Once again, I’m faced with the coincidence question.
So, there was this night bird that took residence in my neighborhood. Specifically, in the tree around the block, directly behind my house. As soon as the sun went down, this little bastard would come out and start a symphony that would last all night long. As soon as the sun started coming up in the morning, it would stop. Then the morning birds would start. This went on for months.
It was a freaking nightmare.
I have nothing against birds. In fact, I like birds. They’re beautiful creatures. But I have to get up early to go to work and I’m a light sleeper. I simply can’t tolerate this avian behavior. And every single night when this damn bird would start its squawking, the song “Edge of Seventeen, by Stevie Nicks, would play in my head. Specifically, these lines:
Well, I went searching up the stairs and down the hall
Not to find an answer
Just to hear the call of a night bird
Singing come away
Come away, come away.
It was getting so that I wanted to take up sharp shooting. Then I started watching American Horror Story, season 3, “The Coven.” Now, if you’re not familiar with AHS, each season is a completely different story line with different characters (although some of the same actors appear in various seasons, with Jessica Lange appearing in all of them).
Season 3 is, as the title suggests, about a witch coven. One of the characters idolizes Stevie Nicks (because she is supposedly a white witch) and fancies herself a Stevie Nicks-ish type of witch. And because it’s a series, I was watching it whenever I had the chance—an episode here, a couple of episodes there.
One Saturday afternoon, about two weeks ago, I saw the episode that introduced this character. The episode starts with this witch in a swamp, encountering some croc hunters (it takes place in NOLA). “Edge of Seventeen” is playing in the background, and I thought, “Huh, what a coincidence. “ Later in the episode, she talks about Stevie Nicks.
I immediately watched another episode, and in this one, the witch talks about Stevie Nicks again and plays “Rhiannon” on her player.
That night, I watched Saturday night Live. It was a repeat from several months ago. One of the sketches was a game show (Family Feud, I think). It was a “celebrity edition,” so the SNL cast played various musical stars. One of them was introduced as—you guessed it—Stevie Nicks. It wasn’t actually “Stevie Nicks,” it was “Steven Tyler,” but the point is, Stevie Nicks was mentioned 3 times in one night. Okay, two of those times were from the same show, but what are the odds that I would watch these two episodes of AHS on the same night that NBC would run an old SNL episode that happened to mention Stevie Nicks?
That night, the night bird did not sing. Nor has it sung any night since. Apparently, Stevie Nicks is the key to shutting up night birds.
Moral of the story: If a night bird starts annoying you by singing all night, every night, just say the name Stevie Nicks three times. It will magically disappear.
Thank you, Stevie Nicks.
Just like the white-winged dove
Sings a song
Sounds like she’s singing
Oo, baby, oo, say oo
R.G. Emanuelle 