First #1 Hit: The Midnight Oil (1973)<… Read Full Bio ↴Birthday: December 25th, 1948
First #1 Hit: The Midnight Oil (1973)
From 1980 to 1981, she and her two sisters hosted the last successful variety show, "Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters", on NBC.
In 1984, she and her two children were involved in a severe automobile accident, leaving her with serious injuries. All three were taken to Baptist Hospital in Nashville.
After giving her final concert performance at the Grand Old Opry House on October 23rd, 1997, she later moved into acting on the short lived soap opera, "Sunset Beach" on NBC.
In October 2006, she was honored with the release of a new tribute album "She Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool: A Tribute To Barbara Mandrell" on BNA Records.
I've Been Loving You Too Long
Barbara Mandrell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are tired and you want to be free
My love is growin' stronger as you become a haven to me
I've been loving you a little too long I don't want to stop now
With you my life has been so wonderful I can't stop now
You are tired and your love is growin' colder
My love is growin' stronger as our affair grows older
I've been loving you too long to stop now
Barbara Mandrell's song "I've Been Loving You Too Long" is a poignant ode to a love that is coming to an end. The opening line sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer proclaiming that she has been loving her partner for too long to stop now. Despite the fact that her love is growing stronger with each passing day, she can sense that her partner is becoming tired and wants to be free. This tension between the strength of the singer's love and the retreating nature of her partner's affection is a central theme of the song.
As the song progresses, the singer reflects on how wonderful her life has been with her partner, and how their love has grown colder as their affair has grown older. While the singer's love continues to burn bright, her partner's love is dwindling, causing a rift between them. Even as the singer acknowledges that her partner's love is growing colder, she cannot bring herself to stop loving him. The final line of the song - "I've been loving you too long to stop now" - perfectly captures the conflict at the heart of the song.
Overall, "I've Been Loving You Too Long" is a powerful testament to the endurance of love, even in the face of adversity. The song's haunting melody and heartfelt lyrics make it a classic of the Country & Western genre, and a moving tribute to the power of enduring love.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been loving you too long to stop now
I have been loving you for a long time and now I cannot stop.
You are tired and you want to be free
You are exhausted and you need some freedom.
My love is growin' stronger as you become a haven to me
As you are my comfort and refuge, my love for you is growing stronger.
I've been loving you a little too long I don't want to stop now
I have been loving you for a little too long, but I do not want to stop now.
With you my life has been so wonderful I can't stop now
My life has been amazing with you and I cannot stop loving you now.
You are tired and your love is growin' colder
You are becoming tired and your love for me is diminishing.
My love is growin' stronger as our affair grows older
With time, my love for you is getting stronger.
I've been loving you too long I've been loving you oh too long
I have been loving you for too long, it has become excessive.
I've been loving you too long to stop now
I cannot stop loving you, even though I have been doing it for an extended period.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: Jerry Butler, Otis Redding
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind