's like walking a real fine line, you get too close, you'll go blind..." Lindsey is running from her (after all, he is the "long distance winner") and Stevie is tired of chasing him. That distance between them, however, is necessary if they are to be together; and necessary for them to even be civil to each other.
Two kinds of love...
One for the way you walk...
One for the way you love me...
(You're a great temptation...)
And now, Stevie makes us finally understand what exactly those "two kinds of love" are-one is referring to the physical attraction between the two of them. She loves to just simply watch him and revel in that attraction. The other kind is because he loves her in a special way-as only he can. These two different kinds go hand in hand to make the relationship reach its ultimate potential. Because of the way he walks, and because of the way he loves her, he is a great temptation...and turning away from that temptation is killing her.
Two kinds of love...
One for the way you walk...
One for the way you love me...
(Two kinds of love...great temptation)
It can be said that in this verse, Stevie almost sums up everything she was trying to say throughout the entire song. Lindsey is a great temptation because of those two kinds of love...or maybe, those two kinds of love in themselves are the great temptation, and Stevie is even furthered tempted because she has found that with him. She is in awe of him. The "way you walk" could also be referring to how he was who he was...how he didn't let other people tell him what to do. Lindsey Buckingham is not a man that will be pushed around easily. And that impressed Stevie. She was impressed by his courage, by the way he walked out of Fleetwood Mac and, as in the almost eerily prophetic "The Second Time," he "could never look back..." But his walking out caused Stevie incredible pain-and that adds to the temptation, because after all, a temptation implies something we should stay away from, but we find it almost impossible to do that.
It is hard to tell if this song is entirely about Lindsey Buckingham. By this point in time, there had been so many men in Stevie's life, that her songs had multiple meanings and layers, and are probably about a multitude of people. However, due to the repetitious use of phrases of songs of hers and Lindsey's, it makes sense that this one is about Lindsey. Stevie was becoming more and more affected by the lifestyle she had chosen as time went on-and she more and more needed someone to take care of her and just to simply love her. There is a note of desperation in several lines of these songs-her voice sounds tinged with a sort of secret pain or hurt. That search-and that wait-for her "two kinds of love" were wearing her out. It had gotten to the point where she wanted Lindsey to realize what was happening to her, both physically (especially her addiction to tranquilizers) and emotionally. Letting the world in was exhausting her. She was tired of just playing out the game. Stevie was trying desperately to reach deep inside herself and pull out some more strength, but she needed someone there to help her through it. She wanted Lindsey to wake up-"who in the world do you think that you are fooling", but at the same time she knew it would take a while for that to happen. In the end, she knew that she had to find someone who would love her as she deserved to be loved-whether or not that man was Lindsey. Stevie knew that there was nothing for her to do but keep on searching, keep on waiting and keep on loving him in those two special ways, with her "two kinds of love."

(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 »
If you would like to submit tabs for this song, click here.

    Performances »
Performance #1:
Running Time 4:48
Performers Rupert Hine (Programmed Drums), Tony Levin (Bass), Jaime West-Oram (Guitars), Waddy (Robert) Wachtel (Acoustic Guitar), Rupert Hine (Keyboards), Kenny G(orelick) (Soprano Sax), Stevie Nicks (Vocals), Bruce Hornsby (Vocals), Rupert Hine (Percussion), Sharon Celani (Backing Vocals), Lori Perry-Nicks/Perry/Nicks (Backing Vocals), Rupert Hine (Produced By), Rupert Hine (Arranged By)
Appears On
Enchanted (1998)
Stevie Nicks
The Other Side Of The Mirror (1989)
Stevie Nicks
Performance #2:
Performers Stevie Nicks (Vocals)
CommentsRecorded live in Houston during the Other Side Of The Mirror Tour.
Appears On
Live In Houston (0000)
Stevie Nicks
Superstar Concert Series (0000)
Stevie Nicks
Performance #3:
Running Time 4:48
Performers Rupert Hine (Programmed Drums), Tony Levin (Bass), Jaime West-Oram (Guitars), Waddy (Robert) Wachtel (Acoustic Guitar), Rupert Hine (Keyboards), Kenny G(orelick) (Soprano Sax), Stevie Nicks (Vocals), Bruce Hornsby (Vocals), Rupert Hine (Percussion), Sharon Celani (Backing Vocals), Lori Perry-Nicks/Perry/Nicks (Backing Vocals), Rupert Hine (Produced By), Rupert Hine (Arranged By)
Appears On
Stevie Nicks: The Other Side Of The Mirror (0000)
Warner Brothers Publications Inc.
Two Kinds Of Love/Real Tears (0000)
Stevie Nicks
The Divine Stevie Nicks (0000)
Stevie Nicks

    Comments »

(C) 1989 Welsh Witch Music/BMI admin. by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Future Furniture Music All rights on behalf of Future Furniture Music controlled by Colgems-EMI Music Inc./Rupert Hine/SBK Blackwood Music Inc. All rights for Rupert Hine controlled and admin. by SBK Blackwood Music Inc.

    Reviews »
Add your review of Two Kinds Of Love here.

    Last Modified »
2010-09-24

    Discography Credits »
Interpretation prepared by Becky, Justine, Spirit, Anusha, Hillary, Tracy G., Barbara3 and Lauren. (March 3,1999).