Signing with Capitol Records out of L.A. when she was 17, her self-titled debut album in 1977, produced by David Foster, won her a Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist. She was nominated for the same award a second time, for her 1978 sophomore release Pretty Girls, although she did not win.
After Lisa Dalbello's third album, in 1981, she took a break from recording to re-evaluate her creative and personal priorities. However, David Bowie's former Spiders From Mars guitarist Mick Ronson saw a CBC documentary on her while working at a recording studio in Toronto and convinced her to record another album.
That album, whomanfoursays (a homophone for "human forces"), was co-produced by Dalbello and Ronson. It was also her first album recorded as Dalbello, and marked her transformation into an edgy rock artist. The transformation worked -- the album was even more successful on the Canadian pop charts than her earlier albums had been. The album spawned the hit singles "Gonna Get Close To You" and "Animal".
Ronson and Dalbello planned to record a second album, however, over Dalbello's strong objections, Ronson was passed over by both her record label, and her manager at that time, Roger Davies. Disappointed, and in an attempt to ensure the creative integrity of the Ronson/Dalbello production follow up, Dalbello submitted 4 self-produced song demos to her U.S. label and manager, only to have them rejected because they wanted a "real" producer.
Partly out of frustration and partly as a practical joke, Dalbello re-submitted the song demos under a pseudonym, "Bill Da Salleo", which was nothing more than a simple anagram of her name. To her surprise, her label and manager excitedly called her up saying that they loved the "new" demos and believed "Bill" was the perfect producer for the project.
Dalbello continued to produce the album under the pseudonym, managing to keep both her label and manager from visiting the sessions by booking the studio time late at night, and only broke the "news" of "Bill's premature death" to her Canadian A&R person Deane Cameron, just prior to delivering the album to the label, and shortly after Cameron called her out of concern that the label had no signed production agreement between Bill Da Salleo and themselves. Cameron, a maverick in Canadian music circles who was the first record label A & R person to have signing autonomy from his U.S. label counterpart out of L.A., reportedly laughed out loud, proclaiming that Dalbello had truly kicked the L.A. A&R offices' asses.
EMI released the album She in 1987. That album's singles, "Tango" and "Black on Black", were Dalbello's biggest hits. A version of "Black on Black" was also featured on the 9½ Weeks soundtrack. The success of She allowed her to tour extensively, particularly throughout Europe.
In 1991, not long after she moved from Toronto to L.A., Ronson and Dalbello discussed collaborating again. However, everything was put on hold because of a downturn in Ronson's health. Sadly, Ronson died of liver failure in 1993.
Three years later, Dalbello released whore in 1996 for EMI in Europe where she returned to tour for the rest of that year. She has not released another album since then and has instead focused on producing and writing for other artists such as Heart, Patti LaBelle -- whom she also produced, as well as Julian Lennon and Nena; some of the artists and writers she has co-written with are her friends Bryan Adams, Julian Lennon and Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of Heart, as well as David Foster, Carole Bayer-Sager, Holly Knight, Chaka Khan, Branford Marsalis, Damhnait Doyle and Dan Hill.
In addition to having appeared on Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson's solo album Victor, contributing the lead vocal to the song "Start Today", and having recorded a duet with Duran Duran’s John Taylor, her vocals have appeared on records for Cher, Heart, Alice Cooper, Patti LaBelle, Toto, Nena, The FIXX, Rupert Hine's "Thinkman" project and Canadians Rough Trade, Kim Mitchell, Corey Hart and Glass Tiger.
Heart have covered "Black on Black", and Queensrÿche have covered "Gonna Get Close to You".
From the age of 14 and throughout the span of her recording career, Dalbello has performed vocals and voiceovers on some of the most well known TV and radio commercials in North America, for which she now also writes and arranges music. Her voice work also expanded into areas of documentary work as well as character voices for the Television anime series Sailor Moon. She performed the song "Always" for a popular Cheer detergent commercial that aired in the United States in 2003. Her song, "Faith In You (With All Your Heart)", was used to promote the launch of the Ford Focus automobile in North America; commercials featuring it played in movie theaters and on television.
Since 2002, she has been the brand announcer voice for the Canadian cable news network, CBC Newsworld. Additionally, her voice can be heard introducing CBC News anchor Peter Mansbridge on the network's flagship nightly news and current affairs program, "The National".
