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WEBMISTRESS speculates:
Stevie writes about this song in the liner notes of TimeSpace: "I worked very hard trying to explain what it was like to be in love with someone in the same business, and how to approach dealing with each other. It's probably the hardest thing in the world to do because it falls out of your hands and into the hands of the world, which tends to want you to not be able to handle it....Don and I had been going out for quite a while, and, bless his heart, he did sing it with me...it was an unforgettable experience, as was he...".
Stevie begins by singing that she may seem "fragile" but she can be strong enough to find love and to keep it from being "shatter[ed] by words impossible to follow." She needs him and she has a feeling he needs her, too - that he's going to stay. For Don Henley's part, Stevie writes the verse of the sensitive man willing to share his feelings and not afraid to cry - the ideal guy! In the chorus, they echo those sentiments of true love - they complement each other, one's softness and "lace" can match the other's toughness and "leather" to make a perfect fit. A beautiful love song!
GEORGE speculates:
'Leather & Lace' was written for Waylon Jennings and his wife Jessi, but it was not mentioned. I hate to see this overlooked because Waylon was such a huge fan of Stevie's, he really loved her and her songs. This guy was a true groundbreaker, the first guy in Nashville to record a Beatles song and the first to record not one, but two Stevie Nicks songs, 'Gold Dust Woman' and 'Rhiannon'. Please mention Waylon & Jessi because their lives and careers are at the very heart of this song. Like Stevie said, they are the only ones who can sing that song other than her and Don Henley. When Waylon retired and left Nashville Jessi and he moved to Arizona and I have always wondered if Stevie and he had a chance to renew their friendship before Waylon passed. I sure hope so.