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.
Prison Song
Barbara Dickson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sent him down for seven years
Though he acted like they gave him life
He couldn't stop the tears
And when we went to visit him
He didn't want to know
Seems like jail sent him off the rails
Just like Marilyn Monroe
Can't stand dancing
They showed him to a doctor
And after routine tests
A prescription note the doctor wrote
For the chronically depressed
And now the tears have stopped
He sits and counts the days to go
And treats his ills with daily pills
Just like Marilyn Monroe
They stop his mind from dancing
Stop it dancing
With grace for good behaviour
He got out before his time
The family and the neighbours told him
He was lookin' fine
But he's feelin' fifteen years older
And his speech is rather slow
And his neighbours said
You'd think he was dead
Like Marilyn Monroe
No cause for dancing
No more dancing
The song "Prison Song" by Barbara Dickson speaks about the story of a man who was sentenced to seven years in jail. The opening lines talk about how the jury found him guilty and sent him down for seven years. The man in question couldn't come to terms with the verdict and acted as if he was given a life sentence. He was emotional and couldn't stop the tears from falling. When the people who were close to him went to visit him, he didn't want to know them. The song compares his situation to that of Marilyn Monroe - how jail sent him off the rails, much like the troubled actress.
The man's mental health was affected by the situation he was in, and he was shown to a doctor who diagnosed him with chronic depression. After that, he was given daily pills to treat his condition. The song implies that the medication has made the man's mind stop dancing, much like how Marilyn Monroe's mind was tamed before her death. In the end, the man gets out of jail before completing his sentence thanks to his good behavior. However, he feels like he's fifteen years older and his speech is slower. Even though his family and neighbors tell him that he's looking good, he feels like he's dead inside, just like Marilyn Monroe.
Line by Line Meaning
He was convicted by the jury for his wrongdoing.
He was sentenced to seven years in prison as punishment for his crime.
He was shattered after being sentenced for seven years and he seemed to feel like he was given a life sentence.
He was emotionally unstable and was crying continuously after being punished with such a harsh sentence.
A person or group visited him in prison.
He was aloof and didn't want to speak to anyone perhaps due to emotional turmoil or depression.
Punishment destroyed his mental and emotional balance, and he was not able to understand and cope with it.
He was facing issues similar to the famous actress Marilyn Monroe who struggled with depression, personal trauma, and abuse.
His mind is unstable and restless.
He cannot bear the internal restlessness and instability that he is experiencing.
He was taken to meet a doctor for treatment and recovery.
The doctor conducted several standard tests for evaluation.
The doctor wrote a prescription for him after evaluating the situation.
He was diagnosed as chronically depressed, which means long-term and persistent depression.
After receiving a medical prescription, he stopped crying frequently.
He was waiting out the remaining days of his sentence and was eagerly looking forward to his release.
He takes daily pills that help him manage his emotional and psychological troubles.
He is taking prescribed medication similar to the famous actress Marilyn Monroe who took medication to treat her depression.
The medication he is taking helps subdue his emotional agitation and makes him feel stable.
The pills/action stops his mind from being restless and uncontrolled.
He was well behaved in prison, for which he was granted special considerations or benefits.
He was granted an early release from prison due to good behavior or any other personal circumstance.
After he was released, his family and neighbors were happy to see him and noted that he was looking healthy and better.
He has aged both physically and mentally over the course of his incarceration and his release.
As a result of his mental and emotional trauma, he speaks slowly, indicating his gradual recovery.
People around him feel he is emotionally dead or having great difficulty in restarting his life post-incarceration.
His mental unease is so profound that he has lost the desire to dance or entertain himself.
Contributed by Scarlett F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.