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.
Missing you
Barbara Dickson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm still standing here, and you're miles away
And I'm wondering why you left
And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight
I hear your name in certain circles, and it always makes me smile
I spend my time thinking about you, and it's almost driving me wild
And there's a heart that's breaking down this long distance line tonight
I ain't missing you at all, since you've been gone away
I ain't missing you, no matter what I might say
There's a message in the wire, and I'm sending you this signal tonight
You don't know how desperate I've become and it looks like I'm losing this fight
In your world I have no meaning, though I'm trying hard to understand
And it's my heart that's breaking down this long distance line tonight
I ain't missing you at all, since you've been gone away
I ain't missing you, no matter what my friends say
And there's a message that I'm sending out, like a telegraph to your soul
And if I can't bridge this distance, stop this heartbreak overload
I ain't missing you at all, since you've been gone away
I ain't missing you, no matter what my friends say
I ain't missing you, I ain't missing you, I can lie to myself
And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight
I ain't missing you at all, oh no, I ain't missing you, I can lie to myself
I ain't missing you, missing you, no matter what I say
I ain't missing you, missing you...
The song "Missing You" by Barbara Dickson is a powerful ballad that expresses the feelings of a person who is deeply in love with someone that is no longer with them. The opening lines of the song establish the singer's ongoing thoughts and fixation on the person they miss so much. The line "And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight" is particularly poignant as it signifies the singer's inner turmoil and emotional pain.
The second verse of the song introduces the idea that the singer is not alone in their feelings, as they hear the name of their lost love in certain circles. The line "And there's a heart that's breaking down this long distance line tonight" continues the motif of emotional pain and hints at the idea of distance and separation, which is a recurring theme throughout the song. Despite all of this, the chorus of the song gives the impression that the singer is trying to hold back their emotions, denying that they are missing the person who left them.
The third verse sees the singer sending a message to their lost love, admitting their desperation and fighting against the heartbreak. The line "And there's a message that I'm sending out, like a telegraph to your soul" is a powerful metaphor, highlighting the extent of the singer's longing for their lost love. The chorus then repeats, with the singer still insisting that they are not missing their love, even though their words ring hollow.
Overall, "Missing You" is a heartfelt and powerful song that captures the pain, desperation and denial that one feels when they are missing someone they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I think of you, I always catch my breath
Thinking of you takes my breath away
And I'm still standing here, and you're miles away
You're far away and I'm still in the same place
And I'm wondering why you left
I don't understand why you left me
And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight
My heart feels numb and there's an emotional storm inside me
I hear your name in certain circles, and it always makes me smile
Hearing your name makes me feel happy
I spend my time thinking about you, and it's almost driving me wild
Constantly thinking about you is making me feel crazy
And there's a heart that's breaking down this long distance line tonight
My heart is breaking because of this distance between us
I ain't missing you at all, since you've been gone away
I am not missing you (denial)
I ain't missing you, no matter what I might say
I am still saying that I'm not missing you
There's a message in the wire, and I'm sending you this signal tonight
I'm trying to reach you through a message
You don't know how desperate I've become and it looks like I'm losing this fight
You don't know how much I need you and it feels like I'm losing you
In your world I have no meaning, though I'm trying hard to understand
I feel insignificant in your life even though I'm trying to make sense of it
And there's my heart that's breaking down this long distance line tonight
My heart is still breaking because of the distance between us
And there's a message that I'm sending out, like a telegraph to your soul
I'm trying to reach out to you on a deeper level
And if I can't bridge this distance, stop this heartbreak overload
If I can't overcome this distance, my heartbreak will become too much to bear
I ain't missing you at all, since you've been gone away
Still in denial about missing you
I ain't missing you, no matter what my friends say
Friends are telling me I miss you, but I still deny it
I ain't missing you, I ain't missing you, I can lie to myself
Repeated denial of missing you
And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight
Even though I deny it, my heart is still in turmoil
I ain't missing you at all, oh no, I ain't missing you, I can lie to myself
Continued denial and realization that I can deceive myself
I ain't missing you, missing you, no matter what I say
I keep saying I don't miss you, but deep down I know I do
I ain't missing you, missing you...
I still can't admit that I miss you
Contributed by Lila B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CHE
Thankyou for this! This brings back Priceless Child hood Memories of My Hero ❤ My Dad ❤
Suzanne Hills
Barbara Dickson has a great voice and this version of this song she sings it the best
michael White
She's a class act