Album: Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars (1988)
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Songfacts®:

  • Edie Brickell wrote the lyric for this song about another Edie: the actress Edie Sedgwick. Known for her associations with Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan in the '60s, Sedgwick was an actress/model who died in 1971 at age 28 from a mixture of alcohol and barbiturates. Brickell didn't know about her until one day when she was at a friend's house and saw a book called Edie on her shelf. Curious about the name, she looked through it and got a glance at Sedgwick's story, which she found depressing and tragic. As she was driving home, Brickell started forming the lyrics, which she left somewhat vague.
  • Some references to Sedgwick's life in the lyrics:

    Little Miss S. in a mini dress - Sedgwick helped popularize miniskirts. She had a very slim figure - a look that was in style at the time.

    Electric dye in her lovers hair - She dyed her hair silver so it would look like Andy Warhol's.
  • This was the third single from Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars, the first Edie Brickell & New Bohemians album. They formed in Dallas in 1985 when Edie Brickell was a student at Southern Methodist University. They got a deal with Geffen Records in 1986, but still didn't believe music would work out as a full-time job - the album title is a reference to their chances. Their firt single, "What I Am," became a surprise hit, but their next one, "Circle," didn't do as well. "Little Miss S." didn't get a video or a huge promotional push from Geffen, and it didn't chart. The band split after one more album but got back together in the late '90s.
  • Edie Brickell & New Bohemians performed this on Saturday Night Live when they were musical guests November 5, 1988. They also performed "What I Am" on the show, giving the song a huge boost. In the wings that day was SNL VIP Paul Simon, who caught Brickell's eye. They struck up a romance and got married in 1992.
  • A year after "Little Miss S." was released, The Cult put out a song about Edie Sedgwick called "Edie (Ciao Baby)."

    In 2015, Wolf Alice released their song about Sedgwick, "Silk."

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