Most rock music fans instantly recognize the “Edge of Seventeen (Just Like the White Winged Dove)” by Stevie Nickswhen it kicks off with its rapidly chugging guitar, followed by Nicks' gorgeous and raspy soaring vocals. However, many listeners don't realize the raw pain and grief that inspired Nicks to write the powerful rock song in the first place. Once you know the emotional story behind the “Edge of Seventeen,” it definitely hits even more deeply.
The "Edge of Seventeen" is nothing if not emotionally intense, start to finish. The iconic guitar riff opens the unforgettable song, creating an almost hypnotic rhythm, and then Nicks' voice rises up, singing, "Just like the white winged dove / Sings a song, sounds like she's singin' / "Ooh, baby, ooh, said, ooh." Behind the song’s driving energy is an equally heavy story.
Nicks has shared the emotional backstory for "Edge of Seventeen" on stage and in several interviews, and its origin goes back to the early '80s. Shaken after the news of the December 1980 murder of musician John Lennon, Nicks felt pulled to write a song about Lennon, using the white-winged dove as symbolism.
Lennon's murder greatly affected folks in the the music industry and the world. "To just be a music person, albeit a Beatle? And to be shot and killed in front of your apartment, when you had a wife and two kids?" Nicks explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "That was so unacceptable to all of us in our community. So the white dove was John Lennon, and peace."
Shortly after Lennon's death, Nicks also ended up bedside with her cousin when her dear uncle, her father's older brother, passed away after an illness. This short period of overlapping grief for Nicks became the spark that ignited the songwriting for "Edge of Seventeen."
Listen to a clip of Nicks talking about the song's beginnings:
www.youtube.com/shorts/DspchyPuYYc
In April 2020, Nicks took to her Instagram to share about her deep connection to the dove and its meaning in writing "Edge of Seventeen":
View this post on InstagramNicks turned her own deep personal grief into emotional release and into art, specifically a lasting rock song that would lift up listeners for decades. Sure, the song aches, but so does grief, and most human beings will experience loss in their lifetimes. The song serves as a living lesson in how to make grief and sadness into resilience and strength.
Related: 1982 Cover Song Became One of Rock’s Dreamiest Love Anthems
"Edge of Seventeen" came out on Nicks' debut solo album Bella Donna in July 1981, and the track was released in February 1982, as the third single from the album. By April 1982, "Edge of Seventeen" peaked at No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and the song stayed on the charts for 14 weeks.
"Edge of Seventeen" continues to hold classic-rock status and leave a lasting legacy, too. In 2024, it was ranked No. 217 on Rolling Stone's list of the "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." Fans currently have ranked Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" at No. 6 on the Ranker list of “The Greatest Songs Sung By Female Rockers…” And to date, the track has over 655 million streams on the Spotify streaming service.
Adding to its cross-generational appeal, Destiny's Child sampled the "Edge of Seventeen" guitar riff on their 2001 hit single "Bootylicious" and Miley Cyrus incorporated it into a remix of her 2020 single "Midnight Sky"—which, along with social media, led to later generations discovering it, too. On TikTok, a search of for the tag #edgeofseventeen currently delivers more than 14.6K posts.
Now, more than four decades later, the “Edge of Seventeen” continues to resonate, not simply because of its haunting beauty, emotional honesty, and Nicks' artistry, but because it captured something timeless—how grief and resilience often exist side by side. The song mourns, yes, but it also endures.
Watch the music video for “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks:
Check out Destiny Child's "Bootylicious" video, complete with a Stevie Nicks cameo:
Listen to Miley Cyrus's "Midnight Sky" remix featuring Stevie Nicks:
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