Hornsby is the second of three sons born to Lois (Saunier) and Robert S. Hornsby, who was a successful oil and real estate executive in Williamsburg, Virginia. The other sons, Robert "Bobby" Jr., and Jonathan, are highly regarded musicians in their own right.
Hornsby grew up listening to all types of music. He studied music at the University of Richmond, as well as the highly regarded Berklee College of Music and the University of Miami, from which he graduated in 1977.
In the spring of 1974, Hornsby's brother Bobby, who was a brother of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at the University of Virginia, formed a band, "Bobby Hi-Test and the Octane Kids" to play fraternity ragers, featuring Bruce on Fender Rhodes and vocals.
"We used to play college grain-alcohol parties," remembers Hornsby. "We did a little Allman Brothers, a little Band, but almost all Dead. We used to do 'Jack Straw', 'Sugar Magnolia', 'Truckin',' 'Not Fade Away', 'Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad'...lots of Europe '72 and Skull and Roses. We didn't do a whole lot of money gigs, but it was more about just going to this country house that my brother lived in with all these hippies, and sitting around playing."
Following his graduation from the University of Miami, Hornsby spent time in Los Angeles as a session musician and songwriter before moving back to his native southeastern Virginia
In 1984 he formed Bruce Hornsby and the Range, who were signed to RCA Records in 1985. Besides Hornsby, Range members were David Mansfield (guitar, mandolin, violin), George Marinelli (guitars and backing vocals), Joe Puerta (bass guitar and backing vocals), and John Molo (drums).
Hornsby's recording career started with the biggest hit he would ever have, entitled "The Way It Is". With a propulsive yet contemplative piano riff and the refrain, That's just the way it is, some things will never change, the song was both catchy and reflective of the American Civil Rights movement, and it topped the American music charts in 1986. In years to come, the song would be sampled by at least six rap artists, including Tupac Shakur, E-40, and Mase. It is also used as some of the introductory music to Sean Hannity's popular talk radio program.
With the success of the single worldwide, the album The Way It Is went multi-platinum and produced another top five hit with "Mandolin Rain" (co-written, as many of Hornsby's songs were, with his brother John). "Every Little Kiss" also did respectably well. Other tracks on the album helped establish what some labeled the "Virginia sound", a mixture of rock, jazz, and bluegrass with an observational Southern feel. Hornsby and the Range would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1987.
The wave of fame continued to roll with Hornsby and the Range's second album, Scenes From The Southside (on which Peter Harris replaced Mansfield). Released in 1988, it featured such hits as "Look Out Any Window" and "The Valley Road". The song "Jacob's Ladder" was featured as well, having originally been written by Hornsby for musician friend Huey Lewis. Lewis' version became a number one hit from his album Fore!. Scenes was successful in its own right and it would also be the last to perform so well in the singles market.
In 1988, Hornsby first appeared on stage with the Grateful Dead, lending some assistance to that group's somewhat unstable keyboards position, in this case following the death of Brent Mydland and preceding the incorporation of Vince Welnick as full-time keyboardist. Hornsby played piano (and occasionally the accordion) nightly with the Grateful Dead from September 1990 through March 24, 1992. He co-composed the song "Silver Apples of the Moon" for the Grateful Dead's Infrared Roses. This collaboration would continue on an less regular basis until the Grateful Dead ended in 1995; in all he made more than a hundred appearances with them. In 1989 Hornsby co-wrote and played piano on Don Henley's big hit "The End of the Innocence". In 1991 Hornsby played piano on Bonnie Raitt's popular hit "I Can't Make You Love Me". Hornsby would feature both these songs in his own concerts.
A Night On The Town was released in 1990. A change in style became apparent as the album was much more guitar driven, while the others were centered around Hornsby at the piano. After the album, the Range broke up with each member pursuing respective musical careers.
