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 Will
Barbara Dickson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I love you still
Will I wait a lonely lifetime?
If you want me to, I will
And if I ever saw you
I didn't catch your name
But it never really mattered
I will always feel the same
Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we're together
Love you when we're apart
Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we're together
Love you when we're apart
And when at last I find you
Your song will fill the air
Sing it loud so I can hear you
Make it easy to be near you
For the things you do endear you to me
Oh, you know I will
You know I will
I will
You know I will
Barbara Dickson's "I Will" is a beautiful love song that expresses an enduring and unconditional love. The lyrics depict the singer's undying love for someone they have loved for a long time, even though they may not have seen them in person or know their name. The singer promises to wait for this person for as long as it takes and to love them forever with all their heart, whether they are together or apart.
The second stanza further emphasizes that the singer's love is constant and unwavering. They imagine a future where they finally find the person they love and their song fills the air, making it easy to be near them. The singer is completely devoted to this person and the things they do only endear them more. The last line "oh, you know I will" reiterates the singer's commitment to their love, no matter the circumstances.
Overall, "I Will" is a beautiful declaration of love that tugs at the heartstrings. It portrays a pure, enduring, and unchanging love that is willing to wait a lifetime for the person they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Who knows how long I've loved you?
I am unsure how long my love for you has existed.
You know I love you still
Regardless of time, my affection for you remains unchanging.
Will I wait a lonely lifetime?
Will I endure the duration of my life, devoid of companionship?
If you want me to, I will
I am willing to wait if it is what you desire.
And if I ever saw you
In the instance that I encountered you
I didn't catch your name
I did not learn your name
But it never really mattered
Nonetheless, it had no significant importance
I will always feel the same
My feelings for you shall remain unaltered.
Love you forever and forever
My love for you is eternal.
Love you with all my heart
My affection for you stems from the depths of my being.
Love you whenever we're together
My adoration for you is present when we are in each other's company.
Love you when we're apart
Even in times of separation, I still love you.
And when at last I find you
When I eventually reunite with you
Your song will fill the air
The melody you produce will permeate the atmosphere.
Sing it loud so I can hear you
Sing with exuberance, so that I may appreciate your voice.
Make it easy to be near you
Let your music create an inviting environment for me to be in your presence.
For the things you do endear you to me
Your actions and mannerisms make me grow fonder of you.
Oh, you know I will
I assure you, I will do all of the aforementioned things.
You know I will
There is no doubt in my mind that I will fulfill these promises.
I will
I wholeheartedly vow to love and cherish you for all eternity.
Contributed by Riley K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Magnus_Loov
And I didn't say that the vocal performances were bad. They are great.
I actually defended this version (With Paige and Dickson) against the Whitney Houston version (which really is dull!)
You know what is really dull? Musicals! I just happen to like this song. Otherwize I really dislike the theatrics and the extremely old-fashioned way of "singing theater"
"Award winning actor" is not important to me. How they sound and and how they sing is.
And in this video they look stiff and expressionless. But I don't know if it has to do with the parts in the musical (And don't care, since it is a musical).
What I mean by saying that they as ABBA together could have done it is that if Björn and Benny could tailor the song perfectly to Agneta and Frida, with the help of Micheal B Tretow doing all the layering/doubling/shifting of tapespeeds (for thick chorus) and all fantastic producer tricks , they would have been very, very good!
The point is that the core voices were the perfect fit as a starting point to do this!
Better is maybe the wrong word, but differently awesome in a good way! Remember that the team behind them knew them in and out and actually treated the voices as synthesizers in the studio. The tones they had matched so perfectly and melted together in a way that made the magic (with the help of loads of fantastic production in the studio). They said it themselves, they were a studio band and they really loved to be creative in the studio.
But they could also sing live extremely well (this was well before auto-tune and they took pride in playing and singing everything live in the concerts).
In a musical as "theatrical performers"? They probably wouldn't be in the same league as the experienced Paige and Dickson. Paige was more known to me...
But you never know. They made some mini-musicals with that singing style for some albums (at least one). And the videos that Abba made actually were in the same vein(Cheesy though! But I think most musical are, but that is a matter of taste)
Being perceived by you as dull as persons has nothing to do with singing performances. I feel they are typically Swedish, so yeah we may all be dull in Sweden! And besides, you don't know them in private. I think "reserved" and down-to-earth are better words. I take that all the time over any kind of divas or demanding stars(And I'm not saying Paige or Dickson were that either)!
@natashagomes-george2214
This song is 40 years old. Still sounds amazing in 2023
@andrewgahan3568
May 2023 Friday 1045pm😊
@marlenesullivan3113
@@andrewgahan3568JUNE 2023
& FOREVER, AN EVERLASTING SONG
@magdalenaengstrand7511
😮😮
@jencoops3468
How true, so exquisite.
@edwardtannahill6297
They are still so beautiful. I'm not so sure about me; timeless talent.
@tectoramia-sz1lu
Barbara Dickson's voice is like liquid gold. She hits the high notes without screeching.
I saw her in concert twice. She was a much under rated singer in the UK.
@billwatt2528
I totally agree. We saw her in Peterborough a few years ago. A very good voice
@mcmaximon1
One of those pure smooth voices like Karen Carpenter! A pitch perfect tone
@daisyd7815
Benny and Björn - such musical geniuses.