Gold was a multi-instrumentalist who played guitar, bass, keyboards, accordion, synthesizer, harmonica, saxophone, flute, drums and percussion, as well as more arcane musical devices such as ukulele, musette, and harmonium. He was also a producer, sound engineer, film composer, session musician, actor, and painter.
Throughout the years, he played and/or sang on records and/or live performances with artists including Carly Simon, Jennifer Warnes, Linda Ronstadt, Stephen Bishop, Nicolette Larson, Maria Muldaur, Neil Diamond, Barbi Benton, Juice Newton, Leo Sayer, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Karla Bonoff, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Frankie Valli/Four Seasons , Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Roy Orbison, Don Henley, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Cher, Jesse McCartney and J.D. Souther.
Gold was born in Burbank, California, and eventually followed his parents into show business. His mother is singer Marni Nixon (who provided the singing voice for numerous actresses, notably Natalie Wood in West Side Story, Deborah Kerr in The King and I, and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady); his father was Ernest Gold, the Austrian-born, Academy Award-winning composer for the movie Exodus. He has two younger sisters.
Gold began writing songs at the age of 13. Abroad in England for school, the 16-year old Gold scored his first recording contract on the strength of a selection of demos he submitted to Polydor Records’ London office. That contract resulted in the single "Of All the Little Girls," which was recorded with his friend and collaborator Charlie Villiers, and released in 1967 under the name Villiers and Gold.
Career
1970–79
By the early 1970s, Gold was working full-time as a musician, songwriter and record producer. He was a member of the Los Angeles band Bryndle, alongside Kenny Edwards, Wendy Waldman and Karla Bonoff, releasing the single "Woke Up This Morning" in 1970. He played a major role as multi-instrumentalist and arranger for Linda Ronstadt's breakthrough album, 1974's Heart Like a Wheel, and her next four albums. Among other accomplishments, he played the majority of instruments on "You're No Good," Ronstadt's first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, and the same on "When Will I Be Loved," "Heat Wave" and many other classic hits. He was in her band from 1973 until 1977, and then sporadically throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
In 1975, Gold began recording as a solo artist, releasing four studio albums in the 1970s and over twelve since then. His hit single "Lonely Boy" reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1977 and has appeared in a number of film soundtracks, including Boogie Nights in 1997 and Adam Sandler's 1998 movie The Waterboy, among others. In February 2000, the American rock band Foo Fighters recorded a cover of the song to be used as a B-side for an upcoming single off their 1999 album There Is Nothing Left to Lose; however, it wasn't used as planned. On Marc Maron's January 17, 2013 WTF podcast, Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl said that the band's cover of "Lonely Boy" would eventually be released as the A-side of a special "Solid Gold" 45 rpm single with a Foo Fighters version of Gold's "Never Let Her Slip Away" as the B-side.
Although "Lonely Boy" was the bigger radio hit in the States, his single "Thank You for Being a Friend" (which peaked at #25 in 1978) later gained popularity as the theme song for the 1985–92 NBC situation comedy The Golden Girls (performed by Cindy Fee for the show). "Thank You for Being a Friend" has also shown up in places as diverse as an episode of the long-running animated TV situation comedy The Simpsons, a 2013 Super Bowl ad for the National Football League,[10] and an audio file in various musical greeting cards. Gold's biggest UK hit was "Never Let Her Slip Away," which made it to #5 twice on the British singles charts, once by him and again 14 years later by dance-pop group Undercover. Freddie Mercury, who was a friend of Gold's, assisted him with sparse harmony vocals as an uncredited background singer. Among the artists recording Gold's material was British singer Petula Clark who covered "Lonely Boy" in French ("Poor Lonesome Playboy") on her Paris, Orleans, Paris album. In 1976, Gold wrote the title track "Endless Flight" for singer Leo Sayer's hit album.
1975 also marked a successful collaboration with Art Garfunkel, wherein Gold played most of the instruments on Garfunkel's solo hit "I Only Have Eyes For You" (which went to #1 on the UK Singles Chart), as well as several other cuts on Garfunkel's album Breakaway. That year, Gold also played guitar on two cuts of Eric Carmen's album Boats Against the Current, including "She Did It," which was a #23 hit that same year.[17] Gold toured with the Eagles; worked in the recording studio and toured with Jackson Browne; played and sang on record and toured with James Taylor; and was second engineer on part of Joni Mitchell's Blue album.
1980–2011
In 1981, Gold produced, co-wrote, sang and played on three 10cc tracks that appeared the hit-making pop-rock band's 1981 album Ten Out of 10. Subsequently, Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman of 10cc invited Gold to become a member of the group. Although he had worked with them in the studio, business conflicts prevented him from joining up. In late 1983, 10cc broke up, and in the aftermath, Gold and Gouldman formed Wax. Wax recorded and toured for five years. They enjoyed international success, particularly in the U.K. where the duo had several Top 10 hits including "Right Between the Eyes" and their biggest hit "Bridge to Your Heart". Wax broke up as a recording and touring entity in 1989, but Gold and Gouldman continued to write and record together when possible.