Hornsby would go on to release his first solo album, Harbor Lights, in 1993. This record showcased Hornsby in a more jazz-oriented setting and featured an all-star lineup, including Pat Metheny, Branford Marsalis, Jerry Garcia, Phil Collins, and Raitt. The tone was set by the opening title track, which after 50 seconds of expansive Virginia sound solo piano (written and recorded by Hornsby after the rest of the track was finished, because, as Hornsby would later say, he thought it would make a good opening to the album) lurches into an up-tempo jazz number, ending with Metheny's guitar runs. The album closes the same way on "Pastures of Plenty", this time with Garcia intertwined with Hornsby's piano. The mid-tempo "Fields of Gray", written for Hornsby's recently-born twin boys, received some modest radio airplay.
Harbor Lights was well-received by critics and fans, but Hornsby acknowledged that his days of popular commercial success were behind him, saying in interviews that it had been an accident that his McCoy Tyner-influenced piano work ever found itself in the middle of a hit record in the first place..
In 1995, Hot House was released. The jazz feelings that peppered the previous album would be expanded on here, giving the album a constant uptempo party sound. As is typical with Hornsby, the underlying messages behind the catchy tunes are often very dark, such as on "Country Doctor" and "White Wheeled Limousine". Murder, nuclear disaster, adultery: these dark themes and more can be found in many Hornsby compositions. (Interestingly enough, the song "White Wheeled Limousine" had debuted five years earlier as an encore to Branford Marsalis's opening act for the Grateful Dead's 1990/91 New Year's Concert, Marsilis and Rob Wasserman joined Hornsby in the performance). The album also makes an homage to Hornsby's years with the Dead via his recasting of the instrumental bridge of the Dead's song "Estimated Prophet" as the newly-lyricized Hornsby tune "Tango King." The album featured many of the same guests as on his previous record, such as Pat Metheny, and added folk music to Hornsby's usual mix. Bela Fleck also collaborates again on banjo, having previously appeared on A Night on the Town. The album also boasts more prominent roles for Harbor Lights alums John D'earth on trumpet and Bobby Read on woodwinds, and Read continues to perform with Hornsby to this date.
Three years later, Hornsby released a double album, Spirit Trail. Featuring a decidedly goofy picture of his uncle on the cover, the collection blends instrumental tracks with the story-telling, rock, jazz, and other musical forms Hornsby had delved into over his career. Among other homages, the song "Sunflower Cat, Some Dour Cat, Down With That" samples and loops the main lick from the Dead song "China Cat Sunflower." Hornsby's piano playing gained further complexity here, as evidenced by his two-hand-independence on such tracks as "King of the Hill," and prompting Hornsby's devoted fanbase to not only request songs at concerts (a long time Hornsby feature at live shows) but to begin requesting "two-hand-independence".
Hornsby next worked with several Grateful Dead reformation projects, including several Furthur Festivals and the ultimate formation of The Other Ones, which resulted in the release a live album. Hornsby's own touring band line up underwent extensive change during this period as well, not the least of which was the apparent end of musical collaboration with long time drummer John Molo. As Hornsby experimented with a different sound, ushering in frequent collaborations with such musicians as Steve Kimrock on guitar and Bobby Read on heavily effects-driven electronic woodwinds, his current band, dubbed The Noise Makers, took shape. In 2000, Hornsby chronicled this journey with a compilation live album entitled Here Come The Noise Makers, and did extensive touring.
It would not be until 2002 when he would release another album of new material, entitled Big Swing Face. Hornsby wanted to experiment and did so by dropping the piano almost completely in favor of electric pianos and other synthesizers. "Big Swing Face" also evidences a greater reliance upon programmed loops than most of his prior work, as well as lyrics that are in many ways more eccentric and humorous. Although the album marks perhaps Hornsby's most experimental work, including the track "Stick and Stones" which Hornsby cites as his partial homage to Radiohead's "Everything in its right place," the album was not well-received by many and was poorly promoted by RCA, perhaps prompting Hornsby's decision to leave the label.
