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.
If I Needed Someone
Barbara Dickson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're the one that I'd be thinking of
If I needed someone
If I had some more time to spend
Then I guess I'd be with you my friend
If I needed someone
Then it might not have been like this
But you see now I'm too much in love
If I needed someone
If I needed someone
Had you come some other day
Then it might not have been like this
But you see now I'm too much in love
Carve your number on my wall
And maybe you will get a call from me
If I needed someone
If I needed someone
If I needed someone
The lyrics of Barbara Dickson's song "If I Needed Someone" describe the thoughts of someone who is considering the possibility of being in love with another person. The first two lines of the song express the idea that if the singer ever needed someone to love, the person being addressed is the one they would be thinking of. The next verse suggests that if the singer had more time to spend, they would be with this person. However, there is a sense of resignation in the lyrics that suggests that the time for such possibilities has come and gone. The singer reflects that had the person come another day, things might have been different. But, now, love has taken over, and the singer is too much in love to consider this person as just a friend.
The song's final verse contains a request for the other person to carve their number on the singer's wall, perhaps as a way of establishing a more permanent contact. The lyrics suggest that the singer might call the other person if they ever need someone. This line, "If I needed someone," repeats throughout the song and functions as the song's title and the central theme of the lyrics. Overall, the song seems to be about the uncertainties of love and the fear of commitment.
Line by Line Meaning
If I needed someone to love
If I were in need of someone to love, you are the person I would think of.
You're the one that I'd be thinking of
In that scenario, You are my go-to person for whom I would long.
If I needed someone
This line is a repetition of the first line as a simpler way to emphasize love's importance.
If I had some more time to spend
Talking about wanting to be with someone but don't have enough time.
Then I guess I'd be with you my friend
If I had the luxury of more time, I would share it with you, my friend.
If I needed someone
Repeating the 3rd line to emphasize that at the core of everything, love is one of life's principal needs
Had you come some other day
This line implies that if the singer had met the person earlier or later, their entire experience could have been different.
Then it might not have been like this
If the person had come at another time, things could have gone down differently.
But you see now I'm too much in love
The artist emphasizes that he/she loves the person too much to be able to change anything, and that time does not matter.
Carve your number on my wall
This line is a request from the songwriter to the person she desires.
And maybe you will get a call from me
You might hear from me if you take this step.
If I needed someone
The song ends with the same chorus with which it began, reinforcing the message that love is a fundamental need of life.
If I needed someone
The song ends with the same chorus with which it began, reinforcing the message that love is a fundamental need of life.
If I needed someone
The song ends with the same chorus with which it began, reinforcing the message that love is a fundamental need of life.
Contributed by Bella K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.