In 1976, he achieved a national breakout with the studio album Night Moves. On his studio albums, he also worked extensively with the Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, which appeared on several of Seger's best-selling singles and albums.
Seger's first marriage in 1968 lasted for "one day short of a year". He had a long-term relationship with Jan Dinsdale from 1972 until 1983. In 1987, he married actress Annette Sinclair and they divorced one year later. He married Juanita Dorricott in 1993, in a small private setting at The Village Club, in Bloomfield Hills; they have two children. Seger lives mainly at his home in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. He owns a condo in Naples, Florida.
Politically, Seger has characterized himself as a centrist: "[I'm] right down the middle", he remarked. He supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. He tackled antiestablishment themes in early songs such as "2+2=?" (1968) and "U.M.C. (Upper Middle Class)" (1974), according to Brian McCollum of the Detroit Free Press. On his 2014 album Ride Out, he addressed topics such as gun violence, and wrote "It's Your World" about climate change. On the subject, he said, "There are a lot of culprits in climate change, and everybody's responsible, myself included. Nobody gets a free pass on this one. We've got to change our ways and change them fast.
A roots rocker with a classic raspy, shouting voice, Seger wrote and recorded songs that deal with love, women and blue-collar themes and is an example of heartland rock. Seger has recorded many hits, including "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man", "Night Moves", "Turn the Page", "Still the Same", "We've Got Tonight", "Against the Wind", "You'll Accomp'ny Me", "Shame on the Moon", "Like a Rock", and "Shakedown", which was written for Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). Seger also co-wrote the Eagles' number-one hit "Heartache Tonight", and his iconic recording of "Old Time Rock and Roll" was named one of the Songs of the Century in 2001.
With a career spanning six decades, Seger continues to perform and record today. Seger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012. Seger was named Billboard's 2015 Legend of Live honoree at the 12th annual Billboard Touring Conference & Awards, held November 18–19 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York.
Seger was known as one of the last holdouts regarding making his catalog available for digital download and streaming. However, as of 2017, much of his work is available.
Mainstreet
Bob Seger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to get my courage up
There was this long, lovely dancer in a little club downtown
Loved to watch her do her stuff
Through the long, lonely nights she filled my sleep
Her body softly swaying to that smoky beat
Down on Main Street
Down on Main Street
In the pool halls, the hustlers and the losers
Used to watch 'em through the glass
Well I'd stand outside at closing time
Just to watch her walk on past
Unlike all the other ladies, she looked so young and sweet
As she made her way alone down that empty street
Down on Main Street
Down on Main Street
Sometimes even now, when I'm feeling lonely and beat
I drift back in time and I find my feet
Down on Main Street
Down on Main Street
Down on Main Street
Down on Main Street
Down on Main Street
Down on Main Street
The lyrics to Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's "Mainstreet" tell the story of a man who remembers standing on the corner at midnight, trying to gather up the courage to approach a long, lovely dancer in a little club downtown. He loved watching her dance, and she filled his lonely nights with her swaying body and the smoky beat. Unlike the other women he saw in the pool halls and on the street, she looked young and sweet. He would even stand outside at closing time just to watch her walk past alone down the empty street.
The song is a reflection on memories and feelings of nostalgia. The singer is taken back to a time when he felt lost and alone, but the dancer on Main Street gave him hope and something to look forward to. He vividly remembers the sights and sounds of the downtown area and the way the dancer's body moved to the music. This song is a testament to the power of music and human connection, and the way they can lift us out of our darkest moments.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember standing on the corner at midnight
Recollection of standing on a street corner late one night
Trying to get my courage up
Feeling nervous, needing bravery
There was this long, lovely dancer in a little club downtown
A stunning dancer seen in a small venue in a nearby city
Loved to watch her do her stuff
Admiration for the way she danced
Through the long, lonely nights she filled my sleep
She was consistently on his mind late at night when lonely
Her body softly swaying to that smoky beat
The way she danced was amazing with the music she had been set to dance to
Down on Main Street
This all occurred in the city's business district
In the pool halls, the hustlers and the losers
Seedy establishments with gamblers and people without fortunes
Used to watch 'em through the glass
Watching these events unfold from outside the venue
Well I'd stand outside at closing time
Standing outside that club or hall as it closed
Just to watch her walk on past
Only to see her before she left
Unlike all the other ladies, she looked so young and sweet
She stood out because of how young and innocent she appeared compared to others seen there - unique in appearance from what was expected
As she made her way alone down that empty street
She walked alone down a street that had cleared because it had gotten late
Sometimes even now, when I'm feeling lonely and beat
Even in present day, he has moments of sadness and exhaustion
I drift back in time and I find my feet
He reminisces and finds comfort while thinking back on this moment
Down on Main Street
These comforting thoughts return to that specific location
Down on Main Street
Same as above
Down on Main Street
Same as above
Down on Main Street
Same as above
Down on Main Street
Same as above
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOB SEGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steven Harbers
on No Man's Land
I always liked 'No Man's Land' and equated it to all the times I'd get underway (ships at sea) especially when I was a younger Sailor. I always felt safer away from shore riding a wave that never crested.