And though she finds it hard to leave him
She knows it would be worse to stay He wouldn't understand the reasons That make a woman run away The country and western motif of Piano Man continues with "Stop In Nevada." The song is a bit of a departure for Billy as he tells the tale of woman leaving her man. It's a decidedly pro-feminist, women's liberation, point of view that Billy is espousing. He describes a woman who "tried for years to be a good wife" but ultimately chooses to leave her husband, not necessarily because he is a bad guy, but because it did not work out. So she heads out west to California but will first make a "stop in Nevada" (to get a quick divorce).
It is probably based in part on Billy's wife, Elizabeth, as she and Billy drove across America from New York to Los Angeles to re-start Billy's career, and Elizabeth separated from her husband (Jon Small). The song has a rousing chorus, which is both gospel and country-like. Billy has said it was sort of a Jimmy Webb/Charlie Rich style song. Billy does not play it in concert often but here is a live version from 1974 in Memphis (link may no longer work), and forty years later in 2014 in Nashville (see fan video, below). When Jamie O'Neal had a hit with "There Is No Arizona" in 2000, I thought she should do a cover of "Stop In Nevada" too, it'd be a good B-side to that song as they have similar themes (man leaves woman, and woman leaves man). When I hear either song I think of the film Thelma and Louise. One of the most interesting covers of any Billy Joel song is The Three Degrees' R&B version of "Stop In Nevada." It really becomes a woman's anthem for the early 1970s in this cover as it is sung in the first person. I love how they do the refrain at the end over and over again "left a little letter said I'm going to California, now goodbye..." The Three Degrees is a female trio that had a hit in 1974 with "When Will I See You Again." They are still an active group. Country singer Linda Nail also recorded a cover of the song, but I cannot find it online. "With some money in her pocket she's a rocket on the Fourth of July." It must have been fun to write that line. Vertical Divider
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He always found it hard to take her She wouldn't listen to advice And though he never tried to make her She often thought it would be nice Oh, and now she's headin' out to California It's been a long time comin' But she's feelin' like a woman tonight And she left a little letter Said she's gonna make a stop in Nevada Goodbye, goodbye She tried for years to be a good wife It never quite got off the ground And all those stories of the good life Convinced her not to hang around Oh, and now she's headin' out to California And she doesn't know what's comin' But she sure knows what she's leavin' behind And she left a little letter Said she's gonna make a stop in Nevada Goodbye, goodbye And though she finds it hard to leave him She knows it would be worse to stay He wouldn't understand the reasons That make a woman run away Oh, and now she's headin' out to California With some money in her pocket She's a rocket on the Fourth of July And she left a little letter Said she's gonna make a stop in Nevada Goodbye, goodbye. Oh, and now she's headin' out to California With some money in her pocket She's a rocket on the Fourth of July And she left a little letter Said she's gonna make a stop in Nevada Goodbye, goodbye. Billy discusses "Stop In Nevada" on SiriusXM radio.
Studio version of "Stop In Nevada" (audio only)
© 1973 Sony Music Entertainment Billy re-introduced "Stop In Nevada" to his concerts in 2014.
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