Easy
Dalbello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
been looking out for something
it i try just a little
it'd be purely for nothin
you know you better believe me -
- believe me
as long as i'm breathing
ain't gonna go easy easy
nobody's geting out
don't wanna go easy easy
i been flying above it
you want to try to forget your name
ya been looking outside your window,
no - when, you say no, (well)
you can't stop and i don't -
really don't - remember the way
you know that i don't need it--
-- need it
as long as i'm breathing
this bitch ain't goin down
let me down slow
let me down sweet
but go easy easy
nobody's getting out
let me down slow
let me down sweet
just go easy easy
i could break this hope
i could shake this rope
i could take a hold of
the wheel or... let it go
easy easy
ah let me down slow
let me down sweet but go
easy easy
nobody's gettin out
it's not what you know
know what i mean
its so easy easy
ah it's not what you know
know what i mean its so
lemme down easy,
oh as long as i'm breathin
easy - believe me - easy
what if your life depended on it
The lyrics to Dalbello's song "Easy" are open to interpretation, but at its core, it could be seen as a plea for help or a warning to those who might try to take advantage of the singer. She sings of being caught in the middle and looking for something, but if she were to try to reach for it, it would be in vain. Despite this, the singer insists that she won't go down easy or let anyone out easily. She has been flying above it perhaps trying to escape a situation, while someone else is looking outside their window, unable to act. The singer seems determined to hold her ground and resist any attempts to bring her down.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of tension, and the repeated refrain of "easy" takes on a kind of ominous tone. It's unclear what the outcome of the situation will be, whether the singer will be able to hold her own, or if she will succumb to the pressures around her. The final repetition of the phrase "what if your life depended on it" adds to the sense of danger and uncertainty.
Overall, it's a powerful and emotional song that can be interpreted in various ways. It conveys the message that life isn't always easy, and sometimes we have to fight to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been caught in the middle
I am feeling lost and stuck in a difficult situation without knowing which path to take.
I've been lookin' out for something
I have been searching for a purpose or something meaningful that can give me direction.
If I try just a little
Although I am faced with a complex situation, I am willing to make an effort to change it.
It'd be purely for nothing
However, I am afraid that my efforts may not lead to any significant outcome.
You know you better believe me, believe me
I am confident in my ability to overcome this challenge and I want others to trust me too.
As long as I'm breathing, this girl ain't going down
Despite the difficulty of the situation, I am determined to keep on fighting and not give up.
I ain't gonna go easy, easy
I am not going to take the easy way out, even if it means enduring a lot of pain and hardship.
Nobody's getting out, don't wanna go easy, easy
I know that others are also affected by my situation and I don't want to let them down by giving up or compromising.
I've been flying above it
I have gained a new perspective on my situation and I am looking down on it from a bird's eye view.
You want to try to forget your name
Some people might try to ignore or hide their identity when faced with a difficult situation.
Ya been looking outside your window, no, when you say no, you can't stop
Others might turn a blind eye to their surroundings, even when they know they should act to improve them.
And I don't really don't remember the way you know that I don't need it, need it
I have moved on from things that used to be important to me and I don't feel any attachment to them anymore.
Let me down slow, let me down sweet
I am asking others to handle me delicately and with care, even when things get tough.
I could break this hope
Although I still have hope, I know that it could be shattered at any moment.
I could shake this rope
I could challenge or disrupt the status quo, even if it means taking risks or facing opposition.
I could take a hold of the wheel or let it go
I have the power to control my situation and take charge of it, or to just let things unfold on their own.
It's not what you know, know what I mean
Sometimes the truth of a situation is hidden or not obvious to others.
Lemme down easy
I am asking others to be gentle with me and respect my feelings and emotions.
Oh as long as I'm breathing
I will keep fighting until my last breath.
Easy
Although it's hard, I will try to keep things simple and straightforward.
Believe me
I want others to trust me and have faith in me.
What if your life depended on it
This line is repeated several times as a rhetorical question to underline the urgency and importance of the situation.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jochem Jonker
Dalbello is an incrideble tasteful artist, but looks she is out of business,unfortunally.Hope she returns
forgotten realms
+Jochem Jonker I doubt it, although there are some unreleased songs which have leaked, and Live at Rockpalast has been released as her 7th album.