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.
In The Night
Barbara Dickson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you're not here,
In the night, I feel a pain inside,
But you're not here,
Oh baby if I had you here,
I'd never let you go,
But in the night, there's no light to shine on me
Will never end,
In the night, just being alone,
Without a friend,
It's quiet now and yet I know,
That you will be home soon,
But in the night, there's no light to shine on me
CHORUS :
Black, black as coal,
Dark, so you can't see,
Blind without your love,
No light to shine on me
In the night, the thinking aloud,
Brings me down,
In the night, the dear light of dawn,
Cannot be found,
One more day until I see,
Your loving smile again,
But in the night, there's no light to shine on me
CHORUS
The song "In The Night" by Barbara Dickson seems to be about the singer's feelings of loneliness and desperation in the night when their loved one is not present. The singer reaches out but does not find their love, and they feel a pain inside. If the loved one were there, the singer would never let them go. However, in the darkness of night, there is no light to shine on the singer, no hope to cling to. The darkness seems unending, and the singer feels completely alone without a friend. The silence is oppressive, and the lack of connection to the one they love brings the singer down. The thought of the dawn, the end of the night, is something that offers some hope, but for now, the singer is in the darkness of their solitary thoughts.
The chorus provides a metaphorical description of the situation. The night is "black as coal," and without the loved one's presence, the singer is "blind" and unable to see clearly. They are lost without their love's light shining on them. The song highlights the pain of being alone in the darkness, struggling to find hope and togetherness.
Line by Line Meaning
In the night, I reach out my hand,
When it's dark, I desperately want someone to hold on to, but there's no one with me to offer comfort.
But you're not here,
The person I long for is not here beside me.
In the night, I feel a pain inside,
During the night, I feel an emotional discomfort.
Oh baby if I had you here,
If the person I love was here, I would feel complete and content.
I'd never let you go,
I would never willingly let go of the person I love.
But in the night, there's no light to shine on me
Despite my hopes and wants, there is no hope or direction to guide me through the bleakness of the night.
In the night, it seems like the dark,
The dark of the night feels almost infinite and oppressive.
Will never end,
The night feels endless and unrelenting.
In the night, just being alone,
The solitary nature of the night's darkness is noticeable and uncomfortable.
Without a friend,
There is no one present who can offer me comfort or support during this time.
It's quiet now and yet I know,
Despite the stillness, I am aware that someone important to me will soon return home.
That you will be home soon,
I anticipate the arrival of the person who means so much to me.
But in the night, there's no light to shine on me
Despite the hope that someone important will soon return, there is still no direction for me to take.
Black, black as coal,
The night's darkness is pitch-black and suffocating.
Dark, so you can't see,
The night's darkness is all-encompassing, making it impossible to see anything or be guided by anything.
Blind without your love,
Without the love of the person dear to me, I feel aimless and without direction.
No light to shine on me
Again, I am facing the darkness and emptiness without hope or direction.
In the night, the thinking aloud,
My thoughts grow louder and ever-present when night falls.
Brings me down,
These thoughts can be depressing and demotivating when left to consume me.
In the night, the dear light of dawn,
The arrival of daylight and the promise of a new day can be a precious thought when faced with dark nights.
Cannot be found,
The hope and beauty of dawn feels distant and unattainable.
One more day until I see,
I am counting down the days until I can see the beloved person again.
Your loving smile again,
The smile of the person I hold dear is a beacon of hope and love for me.
But in the night, there's no light to shine on me
Despite these hopes and promises of love, the night remains as oppressive and empty as ever.
Contributed by Alexander O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@margaretbrandrick1023
Such a beautiful voice!
@grahamedwards7658
One beautiful song from a classy Scottish lady .Brilliantly written by Alan tarney
@mmmarkww
In The Night was actually written by Barbara Dickson.
@raymondhenderson1436
You're right Graham she is a very talented woman
@grahamedwards7658
Written by Alan tarney (the guy who wrote 'we don't talk anymore for sir cliff Richard ). Barbara's voice is silky and pure . Love this
@Gayalert69
Written by Barbara Dickson not Alan Tarney.
@PYEDCFC18
Classic Song love the guitar bit so epic
@PYEDCFC18
Would love to see a live version of this
@christophert.7635
I love this! 💖💖💖💖
@raymondhenderson1436
Another one of many lovely tracks of Barbaras is worth listening to. What I like about Barbara is very unassuming .I like hearing when she sings all the old Scottish Folk songs predomantly of Robert Burns