I also think this is Stevie writing about herself. Like lots of artists, she had to come to grips with the gap between the stage persona she created, and the public's perception of that image. "The people, they love her / but still they're the most cruel" is the one line that sums up the psychology behind the song for me.
There was silly public speculation in the late 1970s that Stevie practiced witchcraft. (In case you weren't around at the time, some right-wing religious groups could get very scary with those kind of accusations on TV.) Stevie started wearing pastel colors instead of black, put her hair up in a bun, started dancing on stage instead of twirling (check out videos made during the TUSK tour) .... all to counter those silly accusations.
"Sisters" IS scary and gothic-sounding. The power chords are awesome, the closest FM ever came to heavy metal. Lindsay's guitar solo sounds like a screaming voice. Stevie's confronting the public rumors about her image, and the trouble they caused for her fans and herself. It's both a defense and a rallying cry - a self-parody and an anthem.
I also think this is Stevie writing about herself. Like lots of artists, she had to come to grips with the gap between the stage persona she created, and the public's perception of that image. "The people, they love her / but still they're the most cruel" is the one line that sums up the psychology behind the song for me.
There was silly public speculation in the late 1970s that Stevie practiced witchcraft. (In case you weren't around at the time, some right-wing religious groups could get very scary with those kind of accusations on TV.) Stevie started wearing pastel colors instead of black, put her hair up in a bun, started dancing on stage instead of twirling (check out videos made during the TUSK tour) .... all to counter those silly accusations.
"Sisters" IS scary and gothic-sounding. The power chords are awesome, the closest FM ever came to heavy metal. Lindsay's guitar solo sounds like a screaming voice. Stevie's confronting the public rumors about her image, and the trouble they caused for her fans and herself. It's both a defense and a rallying cry - a self-parody and an anthem.