The Penguin: Lyric Interpretations: Twisted

Twisted

Written by Stevie Nicks.

Contributors to this interpretation included: Joanne, Travis, Lesley, Rhiannon, Justine, Hayley and Lauren.

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?

Transcribed to HTML by Marty Adelson.