Barbara Dickson is a Scottish singer, best known for her stage and concert … Read Full Bio ↴Barbara Dickson is a Scottish singer, best known for her stage and concert performances.

Dickson was born in Dunfermline. Her singing career started in folk clubs around her native Fife in the sixties, exposing her to a rich combination of traditional and contemporary music. In the early seventies, she sang at a Liverpool folk club run by a young student teacher called Willy Russell. He showed Barbara the first draft of what would later become the award winning musical, ‘John, Paul, George, Ringo….and Bert’ and asked her to perform the music. The combination of fine writing, a superb cast of young unknowns, (including Antony Sher, Bernard Hill and Trevor Eve), and Barbara’s idiosyncratic interpretation of Beatles songs made the show hugely successful.

The show’s co-producer, Robert Stigwood, signed Barbara to his record label, RSO Records, where she recorded the album ‘Answer Me’, the title track becoming a top ten hit in 1976. This led to her guest residency on the much-loved series ‘The Two Ronnies’, which brought Barbara’s singing to the attention of more than 10 million BBC viewers every week.

Also impressed by Barbara’s performance were Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, who invited her to record ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall’ from the new musical ‘Evita’, which became her second hit in 1977.

Other hits including ‘Caravan Song’ and ‘January, February’, followed in 1980.

In 1982, Willy Russell asked Barbara to star in his new musical ‘Blood Brothers’ in the pivotal role of the mother, Mrs. Johnstone. Although at first reluctant to accept, having never acted before, (not even in a school play!), she rose to the challenge, in the process garnering critical acclaim as well as Actress of the Year in a Musical from the Society of West End Theatres in 1984.

Later that year, Tim Rice approached Barbara to take part in the cast album recording of the musical ‘Chess’, which included the song ‘I Know Him So Well’, a duet sung with Elaine Paige. The song was a worldwide hit and remained at number one in the UK charts for many weeks.

During the 1990s Barbara appeared in various TV dramas including ‘Taggart’, the award winning ‘Band of Gold’ and ‘The Missing Postman’.

Acclaimed writer and director Chris Bond created a show for Barbara in 1996 called ‘The Seven Ages of Woman’ which won her the Liverpool Echo Actress of the Year Award. It premiered at the Liverpool Playhouse and toured extensively in 1997 and 1998.

In 1999, Barbara starred in ‘Spend, Spend, Spend’, a new musical by Steve Brown and Justin Greene. The show, based on the rollercoaster life story of pools winner, Viv Nicholson, played in the West End to capacity audiences. For her portrayal of Viv, Barbara was awarded ‘Best Actress in a Musical’ at the 2000 Laurence Olivier Awards.

Barbara continues to appear in concert and on record. She has in the last few years had great success with ‘The Platinum Collection’, which featured some of her most successful recordings.

Her last album, ‘Full Circle’, a journey back through her musical history, was hugely admired and well reviewed. Barbara’s most recent CD is an eclectic collection of the songs of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison called ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change My World.’

During 2006 she has appeared as the Timekeeper in Alan Ayckbourn and Denis King’s fantasy musical play

‘Whenever’ for BBC Radio 4 and presented ‘Finding A Voice’, also for BBC Radio 4.

Married with three teenaged sons, Barbara lives in Lincolnshire. An O.B.E. was conferred upon her in the Queens’ New Year’s Honours in 2002.

Every Little Thing
Barbara Dickson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I'm walking beside him
People tell me I'm lucky
Yes, I know I'm the lucky kind
I remember the first time
I was lonely without you
Can't stop thinking about you now

Every little thing he does

He does for me, yeah
And you know the things he does
He does for me, ooh

When I'm with you, I'm happy
Just to know that you love me
Yes, I know that you love me now
There is one thing I'm sure of
I will love you forever
For I know love will never die

Every little thing he does
He does for me, yeah
And you know the things he does
He does for me, ooh

Every little thing he does
He does for me, yeah
And you know the things he does
He does for me, ooh

Every little thing he does
He does for me, yeah
And you know the things he does
He does for me, ooh

Every little thing
Every little thing

Every little thing
...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Barbara Dickson's song Every Little Thing illustrate the intense love that the singer shares with her partner. The song portrays the bond and the unbreakable connection that exists between them. The opening lyrics, "When I'm walking beside him, people tell me I'm lucky", indicate how people admire and envy Barbara for having found true love. The singer acknowledges that she is indeed lucky to have found someone who cherishes her. She then goes on to reminisce about the first time she was lonely without her partner, highlighting how much he means to her.

The chorus, "Every little thing he does, he does for me", conveys a sense of devotion and dedication that the partner has towards her, underlining how much he cares for her. The lyrics, "When I'm with you, I'm happy, just to know that you love me", indicate the joy and contentment she feels when she is around him. She mentions how she is sure that their love will never fade away, which emphasizes the strength and the depth of the bond they share.

The repeated chorus signifies the depth of the love and the importance of the partner in her life. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, conveying a message of love and devotion. Overall, the song portrays a beautiful love story that can touch the hearts of many.

Line by Line Meaning

When I'm walking beside him
I feel fortunate when walking next to him

People tell me I'm lucky
Others tell me that I am fortunate to have him

Yes, I know I'm the lucky kind
I am aware of my good fortune to be with him

I remember the first time
I recall the initial time we were together

I was lonely without you
I felt alone before I met him

Can't stop thinking about you now
I constantly have him on my mind

Every little thing he does
All of the little actions he takes

He does for me, yeah
Are done for my benefit

And you know the things he does
You are aware of the actions he takes

He does for me, ooh
All of which are done for my benefit

When I'm with you, I'm happy
Being with him brings me joy