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.
I'll Be Back
Barbara Dickson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'll be back again
Cause I, told you once before goodbye
But I came back again
I love you so, I'm the one who wants you
Yes I'm the one who wants you, oh-h oh-h
You, could find better things to do
Than to break my heart again
This time, I will try to show that I'm
Not trying to pretend
I thought that you would realise
That if I ran away from you
That you would want me to
But I got a big surprise, oh-h oh-h
Oh-h oh-h
You, could find better things to do
Than to break my heart again
This time, I will try to show that I'm
Not trying to pretend
I wanna go, but I hate to leave you
You' know I hate to leave you, oh-h oh-h
You, if you break my heart I'll go
But I'll be back again
Oh-h oh-h oh-h oh-h
The lyrics of Barbara Dickson's song "I'll Be Back" speak about love and heartbreak. The singer acknowledges that if their heart is broken, they may leave, but they will ultimately come back again. They had said goodbye once before but returned, highlighting their deep love and attachment to the person they are addressing.
The singer declares their love and desire for the other person, emphasizing that they are the one who wants them. Despite knowing that the other person could find better things to do than hurt them again, the singer promises to show their sincerity and not pretend anymore.
The lyrics also express the singer's belief that if they were to leave, the other person would want them back. However, they reveal that they were surprised by the outcome, suggesting that their departure did not have the intended effect.
The song carries a sense of confliction and reluctance. The singer wants to go but hates to leave the person they love. Ultimately, they acknowledge that if their heart is broken, they will leave, but there is an underlying hope and expectation that they will return once again.
Line by Line Meaning
You know, if you break my heart I'll go
If you choose to hurt me emotionally, I will choose to leave and distance myself from you.
But I'll be back again
However, despite the pain, I will eventually return to you.
Cause I, told you once before goodbye
I have previously expressed my farewell to you.
But I came back again
Nevertheless, I found myself coming back to you.
I love you so, I'm the one who wants you
My affection for you is profound, and I am the one longing for a connection with you.
Yes I'm the one who wants you, oh-h oh-h
Indeed, I am the sole individual desiring your presence and companionship, oh-h oh-h.
You, could find better things to do
You have the capability to discover more fulfilling and worthwhile endeavors.
Than to break my heart again
Instead of causing me emotional distress once more.
This time, I will try to show that I'm
On this occasion, I am determined to demonstrate that I am
Not trying to pretend
Genuinely not feigning or pretending anything.
I thought that you would realise
I anticipated and hoped that you would understand
That if I ran away from you
If I were to distance myself from you
That you would want me to
That it would make you desire my presence
But I got a big surprise, oh-h oh-h
Yet, I was in for a significant unforeseen revelation, oh-h oh-h
I wanna go, but I hate to leave you
I have the desire to depart from you, but I deeply resent having to bid you farewell.
You' know I hate to leave you, oh-h oh-h
You are aware that I strongly dislike leaving you, oh-h oh-h.
Oh-h oh-h oh-h oh-h
An expression of emotions or vocalization without specific meaning.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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