Born to a working-class family, Ferry studied fine art and taught at a secondary school before pursuing a career in music. In 1970 he began to assemble the rock band Roxy Music with a group of friends and acquaintances in London, and took the role of lead singer and main songwriter. The band achieved immediate international success with the release of their eponymous debut album in 1972, containing a rich multitude of sounds, which reflected Ferry's interest in exploring different genres of music. Their second album, For Your Pleasure (1973), further cultivated the band's unique sound and visual image that would establish Ferry as a leading cultural icon over the next decade.
Ferry began a parallel solo career in 1973 by releasing These Foolish Things, which popularized for the first time the concept of a contemporary musician releasing an album covering standard songs and was a drastic departure from his ongoing work with Roxy Music. His second album, Another Time, Another Place (1974), featured as its cover image Ferry posing by a pool in a white dinner jacket and represented one of his most impactful fashion statements. Over the next two years, Roxy Music released a trilogy of albums, Stranded (1973), Country Life (1974) and Siren (1975), which broadened the band's appeal internationally and saw Ferry take greater interest in the role of a live performer, reinventing himself in stage costumes ranging from gaucho to military uniforms.
Ferry disbanded Roxy Music following the release of their best-selling album Avalon in 1982 to concentrate on his solo career, releasing further singles such as "Slave to Love" and "Don't Stop the Dance" and the UK no. 1 album Boys and Girls in 1985. Including his work with Roxy Music, Ferry has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
As well as being a prolific songwriter, Ferry has recorded many cover versions, including standards from the Great American Songbook, in albums such as These Foolish Things (1973), Another Time, Another Place (1974), Let's Stick Together (1976), Taxi (1993) and As Time Goes By (1999), as well as Dylanesque (2007), an album of Bob Dylan covers. In 2019, Ferry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Roxy Music.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Ferry
Studio albums
These Foolish Things (1973)
Another Time, Another Place (1974)
Let's Stick Together (1976)
In Your Mind (1977)
The Bride Stripped Bare (1978)
Boys and Girls (1985)
Bête Noire (1987)
Taxi (1993)
Mamouna (1994)
As Time Goes By (1999)
Frantic (2002)
Dylanesque (2007)
Olympia (2010)
The Jazz Age (2012)
Avonmore (2014)
Bitter-Sweet (2018)
if not for you
Bryan Ferry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Babe, I couldn't find the door
I couldn't even see the floor
I'd be sad and blue
If not for you
If not for you
Babe, I'd lie awake all night
To shine in through
If not for you
If not for you my sky would fall
Rain would gather too
Without your love I'd be nowhere at all
And you know it's true
If not for you
If not for you
If not for you
Winter would have no spring
I couldn't hear the robin sing
I just wouldn't have a clue
If not for you
If not for you
If not for you
If not for you
If not for you
If not for you
The lyrics to Bryan Ferry's song, "If Not For You," express a message of gratitude towards someone for bringing light and happiness into their life. The song asserts that without the person being addressed, the singer would be lost, sad and blue. The lines, "Babe, I couldn't find the door, I couldn't even see the floor," depict a sense of being lost without the person's love and presence. The lines, "Rain would gather too, without your love I'd be nowhere at all," emphasize that the person being addressed is essential for the singer's very existence.
The second verse builds on the theme of the first, stating that “winter would have no spring” and the singer would "just wouldn't have a clue" about the beauty of life around them without this person. The song's refrain repeats the phrase "If not for you" several times, emphasizing the importance of the person in the singer's life. The song's melodic and rhythmic structure is simple, which nicely complements the pure message about love and gratitude.
Line by Line Meaning
If not for you
Without you
Babe, I couldn't find the door
I would feel lost and directionless without you
I couldn't even see the floor
I would be so down without you that I would lose sight of everything around me
I'd be sad and blue
I would be extremely unhappy and depressed
Babe, I'd lie awake all night
I would have trouble sleeping without you
Waitin' for the mornin' light
I would anxiously await the arrival of a new day
To shine in through
So that I can see again
If not for you my sky would fall
You are my support system, without which my world would come crashing down
Rain would gather too
Bad things would happen without your love
Without your love I'd be nowhere at all
I would be lost without your love
And you know it's true
It's a fact, and you acknowledge it too
Winter would have no spring
Life would hold no joy or hope without you
I couldn't hear the robin sing
I would be unable to appreciate the beauty and wonder of nature without you
I just wouldn't have a clue
I would be clueless and lost without you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Conchi Herves
Si no fuera por ti, nena, no pude encontrar la puerta
Ni siquiera podía ver el suelo
Yo estaría triste y azul si no para usted.
Si no para ti, bebé, me quedé despierto toda la noche
Espere a que la luz de la mañana
Para dar luz a través de
Pero no es nuevo si no fuera por ti.
Si no para ti, mi cielo se caería, la lluvia se juntaban demasiado
Sin tu amor yo estaría en ninguna parte
Estaría perdido si no fuera por ti
Y usted sabe que es verdad.
Si no para ti, mi cielo se caería, la lluvia se juntaban demasiado
Sin tu amor yo estaría en ninguna parte
¡Oh, qué haría yo si no es por usted?
Si no fuera por usted, el invierno no tendría primavera
Yo no podía oír el cantar petirrojos
Yo no tendría una pista
De todos modos no sería cierto si el anillo no es para ti
Si no para ti, si no para usted.
Rhubarb 68
Bryan Ferry: Understated elegance, elan, and talent. Everything he touches turns to gold in the musical sense.
Lynn Newmark
Indeed
Peter Guglietta
Bryan Ferry does a great job of interpreting Dylan, and this is one of his best examples. Beautiful version of a beautiful song.
Barbra Bass
Wow, his passion is unbelievable. Nobody puts more passion into a song than Bryan Ferry💝
Colin Geddes
I wud argue there r more singers that do, but what cant be disputed is that bryan ferry is class personified, his version of this cover song is majestic.
winston miller
Yes, his passion is even more affecting because it's presentation is so subdued!! As it were, like the sun waiting behind clouds. You just know it there through implication, without you being seared by it's tremendous heat to prove point...
Carla k
The perfect cover! Anything that Bryan Ferry does is nothing less than amazing!😍
Patricia Delicia
An utterly great cover of a great song. There’s nothing this ferryman can’t cover expertly.
majjjajjja
I think Brian Ferry makes every song beautiful. I saw him in concert many years ago.
Mustange Sally
Damn... I've always loved this guy for his style, voice & talent. This is a perfect example.