Gold played on Cher's hit 1989 album Heart of Stone, and, during the early '90s, wrote hits for Trisha Yearwood as well as Wynonna Judd for whom he co-wrote the #1 single "I Saw The Light" with Lisa Angelle. (Later, Gold would produce Angelle on her own album, which featured a number of songs they co-authored.) He also produced singles for Vince Gill, wrote and produced tracks for Celine Dion, and arranged a cover of the Everly Brothers' hit “All I Have to Do Is Dream" that was sung by stars Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen in the 1984 science-fiction film Starman.
In the 1990s, Gold once again joined forces with ex-bandmates Karla Bonoff, Wendy Waldman and Kenny Edwards to re-form Bryndle and finally release their first full-length album, Bryndle. In 1996, Gold left Bryndle and released the children's holiday-oriented novelty album Halloween Howls. The same year, he released the solo album ....Since 1951, and produced Stephen Bishop's Blue Guitar album. Thereafter, he recorded the psychedelic '60s tribute album Greetings from Planet Love under the pseudonym The Fraternal Order Of The All, and released it on his own record label QBrain Records. This album was a multi-tracked solo affair with Gold essentially playing all of the instruments and singing all of the vocals on original songs in the style of Gold's favorite 1960s bands such as The Beatles, The Byrds and The Beach Boys. He produced, composed, and/or wrote tracks for numerous films, such as the comedy Rectuma from director Mark Pirro, and contributed songs to many television soundtracks and commercials. Among his more high-profile gigs, he sang "Final Frontier," the theme song for the television sitcom Mad About You. In a remarkable turn of events, his rendition of the song was used as the wake-up call for the Mars Pathfinder space probe in 1996.[18] Gold also produced seven albums for Japanese singer-songwriter Eikichi Yazawa.
During 2000, Gold compiled a Wax rarities album, Wax Bikini, as well as recording and releasing a new solo album The Spence Manor Suite - which was followed in 2002 by another solo collection Intermission. He appeared in a 2006 concert with the classic rock group America, and the performance was later released as a DVD entitled "America And Friends - Live at the Ventura Theater." The show featured Gold performing "Thank You for Being a Friend," "Final Frontier," "Bridge to Your Heart" and "Lonely Boy," as well as accompanying America and fellow guest artist Stephen Bishop on guitar and vocals. Gold had earlier produced America's Holiday Harmony Christmas album back in 2002, wherein he also played most of the instruments and co-wrote the track "Christmas in California."
Personal life
Gold was married to Vanessa Green, with whom he had three daughters, Emily, Victoria, and Olivia. After a divorce from Green, he married Leslie Kogan.
Although Gold put personal references in the lyrics to "Lonely Boy" (including his year of birth), he admitted in an interview that it was not autobiographical: "Maybe it was a mistake to do that, but I simply put in those details because it was convenient. I hadn't been a lonely boy at all – I'd had a very happy childhood."[21]
On June 3, 2011, Gold died in his sleep from heart failure at age 59 in Los Angeles.
Final frontier
Andrew Gold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I walked a lonely mile in the moonlight
And through a million stars were shining
My heart was lost on a distant planet
That whirls around the April moon
Whirling in an arc of sadness
I'm lost without you I'm lost without you
Though all my kingdoms turn to sand
I'm mad about you I'm mad about you
And from the dark secluded valleys
I heard the ancient songs of sadness
But every step I thought of you
Every footstep only you
And every star a grain of sand
The leavings of a dried up ocean
Tell me, how much longer? How much longer?
They say a city in the desert lies
The vanity of an ancient king
But the city lies in broken pieces
Where the wind howls and the vultures sing
These are the works of man
This is the sum of our ambition
It would make a prison of my life
If you became another's wife
With every prison blown to dust
My enemies walk free
I'm mad about you I'm mad about you
And I have never in my life
Felt more alone than I do now
Although I claim dominions over all I see
It means nothing to me
There are no vitories
In all our histories, without love
A stone's throw from Jerusalem
I walked a lonely mile in the moonlight
And through a million stars were shining
My heart was lost on a distant planet
That whirls around the April moon
Whirling in an arc of sadness
I'm lost without you I'm lost without you
And though you hold the keys to ruin
Of everything I see
With every prison blown to dust,
My enemies walk free
Though all my kingdoms turn to sand
And fall into the sea
I'm mad about you I'm mad about you
The lyrics of Andrew Gold's "Final Frontier" convey the depth of heartbreak and longing of the persona. The song opens with a picturesque image of the persona walking alone in the moonlight a stone's throw from Jerusalem. Even though the stars were out and shining, the persona's heart was still lost on a distant planet "whirling around the April moon" in profound sadness. The phrase "I'm lost without you" is repeated twice, emphasizing the deep yearning for the presence of the loved one.
The second verse dives deeper into the persona's struggle. They describe how every step they take, they think only of the loved one. Each star they see reminds them of a grain of sand, a symbol that even the most important things can be insignificant without love. The last lines of this verse stand out, with the persona acknowledging that even with all their victories and dominions, it all means nothing without love.
The final verse speaks of a city in the desert, "the vanity of an ancient king." The city lies in ruins, and the wind howls with the vultures singing. These descriptors mirror the heartbreak of the persona. To them, love is the only precious thing that truly matters. They end the song by repeating that they are mad about the loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
A stone's throw from Jerusalem
Near Jerusalem, I feel close to something important.
I walked a lonely mile in the moonlight
I am going through a difficult and sad time by myself.
And through a million stars were shining
Despite the beauty of the night sky, I am still lost and alone.
My heart was lost on a distant planet
My emotions are so strong that it feels like they are on another planet, far away from me.
That whirls around the April moon
These feelings are overwhelming and constantly spinning like the moon in orbit.
Whirling in an arc of sadness
My sadness is all-encompassing and constant, like the movement of the moon.
I'm lost without you
I am lost and feel incomplete without you in my life.
Though all my kingdoms turn to sand/And fall into the sea
No matter how much success or power I may have, it means nothing without you.
I'm mad about you
I am deeply in love with you and cannot stop thinking about you.
And from the dark secluded valleys
Even in a dark and isolating place, I am still thinking of you.
I heard the ancient songs of sadness
There is a deep sadness that has existed forever, and I can hear it in everything.
But every step I thought of you
Despite the sadness around me, you are the one constantly on my mind.
Every footstep only you
Each step I take reminds me of you and how much I miss you.
And every star a grain of sand
Even the vastness of the universe seems small compared to my love for you.
The leavings of a dried up ocean
Even the remnants of something great and powerful can be sad and disappointing.
Tell me, how much longer?
I am desperate to be with you and cannot bear to wait any longer.
They say a city in the desert lies
There are stories of great things, but often they are just myths.
The vanity of an ancient king
Even the greatest achievements and accomplishments will eventually fade away.
But the city lies in broken pieces/Where the wind howls and the vultures sing
What once was great is now broken and empty, with only the sound of the wind and vultures to keep it company.
These are the works of man/This is the sum of our ambition
Our greatest accomplishments still pale in comparison to the power and beauty of love.
It would make a prison of my life/If you became another's wife
The thought of you with someone else brings me immense pain and sadness.
With every prison blown to dust/My enemies walk free
Even when obstacles are removed, my enemies and the pain they bring still remain.
And I have never in my life/Felt more alone than I do now
Despite everything I have been through, this moment feels like the most isolating and sad of my life.
Although I claim dominions over all I see
Even with all the power and success I have, I still feel powerless without you.
It means nothing to me/There are no vitories/In all our histories, without love
Without love, all our accomplishments and victories are meaningless and insignificant.
And though you hold the keys to ruin/Of everything I see
You have the power to destroy everything, including my heart and soul.
With every prison blown to dust/My enemies walk free
Even when obstacles are removed, my enemies and the pain they bring still remain.
Though all my kingdoms turn to sand/And fall into the sea
No matter how much success or power I may have, it means nothing without you.
I'm mad about you
I am deeply in love with you and cannot stop thinking about you.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DON EDWARD FAGENSON, PAUL REISER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mi MILI
Eu amo essa música!!!!
Ana Luiza
Opa! Devemos ser da mesma geração. 😂😂 Beijos.
andyinoregon
One of the best vocal performances ever done for a TV theme. Millions of fans loved this catchy song and never knew they were hearing Andrew Gold.
repersonudonknow
This song made me keep watching the drama "Mad about you" ☆ Ofcourse now I love the drama too. ThanQ for sharing!!
Ana Luiza
Thanks for the upload!
I didn't know the entire music not Andrew Gold! 💋
Now you went home, Andrew, and I'm sure you keep shining.
I'm Brazilian so I only knew the part of the music from the TV series.
I always found it great but watching it... Amazing!
❤️❤️❤️Andrew Gold ❤️❤️❤️
Thiago Rodovalho
The great Dave Beyer on drums!
Kellen
oh this sounds great!
Dtwee
love this song
Jim Gorr
Great song, and video... Thank you for sharing it...
RockingJamboree
RIP Andrew Gold