Hill is the son of social scientist and public servant, Daniel G. Hill, and brother of the author, Lawrence Hill.
One of his songs was "It's a Long Road" (Written by Jerry Goldsmith) which he recorded for the 1982 action movie First Blood. In 1985, he was one of the many Canadian performers to appear on the benefit single "Tears Are Not Enough" by Northern Lights. Although he had many hits in his native Canada, further singles did not fare as well in America.
In 1987, Hill returned to the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the Top 40 hit "Can't We Try", a duet with the then-unknown Vonda Shepard, as well as the near Top 40 hit "Never Thought (That I Could Love)".
A road trip to a Dan Hill concert was the subject of the 1994 Canadian comedy film South of Wawa.
In 2007 he is touring with the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe.
Carmelia
Dan Hill Lyrics
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That's tearing at our precious world
Wish sometimes we could just lighten up
Let's take a look around us
Turn off the TV oh let's open our eyes
Look at the stars in the sky
Carmelia, let's dance away the night together
Girls in the morning we will still be here
Carmelia, let's celebrate our lives together
Let's dance until the stars tumble from the sky
There's music pounding from the radio
Just lean your body into mine
Girl you take me to a better place
There's no one else just you and I
Hold on to me, I'll hold on to you
Tonight we've got nothing to prove
Carmelia, let's dance away the night together
Let's dance until this crazy world disappears
Girls in the morning we will still be here
Carmelia, let's celebrate our lives together
Let's dance until the stars tumble from the sky
The lyrics of Dan Hill's song "Carmelia" convey a sense of despair and hopelessness in the world, but also a call to enjoy life and find comfort in love. The opening lines acknowledge the constant tragedies that permeate our world and tear us apart. The wish to "lighten up" is a plea for respite from this heartbreak. The call to action, to "look around us" and "open our eyes" points towards a recognition of the beauty and wonder of the world, despite its flaws. The image of staring at the stars in the sky suggests a contemplative approach to the world and a desire to find solace in the larger universe around us.
The chorus of the song turns to a more lighthearted tone. Carmelia, the object of the singer's affection, is proposed to dance away the night together, to forget about the craziness of the world and find joy in each other. The phrase "girls in the morning we will still be here" suggests a sense of commitment and desire for longevity in the relationship. The final lines reinforce the message of the chorus, using music as a focal point for escape from the world, and placing the focus on the singers love for Carmelia.
Line by Line Meaning
Seems there's always some tragedy
It appears that there are always negative events happening in our world
That's tearing at our precious world
These events are causing significant damage to our world
Wish sometimes we could just lighten up
It would be nice if we could relax and not take everything so seriously
Let's take a look around us
We should focus on our surroundings
Turn off the TV oh let's open our eyes
We should stop watching television and pay attention to what's going on in the world
Look at the stars in the sky
We should take time to appreciate the beauty around us
Carmelia, let's dance away the night together
The singer is addressing the person named Carmelia and suggesting they dance all night as a way to escape the world's problems
Let's dance until this crazy world disappears
The artist is suggesting that dancing can help them forget about the negativity in the world
Girls in the morning we will still be here
Regardless of what happens, they will still be there for each other
Carmelia, let's celebrate our lives together
The artist is suggesting they celebrate life together
Let's dance until the stars tumble from the sky
The singer wants to dance until the end of the night
There's music pounding from the radio
There is loud music playing on the radio
Just lean your body into mine
The singer is asking Carmelia to move closer to him while dancing
Girl you take me to a better place
The person dancing (Carmelia) is making the singer feel better by being there with them
There's no one else just you and I
The singer wants to focus solely on Carmelia while dancing
Hold on to me, I'll hold on to you
They will support each other while dancing
Tonight we've got nothing to prove
They don't need to prove anything and should just dance and have fun
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: John Joseph Capek, Daniel Grafton Hill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind