Born in New York City, Sager co-wrote her first pop hit, A Groovy Kind of Love, with Toni Wine, while a student at the New York City High School of Music and Art. It was recorded by the British invasion band The Mindbenders, whose version was a worldwide hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100). The song was subsequently recorded by Sonny & Cher, Petula Clark, and Phil Collins, whose rendition for the film Buster hit #1 in 1988.
Sager was graduated from New York University, where she majored in English, Dramatic Arts and Speech. Her first recording as a singer was the 1977 album Carole Bayer Sager, which included the #1 international single "You're Moving Out Today", a song which she co-wrote with Bette Midler. (Paul Buckmaster provided horn and string arrangements for the album.) The album went platinum in Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom. It was followed by ...Too in 1978 and a third and last album, co-produced by Burt Bacharach, entitled Sometimes Late at Night (1981), which included a top 30 hit single "Stronger Than Before", later recorded by Dionne Warwick and Chaka Khan.
Many of Sager's early songs were co-written with her former husband, composer Bacharach. She has also collaborated with Melissa Manchester, Neil Diamond, Marvin Hamlisch, Michael Masser, Peter Allen, Bruce Roberts, Neil Sedaka, David Foster, Albert Hammond, Quincy Jones, Michael McDonald, James Ingram, Donald Fagen, Babyface and Clint Eastwood (for the film True Crime).
Sager has won an Oscar (six nominations), a Grammy (nine nominations), two Golden Globe awards (seven nominations). She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987.
Sager won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1981 for "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)", the theme song from the film Arthur. She shared the award with co-writers Peter Allen, Burt Bacharach, and Christopher Cross.
Sager received the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1987 for "That's What Friends Are For", which she co-wrote with Bacharach. The song was originally written for the 1982 film Night Shift and was recorded for the movie by Rod Stewart. The song was honored for its 1986 cover version by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Elton John, which became a number one hit, raising millions of dollars for AIDS research.
Sager now lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband Robert A. Daly, former chairman CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and former chairman of Warner Brothers. Daly is currently Chairman (CEO) of the charitable organization Save The Children as well as an advisor to Tom Freston and Brad Grey at Paramount Pictures (Viacom). Sager and Daly co-chair the Los Angeles Advisory Board of DonorsChoose.
Sager has one son from her previous marriage, Cristopher Bacharach.
In May 2006 she was honored at a lunch at NYU's Steinhart School and later that evening received the Distinguished Alumni Award from New York University.
She appeared on the January 24, 2007 episode of American Idol as a judge during the Manhattan auditions.
You & Me
Carole Bayer Sager Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you did
You would know if I loved you
Part of it's trust
And part of it's just being
When you loved me
Did you know
How I lived my life for you
And part of me just cried out
Say goodbye now
Don't lie anymore
When it's gone
We'll walk away
We'll move on
But if you loved me
Even now
Would you watch as I leave you
Maybe you would
And maybe I'd still be here
You don't know me
Don't try anymore
When it's gone
We'll walk away
We'll move on
But if you loved me
If you did
Would you watch as I leave you
Maybe you will
And maybe I will still be here
Trying to let go
You don't know me
Maybe I will still be here
Carole Bayer Sager's song, You Don't Know Me, is a powerful ballad about the complexities of a past relationship. The song is sung from the perspective of someone who has loved deeply and feels that their love was not reciprocated. The first verse sets the tone, with the singer asserting that the person they loved did not truly know them, and even if they did, they would not understand the depths of their love. The lines "when you loved me, did you know, how I lived my life for you" highlight the singer's devotion, as well as their frustration with not being fully seen or appreciated.
The chorus of the song, "you don't know me, don't try anymore, when it's gone we'll walk away, we'll move on" captures the idea that the relationship is over, and there is no going back. The singer recognizes that they must let go, even if it is difficult, and they plead with their former lover to do the same. However, the final lines of the song suggest that perhaps there is still a flicker of hope, as the singer wonders if their former lover would watch them leave, and maybe, just maybe, they would still be there waiting.
The song speaks to the universal experiences of love and heartbreak. It captures the complicated mix of emotions that come with loving someone deeply, but not feeling fully seen or appreciated. The lyrics are poignant and relatable, and the melody is beautiful, making it a moving and unforgettable song.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't know me
You are not aware of who I really am and how I feel
If you did
If you had taken the time to uncover my true self
You would know if I loved you
You would have already known if I had feelings for you
Part of it's trust
Trust is a crucial aspect of a relationship
And part of it's just being
But being there for each other is equally important
When you loved me
During the time you said you loved me
Did you know
Were you aware of
How I lived my life for you
All the things that I did for you and how it shaped my life
Part of me died
A part of me was emotionally devastated
And part of me just cried out
Another part of me expressed my sadness
Say goodbye now
Let's end this relationship
Don't lie anymore
Don't make false promises anymore
When it's gone
When this relationship ends
We'll walk away
We'll move on with our lives
We'll move on
We'll each go our separate ways
But if you loved me
If you truly had feelings for me
Even now
Even though our relationship is ending
Would you watch as I leave you
Would you let me go without trying to stop me
Maybe you would
Perhaps you would do nothing
And maybe I'd still be here
And maybe I would still be around
Don't try anymore
Stop trying to hold onto something that isn't there
Trying to let go
Attempting to move on and accept that this relationship is over
Maybe I will still be here
Perhaps I will still be around, despite everything
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BURT BACHARACH, CAROLE BAYER SAGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind