He was born in Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago to Grenadian parents, and moved to England with his family at the age of eight. Oceans' musical influence came at an early age of his life, as his father was a musician, and realised he was inline to follow those ambitions as he was growing up. During his teenage years, he sang regularly in London clubs while also working as a tailor in London's Savile Row. He released his first single in 1972 on Spark Records as Les Charles.
When in Trinidad as a boy he adopted the name Billy Ocean, taking the surname from the local football team 'Ocean's Eleven', who had gotten the name from the famous film of the same name. The next year, 1976, was when he recorded his first album, Billy Ocean, with its first single release, "Love Really Hurts Without You," charting at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and number 22 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. More successes ensued, including "L.O.D. (Love On Delivery)". He also wrote songs for other artists, such as La Toya Jackson. In 1981, he scored the U.S. R&B chart with "Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)".
Ocean's period of greatest success began with Suddenly during 1984, and its main single, "Caribbean Queen". The song's title and lyrics were changed for different regions, such that the song is also known as "African Queen" or "European Queen". The song won Ocean the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 1985 Grammy Awards. The album's title track also became a success, its score maximizing at #4 in both the US and the UK; and the song "Loverboy", while also being a #2 US success during 1985, from the album, was also the background music for the first scene of the popular UK BBC One TV series, Casualty, during 1986.
Ocean appeared at Live Aid in 1985, singing "Caribbean Queen" and "Loverboy", from the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
His 1986 album Love Zone also sold well. It included the successful singles "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" (the theme from the film The Jewel of the Nile); this was a number one success in the UK and a number two in the U.S.; and "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)" (a U.S. number one, and also a major UK success). Also included were the title track and "Love Is Forever", which were #10 and #16 U.S. successes for Ocean, respectively.
In February 1986, Ocean's video of "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" was banned by the BBC, owing to non-union members (including Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito) miming to backing vocals.
Ocean's next album, Tear Down These Walls (1988) featured another number one single, "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car", while the album was certified platinum.
His 1993 album Time to Move On failed to produce any major successes, but his 1989 Greatest Hits collection has been a steady seller over the years, and his 1997 compilation Love Is For Ever made #7 on the UK album chart. Ocean's last studio album for Jive Records was Time to Move On, which he recorded in Chicago with R&B star R. Kelly. It turned out that R. Kelly had been a long-time admirer of the way Ocean was able to mix the more emotive soul style with a crossover popular style.
In 2002, the University of Westminster awarded Ocean an honorary doctorate of music. The awards ceremony took place in the Barbican Centre, in London. He continues to tour and record in Europe. He lives in Sunningdale, Berkshire with his wife of 27 years, Judy; and their three children Cherie, Antony and Rachel. Ocean is now a patron for Tech Music Schools in London, made up of Drumtech, Vocaltech, Guitar-X and Keyboardtech. He regularly visits to hold clinics and seminars for the students.
In October 2007, Ocean commenced his first British tour in over 15 years. In February and March 2008 he toured Australia and the Far East. His new album, Because I Love You was released on 2 February 2009. To coincide with this new tour and album launch, Ocean has been working with Adoseof Design on a website revision which is due March 2009.
For more information got to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Ocean
The Long And Winding Road
Billy Ocean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lead me to your door oh, yeah.
The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me here
The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here
Let me know the way
Many times I've been alone
And many times I've cried
Any way you'll never know
The many ways I've tried
But still baby they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
Such long, long, long, long, time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
(Don't leave me waiting here)
Lead me to your door
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
So, don't leave me waiting here
Lead me, lead me to your door
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
In Billy Ocean's “The Long and Winding Road,” the singer is pleading with his lover to lead him to her door. He describes the journey as a long and winding road that will never disappear, and he has seen it before. This road always leads him back to her door, signifying the inevitability of their love.
The imagery in the song suggests that their relationship has had its ups and downs, represented by the wild and windy night that washed away the tears, but yet still crying out for love. Despite the difficulties, the singer pleads with his lover to let him know the way, to not leave him waiting alone, recalling the many times before where he was left alone crying for her attention.
Overall, “The Long and Winding Road” is a love song that depicts the persistence of love and the desire to keep trying, no matter how many times one has been alone or hurt. It’s about never giving up on love and always finding a way back to the one you love.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby don't leave me waiting here
Please don't leave me waiting indefinitely
Lead me to your door oh, yeah.
Show me the way to your place.
The long and winding road
The path of love is rarely straight or easy.
That leads to your door
The road that takes me to your place.
Will never disappear
It is a path that will always exist.
I've seen that road before
I've travelled down this path in the past.
It always leads me here
It always brings me back to you.
Lead me to your door
Please guide me to where you are.
The wild and windy night
The daunting and turbulent moments in life.
That the rain washed away
The troubles that have passed with time.
Has left a pool of tears
I'm left with sadness from the memories.
Crying for the day
Hoping for the day that I'll be happy again.
Why leave me standing here
Why leave me stranded and lost?
Let me know the way
Show me the path I should take.
Many times I've been alone
I've felt loneliness frequently.
And many times I've cried
I've shed countless tears of heartache.
Any way you'll never know
You'll never know the full extent of my love.
The many ways I've tried
I've tried numerous things to win your heart.
But still baby they lead me back
But the memories of our love always pull me back.
To the long winding road
To the challenging path of love that never gets easier.
You left me standing here
I stood alone after you left.
Such long, long, long, long, time ago
So long ago, it feels like an eternity.
Don't leave me waiting here
Please don't keep me waiting any longer.
(Don't leave me waiting here)
Please don't break my heart again.
Lead me to your door
Guide me to where you are.
But still they lead me back
But my heart always brings me back to you.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
An expression of enthusiasm and hope.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paulette Sims
My favorite version of this song, he put “SOUL” and rhythm into it and his voice and the arrangement are so beautiful. ❤️
Tommy Ross
Check out Melba Moore singing it!
Marty Slazenger
Agreed. I find a lot of R&B overproduced, but this gets it right.
Julia Jeffrey
Absolutely!
Crisi Thor
@Tommy Ross mejor la de Karen Souza
Ari Ponsel
I love this song.
Елена Ульманис
О, нет никаких слов и чувств, чтоб выразить свое восхищение перед великим мастером, королём фанка!!!Прекрасное исполнение песни,написанной и исполненной когда-то Beatles!Сильный, красивый голос.Браво!😢😢😢🎉🎉❤❤❤
Carmen Koelfgen
Ive always loved this song and i absolutely love Billy Ocean"s version.
amos mavuso
Ocean is just pure talent. This cover along with that of George Benson and George Michael are the most beautiful. I am sure Paul would approve.
Masonrogers6996
Better than Paul's, Billy's version is a masterpiece!