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    Song Title »
Twisted
    Authors »
Stevie Nicks

    Year Written »
1996

    Lyrics »

You think you hear demons
I think we are the demons
In this place where the images are born
You remember your childhood
Oh, in firey sequences

The sun goes down
Filling the air with colors and winds
That lift you up to God

You fall to your knees
You embrace the storm
You no longer care
If it's cold or if it's warm
You live for the danger
Like your passion and your anger

You don't let go
You like to be twisted by the force
You like to be shaken by the wind
In this game you play with God
You've been warned to retreat

You take it to the limit
When the winds come up
Crazy men, crazy women
Crying out for love
You'd like to save her
But you just can't give it up

You'd rather be wrapped up
In the arms of a storm
Crazy men and crazy women
In the storm

And the sun goes down
Chasing down the demons
You think you hear demons
Chasing down the demons
Crying out for love

You'd rather be wrapped up
In the arms of the storm
Chasing down the demons

    Fan Interpretation »

Twisted is a song that can be looked at in two ways. It can be looked at as a song written for a motion picture to fit the mood and relationships of the main characters. It can also be looked at as another personal, heartfelt song written by Stevie Nicks about her relationship with Lindsey Buckingham. In all actuality, the relationship of Jo and Bill in Twister and the relationship of Stevie and Lindsey are very similar. Each couple truly felt for each other, but could no longer work together, which led to a hurtful break up. Each reunite in a way that leads to a fresh start. Stevie has said she wrote this song to fit people with extreme jobs, like chasing tornadoes. This it does and by hearing this song, you hear the whole movie, the whole life of Jo. However, looking into the song, it seems to fit her feelings for Lindsey, or even the way she sees herself.

You think you hear demons
I think you are the demon
In this place where images are born
You remember your childhood
Oh, the fire in sequences

Stevie is referring to Lindsey as a demon of sorts, telling him that although he thinks she is restricting him in his life, he’s restraining himself and he is his own demon. Same for Stevie. She may think Lindsey is holding her back in her life, she restraining herself. It is easy for Stevie to remember back to the time when everything was easy, when she didn’t have to go to Lindsey with an idea she knew he would most likely change or reject. In the movie, the whole song seems to be Bill talking to Jo. He’s telling her that she can’t fight everything and by fighting the tornadoes, she is refusing to accept the fact that tornadoes are stronger than she is. The death of her father in a tornado when she was a child keeps her going, and gives her the fire to not give up.

The sun goes down, filling the air with color
Winds lift you up to God, lift you up to God

This explains the path of Stevie and Lindsey’s relationship, as well as Jo and Bill’s. The sun set on both relationships. Each person got caught up with their own things and their "winds" brought them to a different level. Stevie and Lindsey had solo careers, Jo had new ideas, Bill had a whole new life, including a fiancee. But the sun always rises again and it shone on the relationships of both couples once again. The winds help them to see each other differently.

You fall to your knees
You embrace the storm
No longer caring
If it’s cold or it’s warm
You live for the danger
Like your passion and your anger
You don’t let go
You like to be twisted
By the force
You like to be shaken
By the wind

Lindsey starts singing here, so it can either be him telling this to Stevie, or, since Stevie wrote the song, it could still be Stevie telling this to Lindsey. Both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are very determined musicians that don’t let things get in their way. They feel thankful for what they have had, both together and separate. They don’t, and never have, let things get in their way. Their music revolves around their feelings. They both like things "twisted", they can’t have things simple and they have to give it all they got. Jo’s main goal is to find out more about tornadoes. She doesn’t care about the danger of it, it’s what she wants and she can’t give it up. She literally "embraces" the storm. Her life is her danger. She, too, is "twisted" because she needs adventure.

I know, you know, watchin’ you go is like dyin’, like dyin’

Stevie and Lindsey really loved each other, but the breakup had to happen. It was hard for both of them "like dyin’", but it was for the best. The same for Jo and Bill.

You take it to the limit
When the winds come up
Crazy men, crazy women
Cryin’ out for love
You like to save her
But you just can’t give it up

Stevie always pushes her dreams as far as she can and believes that she can do things that others don’t and the "winds" help her accomplish them. There are a lot of, somewhat, crazy people like her who need love, a special kind of love, a saving love. In Stevie’s case, she was looking for someone to save her from herself and what she was doing to herself with drugs. However, Lindsey and even Christine McVie, had lost the saving love they once had for Stevie.

Jo was crazy in a different sense. She was obsessed with tornadoes. She needed someone to save her from herself. And though Bill could, and wanted to, he also loved Jo the way she was.

You’d rather be wrapped up in the arms of a storm

Everything Stevie has gone through in her life has been worth it. The final result was far to great to regret. And if Stevie had the chance to live again, Stevie would go about life in a stormlike way.

The sun goes down
(well the sun goes down)
Chasin' down the demons
(chasin down the demons)
You think you hear demons
(you think you hear demons)
Cryin' out for love
(I think you are the demon)
Chasin' down the demons
(the sun goes down)
Chasin' the demons down
(oh, the sun goes down)
You'd rather be rapped up
(the sun goes down)
In the arms of a storm
(chasin' down the demons)
Chasin' the demons
(there cryin' out for love,..............love)

Time passes by. Problems heal themselves. Stevie still needs the saving love in a different way, a love she still thinks Lindsey can give her. The way the chorus is sung, it shows how Stevie and Lindsey can still work together. They can still feel for each other and this feeling is very easy to see in songs like "Silver Springs" and "Landslide". "Twisted" seems to be showing that they can work together and almost is a sign that they will be working together.

"Twisted" is a song that is very strong. It has a lot of emotion and describes both the relationship of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham and Jo and Bill in Twister. Stevie Nicks really shows her own feelings while writing a song for a movie. "Twisted" is a wonderful, heartfelt song written by a person with extreme talents. Though Stevie said she wrote this song for with extreme jobs, Stevie, in a way, has an extreme job, too. Don’t we all want to be twisted?

(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 »
Standard tuning 
EADGBe 
intro and verse: (picked throughout the song except for the chorus which can be strummed)        
      D                  A            G                A 
e|------2--3--2---|-----------|-----------|------------| 
B|-----3--3--3---|-----2--2--|-----0------|------2--2--| 
G|----2------|-------2--2--|------0-------|------2--2--| 
D|-0-----0------|------2------|----0------|----2-------| 
A|---------|-----0---------|---------0--2-|--0---------| 
E|-----------|-----------|---3------------|------------| 
VERSE 1 
    D                 A 
You think you hear demons 
     G                A 
I think we are the demons 
  D        A 
In this place 
      G              A 
where the images are born 
    D             A 
You remember your childhood 
 G               A 
Oh, in fiery sequences,the sun goes down  
CHORUS 
G   D   A                            G  D  A 
          Filling the air with colors        and winds 
                       G  D  A                                      
That lift you up to God     
                       G  D  A(hold) 
That lift you up to God 
VERSE 2(play intro) 
You fall to your knees 
You embrace the storm 
You no longer care 
If it's cold or if it's warm 
You live for the danger 
Like your passion and your anger, you don't let go 
CHORUS 
You like to be twisted by the force 
You like to be shaken by the wind 
In this game that you play with God 
You've been warned to retreat 
VERSE 3 
You take it to the limit 
When the winds come up 
Crazy men, crazy women 
Cryin' out for love 
You'd like to save her 
But you just can't give it up 
CHORUS 
You'd rather be wrapped up 
In the arms of the storm 
You'd rather be wrapped up 
In the arms of the storm 
Crazy men, crazy women 
In the storm 
And the sun goes down 
Chasing down the demons 
You think you hear demons 
Chasing down the demons 
Crying out for love 

    Performances »
Performance #1:
Date Performance 1996-03-10
Running Time 3:28
Performers Stevie Nicks (Guitar), Stevie Nicks (Percussion), Stevie Nicks (Vocals), Jesse Valenzuela (Mandolin), Darryl Icard (Bass), Karen (Williams) Johnston (Recorded By)
Comments(Songwriting Demo) Additional recording: January 1998 (P) 1996 Stevie Nicks Courtesy of Reprise Records. Stevie Nicks: "When I was asked to do a song for the movie "TWISTER," I had my friend Rebecca read the script. She then gave me the "Reader's Digest" condensed version so I could decide whether to do it or not. As she explained it to me, I realized that this really was...MY...story. It was about people who had extreme jobs...like chasing tornados, or being in a rock band. Anyway, I really hand-crafted this song for the movie. Unfortunately, if you saw the movie, you missed the song...and you certainly missed my message. So I decided to give you the original demo. Recorded on a 4-track Tascam by my assistant extraordinaire. I was living in a beach house overlooking Sunset Boulevard and the Pacific Coast Highway, and beyond that, always...the ocean. When I decided to put this in the "box set," I called Jesse V. (just last week), and he put some "vibe" mandolin on it. I love this song. I hope this time...you will understand it."
Appears On
Enchanted (1998)
Stevie Nicks
Performance #2:
Running Time 4:13
Performers Stevie Nicks (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Lead Guitar), Lindsey Buckingham (Rhythm Guitar), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Federico Pol (Bass), Dan Marnian/Marnien (Mixed By), Ken Allardyce/Alydice (Engineered By)
CommentsPerformed by Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham (as listed on the back of the CD. Listed inside "Twister" soundtrack CD booklet as Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham) Lindsey Buckingham appears courtesy of Reprise Records.
Appears On
Twister (1996)
Various Artists
Best Buy Presents Fleetwood Mac: Tour '97 (0000)
Various Artists

    Comments »

(C) 1996 Published by Welsh Witch Music (Administered by Sony/ATV Songs LLC) (BMI)

    Reviews »
Add your review of Twisted here.

    Last Modified »
2009-07-31

    Discography Credits »
Interpretation prepared by Joanne, Travis, Lesley, Rhiannon, Justine, Hayley and Lauren. Tabs prepared by As transcribed by Josh Shank.