However, in 2004, after 19 successful years on RCA Records, Hornsby returned to a more acoustic, piano-driven sound on his Columbia Records debut Halcyon Days. Guests included Sting, Elton John, and Eric Clapton. With no signs of slowing down yet, Bruce Hornsby remains a musician more concerned with his devoted fan base and his own growth as an artist than with commercial success.
In July 2006, Hornsby released a box set titled Intersections {1985-2005} to celebrate two decades of his music. The set contains 4 audio CDs containing some pre-released songs and many new songs and recordings from concerts. Much of the music contains collaborations with such artists as The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Chaka Khan, and Branford Marsalis. The set also includs a DVD containing music videos and video recordings of several songs. All ticketholders on Hornsby's 2006 tour receive a free copy of this set.
Hornsby also has worked with many other artists over the years, including Sheena Easton, Squeeze, Warren Zevon, Chaka Khan, Stevie Nicks, Béla Fleck, Steve Kimock and others. He continues to work with Dead-related projects, such as Bob Weir's Ratdog and The Other Ones, and in 2005 participated in a tribute concert to Jerry Garcia.
Hornsby has also taken an ownership interest in Williamsburg area radio station "The Tide", WTYD 92.3 FM, so that (he said) his music could be heard on the radio in his hometown. Accordingly, his Brunch with Bruce program, where he plays selections from his concerts, is heard on Sunday mornings.
Hornsby undertook a solo tour from October 2, 2006 to February 5, 2007.
Lost Souls
Bruce Hornsby & the Range Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought no one loved him that was not true
He said he was a lost soul didn't fit in anywhere
Didn't know where to turn or who to turn to
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
Row the boat of the loved lost soul
Ever since oh I can remember
We all tried to ease the pain
Took him in when he needed some shelter
Tried to make him feel he was one of us again
There was one day oh I can remember
He sat alone with a pencil in his hand
All day long he drew careful on the paper
In the end just a picture of a man
Of the lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love lost soul
Oh dear Mary do you remember
The day we went walking downtown
As I recall it was in early December
After school had just let out
When I see you on the street in the twilight
I may tip my hat and keep my head down
You show me love but maybe I don't deserve it
I've been called but not been found
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of the loved lost soul
The lyrics of "Lost Soul" is a poignant tale of a man who is lost and unable to find his way. He believes no one loves him, and he doesn't belong anywhere. He doesn't know where to turn or who to turn to. The song speaks about how the community tries to help the man by comforting him and taking him in when he needs shelter. They try to make him feel included and like one of them again. The lyrics also touch on the pain that the man is experiencing and how he tries to express it through drawing.
The chorus of the song talks about the lost soul coming down the road, somewhere between two worlds, with an oar in his hands and a song on his lips. The community then decides to take the lost soul with them, and they will row their boat to the far shore, hoping to help him find himself again. The song ends with the lost soul reflecting on how he may not deserve the love that he's shown and feeling like he's been called but not found.
Overall, the lyrics of "Lost Soul" paint a poignant picture of a man who is struggling with being lost and disconnected from the world. It speaks of the power of community, friendship, and love in helping someone find their way.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a man of confused and sad nature
This man was unhappy and didn't know how to deal with his emotions.
Thought no one loved him that was not true
He believed that no one cared for him, but that wasn't really the case.
He said he was a lost soul didn't fit in anywhere
He felt like he didn't belong anywhere; he was lost.
Didn't know where to turn or who to turn to
He had no idea where to go or who to ask for help.
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Someone who is lost and searching is approaching.
Somewhere between two worlds
This person is caught between two different realities.
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
He has the tools and the spirit to keep moving forward.
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Together we'll help this lost soul find their way.
Row the boat of the loved lost soul
We'll do our best to guide this person and show them that they are loved.
Ever since oh I can remember
As far back as I can recall,
We all tried to ease the pain
We did our best to make this person feel better.
