He also produced the hugely successful Year Of The Cat album with Al Stewart and two albums with American progressive rock band Ambrosia. In 1975 he met Eric Woolfson who not only became his manager, but joined forces with Alan as a songwriting and performing partner for what became known as The Alan Parsons Project. The APP’s debut album, Tales Of Mystery And Imagination, based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, paved the way for a signing to Clive Davis’ newly launched Arista label and a string of hit albums, namely I Robot (1977), Pyramid (1978), The Turn of a Friendly Card (1980), Eye in the Sky (1982), Ammonia Avenue (1984), Vulture Culture (1985), Stereotomy (1986) and Gaudi (1987). A brief venture into musical theatre resulted in Freudiana in 1990.The show ran for over a year in the historic Theater An Der Wien in Vienna. Eric and Alan then went separate ways. Eric devoted his career to the musical theatre while Parsons felt the need to bring his music to the live concert stage and to continue to record conceptual symphonic rock music. With his long-standing previous APP collaborators, guitarist Ian Bairnson, drummer Stuart Elliott and orchestral arranger Andrew Powell, Alan dropped the "Project" identity for Alan Parsons - Try Anything Once in 1994. The partnership continued for On Air in 1996 and The Time Machine in 1999. During this time the first incarnation of "Alan Parsons Live Project" toured to sell-out audiences throughout the globe.
Following Alan’s relocation to California, a new Live Project band was formed in 2003. The album A Valid Path, Alan’s foray into Electronica was released in 2004 and featured Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, The Crystal Method, Shpongle, Uberzone, PJ Olsson and Alan’s son, Jeremy. 2008 saw the reissue of all the Alan Parsons Project albums in expanded form, containing never-before-heard bonus material and a 2-CD compilation called The Essential Collection. One of the most familiar Project tracks is Sirius, perhaps best known as the Chicago Bulls theme and more recently as walk-on music for The New Orleans Saints at their triumphant Superbowl game in 2010.
Alan’s latest venture is an instructional series about recording called The Art And Science Of Sound Recording. See www.artandscienceofsound.com. All Our Yesterdays, a song written especially for the series, features some of LA’s finest musicians and a rare performance by Alan on lead vocals. Alan lives in Santa Barbara, California with his wife Lisa and her two daughters, Tabitha and Brittni, four dogs, a lop-eared rabbit, and an 18-hand Clydesdale called Dante.
Step by Step
Alan Parsons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I Didn't have the Heart to play
But sooner or later
I'll find a reason to throw it away
Risin' on the crest of a natural wave
That Never seems to break my way
I'm livin' without it
Step by step little by little
Step by step take it line by line
Move move move, move a Little closer
I was Just a runner in a one horse race
Livin' on the don't pass line
Sooner or later
I Got to lose cause I'm wasting my time
Lady luck must have been a wonderful girl
She's never been a Friend of mine
I'm living without her
But I still got that mountain to climb
Step by step little by little
Step by step rake it line by line
Move move move, move a little closer
Step by step the Deal is mine
The lyrics of "Step by Step" by Alan Parsons addresses the struggles and frustrations of an individual who is going through a difficult time in life. The person is depicted as a joker who doesn't take life seriously and doesn't have the heart to play the game. However, despite his nonchalant attitude, he realizes that he needs to do something about his life and make changes. He talks about how he is riding on a natural wave that never seems to break his way, implying that he is not in control of his life.
The lyrics suggest that the person is not successful in life and has been living on the "don't pass line," indicating that he has been taking unnecessary risks. He acknowledges that sooner or later, he will lose and is wasting his time. This is when he turns to Lady luck, who he describes as a wonderful girl, but unfortunately not a friend of his. The person has been living without her, but at the same time, he knows he has a mountain to climb.
Overall, the lyrics of "Step by Step" convey the message that life is full of challenges that require continuous effort and perseverance to overcome. Even though life may be difficult and not go our way, we need to keep taking small but sure steps to get where we want to be.
Line by Line Meaning
I was just a joker in a serious game
I didn't take life seriously and felt like an outsider in society.
I Didn't have the Heart to play
I lacked the courage and motivation to take part in the game.
But sooner or later
At some point in life.
I'll find a reason to throw it away
I'll find a way to let go of my fears and inhibitions.
Risin' on the crest of a natural wave
Going with the flow.
That Never seems to break my way
Things never seem to work out in my favor.
I'm livin' without it
I'm getting by without relying on external factors.
But I got to Do something about it
I need to take action to improve my situation.
Step by step little by little
Slowly and steadily.
Step by step take it line by line
Approaching life one step at a time.
Move move move, move a Little closer
Continuing to make progress towards my goals.
I was Just a runner in a one horse race
I felt like I was alone in my struggles and there was no competition.
Livin' on the don't pass line
Taking risks that were unlikely to pay off.
I Got to lose cause I'm wasting my time
I need to let go of my unproductive habits and behaviors.
Lady luck must have been a wonderful girl
Referring to the idea of fortune and the opportunities that may come with it.
She's never been a Friend of mine
I feel as though I've never had the luck on my side.
Step by step the Deal is mine
I am taking control of my own destiny and will achieve my goals through perseverance and hard work.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALAN PARSONS, ERIC WOOLFSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind