Born in Hope Valley, Rhode Island, with his parents Mr. & Mrs. William Gilman Jr., Gilman first received notice as a performer at age seven, attracting the attention of a local vocal coach, Angela Bacari, who later became his manager. Eventually he met with Ray Benson (of Asleep at the Wheel) who helped him record demos, including "Roly Poly". Two months later he was signed by Sony Music Nashville.
His 2000 debut album, One Voice, had a very widely-played single that crossed over well into top 40 airplay. The album reached multi-platinum status, and earned a Grammy nomination. Generally touted as a child prodigy, Gilman appeared on various talk shows. Classic Christmas (which was certified gold) was released later in the year.
He released Dare to Dream (certified gold) on Sony BMG Music Entertainment/Epic Records in 2001, and in 2003 released Music Through Heartsongs, an album inspired by the poetry of Mattie Stepanek. Later in 2003, he performed at a benefit for The Station nightclub fire. In May 2005, he released Everything and More, his first album since his voice changed.
Billy's latest album, self-titled, was released in September 2006 on the Image Entertainment label. The first single off the upcoming album, Southern Star, heralds a return to his country music roots. Billy is scheduled to begin working on his next album with Eddie Galan and Andrew Lane of Trilogy Productions.
What's Forever For
Billy Gilman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And how they change with the times
And lately all I've been seein' of people
Throwin' love away and losing their minds
Or maybe it's me that's gone crazy
Cause I can't understand why
All these people keep hurting each other
So what's the glory in livin'
Doesn't anybody ever stay together anymore
And if love never lasts forever
Tell me, what's forever for
Well I've been listening to people
And they say love is the key
It's not my way to let them lead me astray
It's only that I want to believe
But I see love-hungry people
Trying their best to survive
While in their hands is a dying romance
And they don't even try to keep it alive
So what's the glory in livin'
Doesn't anybody ever stay together anymore
And if love never lasts forever
Tell me, what's forever for
And if love never lasts forever
Tell me, what's forever for
In Billy Gilmanβs song βWhatβs Forever For,β he reflects on the changing nature of love and relationships in society. He opens by expressing his observations of people and how they change with time. However, lately, he has seen people throwing love away and losing their minds. He finds it difficult to understand why people hurt each other when good love is hard to come by.
Billy Gilman then questions the notion of everlasting love, wondering if itβs possible for love to last forever. He asks whatβs the glory in living when people donβt stay together anymore, and if love never lasts forever, what is forever for? He continues to express his disappointment that love is hard to come by and that people are willing to throw it away instead of working to keep it alive.
In the second verse, he mentions that people say love is the key, but itβs not his way to let them lead him astray. He wants to believe in love, but he sees love-hungry people trying to survive with dying romances that they donβt even try to keep alive. The song ends with the repeating of the chorus questioning the purpose of forever if love canβt last.
Overall, βWhatβs Forever Forβ is a reflection on the current state of relationships and whether love is still possible to sustain. Despite acknowledging the difficulties that relationships face, Billy Gilman still holds onto the hope that true love can be found and kept alive.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been looking at people
I have been observing people's behavior
And how they change with the times
And how their behavior changes with the changing times
And lately all I've been seein' of people
And recently, all I have observed of people
Throwin' love away and losing their minds
Is that they are carelessly discarding love and going insane.
Or maybe it's me that's gone crazy
Perhaps it is my own sanity that is dwindling
Cause I can't understand why
Because I cannot comprehend the reason
All these people keep hurting each other
Why everyone inflicts harm on each other
When good love is so hard to come by
Even though finding genuine love is difficult.
So what's the glory in livin'
What's the point of living anymore
Doesn't anybody ever stay together anymore
No one seems to believe in staying together anymore
And if love never lasts forever
And if love is never permanent
Tell me, what's forever for
Please tell me what the forever denotes
Well, I've been listening to people
I have been hearing what people have to say
And they say love is the key
They say that love is the solution
It's not my way to let them lead me astray
But I will not let them influence me to wrong paths
It's only that I want to believe
I only desire to have faith in love
But I see love-hungry people
But I also see desperate people yearning for love
Trying their best to survive
Struggling to survive
While in their hands is a dying romance
But in their grasp, there is a love that is slowly fizzling out
And they don't even try to keep it alive
And they do not make efforts to revive it.
And if love never lasts forever
And if love is not eternal
Tell me, what's forever for
What does forever stand for then?
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAFE VAN HOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
pevensie lavere
Billy Gilman's voice comforts me. Such a joy to his delivery and tone. Thank you, Billy! :-)
Ashlynn Morgan
I've not heard this song in about 10 years and still remember every word β€οΈπ
sethrigdon17
Ashlynn Morgan I remember back when I was a kid I had this CD and I had every single song memorized. It's only by happy circumstance I found this song and after all these years, I can still remember the words. This song, Oklahoma, and One Voice were always my favorites.
k21im
omg..me too!!!
Joyce Connors
Haven't kept up with his career. But I have this CD and I've been listening to it since it was new. Beautiful voice and wonderful songs.
Hazim Reitz
This kid's voice just been missed when he enters teenage years, but I love his songs!!! brings back all that awesome memories :D
Mykayla has no life
Oh my goodness!! People need to know Billy Gilman! There us a generation who gas Bo idea who he is and that is not okay with me! I really miss him and wish he was still really popular!
Maylyn Molina
amazing voice...i really like it.
BeyondTheManyStars
I listened to these songs when I was 5. Im not going to forget this guy.
Quinn Tech
Wow, such a wonderful expressive voice!