Took him in when he needed some shelter
We provided a safe space for him when he had nowhere else to go.
Tried to make him feel he was one of us again
We wanted him to feel like he belonged and was a valued member of our community.
There was one day oh I can remember
I remember one specific day very clearly.
He sat alone with a pencil in his hand
He was by himself, deep in thought and introspection.
All day long he drew careful on the paper
He spent the entire day drawing, focused and determined.
In the end just a picture of a man
The end result of his efforts was a drawing of a man.
Oh dear Mary do you remember
Do you recall, my dear Mary?
The day we went walking downtown
The day we took a walk in the city center.
As I recall it was in early December
If I remember correctly, it was at the beginning of December.
After school had just let out
It was after classes had ended for the day.
When I see you on the street in the twilight
If I happen to see you in the dim light of evening,
I may tip my hat and keep my head down
I might acknowledge you politely but then go about my business.
You show me love but maybe I don't deserve it
You are kind to me, but I don't think I've done anything to earn it.
I've been called but not been found
People have tried to reach out to me, but I haven't responded or accepted their help.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRUCE HORNSBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CatherineSTodd
There was a man of confused and sad nature
Thought no one loved him, that was not true
He said he was a lost soul, didn't fit in anywhere
Didn't know where to turn or who to turn to
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
Ever since, oh, I can remember
We all tried to ease the pain
Took him in when he needed some shelter
Tried to make him feel he was one of us again
There was one day, oh, I can remember
He sat alone with a pencil in his hand
All day long he drew careful on the paper
In the end, just a picture of a man
There's the lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
Oh, dear Mary, do you remember
The day we went walking downtown
As I recall, it was in early December
After school had just let out
When I see you on the street in the twilight
I may tip my hat and keep my head down
You show me love, but maybe I don't deserve it
I've been called but not been found
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
Writer(s): B. Hornsby
Comment on youtube below:
Corey Pack
6 years ago
I remember hearing this song as I walked the harbor one night in downtown Los Angeles and heard this playing from someone's window and found myself in perfect peace as I gazed at the city's beauty smoking a cigarette.
@lauryliepolito52
"Lost Soul"
There was a man of confused and sad nature
Thought no one loved him, that was not true
He said he was a lost soul, didn't fit in anywhere
Didn't know where to turn or who to turn to
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
Ever since, oh, I can remember
We all tried to ease the pain
Took him in when he needed some shelter
Tried to make him feel he was one of us again
There was one day, oh, I can remember
He sat alone with a pencil in his hand
All day long he drew careful on the paper
In the end, just a picture of a man
There's the lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
Oh, dear Mary, do you remember
The day we went walking downtown
As I recall, it was in early December
After school had just let out
When I see you on the street in the twilight
I may tip my hat and keep my head down
You show me love, but maybe I don't deserve it
I've been called but not been found
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
@logangage4
this song.... many, many years ago.... thoughts of suicide.... alleviated by this melody, lyrics, compassion, I love this... I love my life... I'm so glad I heard this, the people who cared, and how it helped me evolve into the spectacular person I've become...
@hughgard4707
Welcome home brother.
@85rockhound
I'm glad you made it. I hope your blessings continue.
@dbeyers75
So glad you're still with us! Isn't the power of music wonderful 😊
@jws1272
I've thought for so long that this was me too......thanks for still being with us.
@paulgrafton3871
Hornsby is a genius. So many classic songs. Legend.
@sonjastanley1067
Indeed
@troyschneck4934
I never realized until today that Shawn Colvin sang on this, too--great team!
@garymahony2844
Bruce Hornsby really is a legend isn’t he .. never heard this one before .. brilliant tune and keyboard & piano tone .. thank you for the music Sir .. 👍🫶
@tonydonoghue3303
Thanks Bruce for all the wonderful music memorys....... never ever felt you ever got the recognition for your brilliant music......but I'm still rolling with you in 2021 and beyond