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.
Jean
Dan Hill Lyrics
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When I first came to Vancouver with dreams twisting in fear-ear
And oh Jean, friends are like rare stones
Increasing in their value when realized they can't be owned
And I'd write songs only when the pain became too obvious inside
When the screaming in my soul left me no-o place to hide
And whoa Jean, love is like a prayer
Still you walk the other way rather than risk rejection
Watch the wind blow all hope away as you crawl into yourself for protection
Still I try to make you see there's so much more I've gotta be
Oh don't turn away, don't lose to the cold, don't leave me here-ere to die alone
A little of your love couldn't hurt me none
Let it shine on through like rays from the sun
And a little of my love couldn't hurt you none
Let it run beside you, let it flow inside you, let it purify
You break down and I stumble for the right words of consolation
The circle of love spins round and round searchin' for new destinations
Whoa Jean, life is like the sea-ea
Trapped within it's shorelines we're still strugglin' to break free
Still we walk the other way rather than risk rejection
Watch the wind blow all hope away as we crawl into ourselves for protection
Still I try to make you see, I love you so it frightens me
Whoa, don't turn away, don't lose to the cold, nobody wants to die alone
A little of your love couldn't hurt me none
Let it shine on through like rays from the sun
And a little of my love couldn't hurt you no-one
Let it run beside you, let it flow inside you
In Dan Hill's song Jean, the lyrics speak about a deep friendship and unrequited love that has spanned many years. The song is written to a woman named Jean who has been a close friend of the singer for many years. The song begins with Hill reminiscing about how they met, talking about his move to Vancouver with a lot of fear and uncertainty, and how Jean had been a friend to him through all of it. Hill also acknowledges that friendships are like rare stones, and they're more valuable when they can't be owned. The lyrics then speak about how he has always written songs when he's in pain, and how he would hide his screaming soul. He then urges Jean to see that there's so much more that he has to be and not leave him alone to die.
The song continues with Hill talking about how love is like a prayer, and how we all have unanswered questions that we may be too afraid to ask. He tells Jean that walking away is not the solution and urges her to let her love flow, just like he tries to let his flow. Hill talks about how we all need a little love, rather than rejection, and how it can purify us. He talks about how our fear of rejection can lead us to watch the wind blow all our hope away as we crawl into ourselves for protection. Finally, Hill tells Jean that he loves her so much that it frightens him, and that nobody wants to die alone.
Overall, Dan Hill's song Jean is about unrequited love and the fear of rejection. Hill tells Jean that love is like a prayer and urges her to see that they all need a little love rather than rejection, and to let love flow inside her. It's an emotional and poignant song that speaks to the heart.
Line by Line Meaning
You've been a friend of mine for so-o many year-ears
You have been my friend for many years.
When I first came to Vancouver with dreams twisting in fear-ear
When I came to Vancouver, I was scared and uncertain about my dreams.
And oh Jean, friends are like rare stones
My dear Jean, true friends are hard to find and should be treasured.
Increasing in their value when realized they can't be owned
Their value increases when you realize that you cannot control them or possess them.
And I'd write songs only when the pain became too obvious inside
I would write songs only when the pain inside me became too hard to handle.
When the screaming in my soul left me no-o place to hide
When my emotional pain was too intense to conceal.
And whoa Jean, love is like a prayer
My dear Jean, love is akin to a spiritual prayer.
So afraid of your own questions as you stand unanswered there-ere-ere
You are frightened of your own questions and are left with no answers.
Still you walk the other way rather than risk rejection
You avoid taking risks and fear rejection.
Watch the wind blow all hope away as you crawl into yourself for protection
You lose hope and retreat into your shell to protect yourself.
Still I try to make you see there's so much more I've gotta be
I am trying to make you see that I have a lot more to offer.
Oh don't turn away, don't lose to the cold, don't leave me here-ere to die alone
Please don't turn away or give up on me, I don't want to die alone.
A little of your love couldn't hurt me none
A small amount of your love towards me would not cause me any harm.
Let it shine on through like rays from the sun
Allow your love to radiate out like the rays of the sun.
And a little of my love couldn't hurt you none
A small amount of my love towards you would not harm you.
Let it run beside you, let it flow inside you, let it purify
Let my love move alongside you, flow through you, and cleanse you.
You break down and I stumble for the right words of consolation
When you break down, I struggle to find the right words to comfort you.
The circle of love spins round and round searchin' for new destinations
Love keeps moving around, searching for new places and people to touch.
Whoa Jean, life is like the sea-ea
My dear Jean, life is like the vast sea.
Trapped within it's shorelines we're still strugglin' to break free
Although we are confined by its limitations, we are struggling to break free from its grasp.
Still we walk the other way rather than risk rejection
We still avoid taking risks and fear rejection.
Watch the wind blow all hope away as we crawl into ourselves for protection
When hope fades away, we retreat into ourselves to protect ourselves.
Still I try to make you see, I love you so it frightens me
I am trying to make you understand that I love you so much that it terrifies me.
Whoa, don't turn away, don't lose to the cold, nobody wants to die alone
Don't turn away or give up, no one wants to die alone.
A little of your love couldn't hurt me none
A small amount of your love towards me would not cause me any harm.
Let it shine on through like rays from the sun
Allow your love to radiate out like the rays of the sun.
And a little of my love couldn't hurt you no-one
A small amount of my love towards you would not harm you.
Let it run beside you, let it flow inside you
Let my love move alongside you, flow through you.
Lyrics © ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP
Written by: DAN HILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind