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.
No Man's Land
Bob Seger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standing on the shore
Pause a moment to reflect
Which trip costs you more
Between the ever restless crowds
And the silence of your room
Spend an hour in no man's land
Victims come and victims go
There's always lots to spare
One victim lives the tragedy
One victim stops to stare
Still another walks on by
Pretending not to see
They're all out there in no man's land
'Cause it's the safest place to be
But sanctuary never comes
Without some kind of risk
Illusions without freedom
Never quite add up to bliss
The haunting and the haunted
Play a game no one can win
The spirits come at midnight
And by dawn they're gone again
And so it seems our destiny
To search and never rest
To ride that ever changing wave
That never seems to crest
To shiver in the darkest night
Afraid to make a stand
And then go back and do our time
Out there in no man's land
Out in no man's land
Out in no man's land
Out there, out there, out there, out there
No man's land
The lyrics to Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's song No Man's Land talk about the difficulty in finding a sense of belonging in the world. The song begins by describing the choice that one has to make between staying in a comfortable and familiar space, or venturing out to experience the restless and unknown crowds. The song mentions that spending some time in no man's land can help one in making this decision. The concept of a no man's land suggests a kind of limbo or in-between space, a place where people who are lost and unsure find themselves. With the mention of victims, the song then describes different behaviors people display when faced with tragedy. Some wallow in their sorrow, some just keep moving forward and some pretend that nothing is happening. However, the song suggests that all of these people are just trying to survive, and staying in no man's land is the safest place because illusions of security come without any kind of freedom.
The song posits that there can be no sanctuary without risk, and that true happiness and bliss can only come from the willingness to leave one's comfort zone. Yet, despite the desire to move on from no man's land, it seems like it's our destiny to always be searching for a sense of belonging. The lyrics suggest that we are all haunted by the idea of not finding the place where we belong, and that searching for it is a game no one can win. The song concludes by saying that the only choice we have left is to ride the ever-changing waves of life, even if it means shivering in the darkest night and being afraid to make a stand. The idea of no man's land is a metaphor for the space between certainty and uncertainty, and the song suggests that it is only by venturing out into the unknown that we will ever truly find ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Headin' in or headin' out
Are you coming or going, in life or just in a moment?
Standing on the shore
Pausing on the edge of possibility
Pause a moment to reflect
Consider the past, present and future
Which trip costs you more
Which journey takes the most out of you?
Between the ever restless crowds
The chaos and clamour of society
And the silence of your room
The loneliness and emptiness within oneself
Spend an hour in no man's land
Get lost in the middle of nowhere for a while
You'll be leaving soon
Remember that you can move on from feeling lost
Victims come and victims go
Life is full of people in and out of struggles
There's always lots to spare
There will never be a shortage of hardship in the world
One victim lives the tragedy
Some face tragedy head on
One victim stops to stare
Others simply watch the tragedy happen
Still another walks on by
Some are indifferent to the struggles of others
Pretending not to see
Ignoring the pain around them
They're all out there in no man's land
Everyone has their own struggles to face
'Cause it's the safest place to be
Being alone seems better than being hurt
But sanctuary never comes
A safe haven is hard to find
Without some kind of risk
Taking chances is required to find security
Illusions without freedom
Falsely believing one is safe without truly being free
Never quite add up to bliss
This doesn't make a fulfilling life
The haunting and the haunted
Those who bring fear and those who feel it
Play a game no one can win
Fear only breeds more fear
The spirits come at midnight
The fears and regrets come to you when you're most vulnerable
And by dawn they're gone again
But they always fade away eventually
And so it seems our destiny
It often feels like we're fated to be lost
To search and never rest
Looking for answers, but never finding complete resolution
To ride that ever changing wave
Life is never consistent or predictable
That never seems to crest
It's always building and falling without a clear peak
To shiver in the darkest night
Still feeling afraid and alone when it's at its worst
Afraid to make a stand
Difficulty finding the courage to stand up for oneself
And then go back and do our time
Ultimately, we must continue on our journey and face the struggles
Out in no man's land
Feeling lost and alone in between two worlds
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOB SEGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steven Harbers
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.