Dave Edmunds (born April 15, 1944) is a singer, guitarist and producer from… Read Full Bio ↴Dave Edmunds (born April 15, 1944) is a singer, guitarist and producer from Cardiff, Wales. Though he was primarily associated with pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the late 70's and early 80's, he was steadfastly devoted to pre-Beatles rock and roll. An infrequent songwriter, Edmunds has largely relied on cover songs or custom-written material to sustain his career.

In the late 1960s he led a blues-rock trio called Love Sculpture, who scored a quasi-novelty hit by reworking Khachaturian's classical piece "Sabre Dance" as a speed-crazed rock number. "Sabre Dance" became a hit after garnering the enthusiastic attention of British DJ John Peel.

After Love Sculpture split, Edmunds had a number one single with "I Hear You Knocking", a Smiley Lewis cover. His only acting role followed, as a band member in the David Essex movie Stardust (1974 movie). After learning the trade of producer, culminating in a couple of singles in the style of Phil Spector, "Baby I Love You" and "Born To Be With You", he became linked with the pub rock movement of the early 1970s, producing Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, and also The Flamin' Groovies, using a stripped down, grittier sound.

His own solo LP from that era, Subtle As A Flying Mallet, was similar in style. In 1977, the Brinsley Schwarz connection brought about a collaboration with Nick Lowe under the name Rockpile, with Billy Bremner and Terry Williams. For contractual reasons they could not record as Rockpile until 1980, but contemporary solo LPs (such as Nick Lowe's Labour of Lust and Edmunds' own Repeat When Necessary) were in fact group recordings. Dave Edmunds had more hits during this time, including Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk", Nick Lowe's "I Knew The Bride", Hank DeVito's "Queen of Hearts" ), Graham Parker's "Crawling From The Wreckage", and Melvin Endsley's "Singing The Blues" (originally a hit for Guy Mitchell).

Unexpectedly, after Rockpile relased their first LP under their own name (1980's Seconds Of Pleasure), the band split, generally attributed to tensions between Edmunds and Lowe. Edmunds spent the 1980s collaborating with and producing an assortment of artists, from Paul McCartney to King Kurt, and from The Stray Cats to Status Quo. He recorded the soundtrack for Porky's Revenge, supplying the main theme, "High School Nights", and was the musical director for a television special starring Carl Perkins, with assorted guests including George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Rosanne Cash.

On his 1983 and 1984 releases, Information and Riff Raff, Edmunds collaborated on two songs with Jeff Lynne, the lead musician of Electric Light Orchestra. He recorded less frequently after the mid 1980s.

Edmunds now lives in Wales in semi-retirement, touring Scandinavia infrequently, after surviving a quadruple bypass several years ago.

The race is on
Dave Edmunds Lyrics

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I feel tears wellin' up going deep inside
Like my heart's gonna get broke
And the stab of loneliness sharp and painful
That I may never shake
You might say that I was takin' it hard
Since you broke me off with a call
But don't you wager that I'll hide my sorrow
When i may break right down and bawl

Now the race is on
And here comes pride up the backstretch
Heartaches going to the inside
My tears are holding back
They're trying not to fall
My heart's out of the running
True love's scratched for another's sake
The race is on and it looks like heartaches
And the winner loses all
One day I ventured in love never once suspecting
What the final result would be
Now I live in fear of waking up each morning
Finding that she's gone from me
There's aching pain in my heart
For the name of the one
That I had to replace
Somebody new came up to win her
And I came out in second place
Now the race is on
And here comes pride up the backstretch
Heartaches going to the inside
My tears are holding back
They're trying not to fall
My heart's out of the running
True love's scratched for another's sake

The race is on and it looks like heartaches
And the winner loses all

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dave Edmunds's "The Race Is On" tell the story of a man who has just been broken up with and is struggling to come to terms with it. He is feeling an intense emotional pain that he cannot seem to shake. The lyrics describe his heartache and loneliness, as well as his fear of losing the person he loves. The chorus compares his emotional state to a horse race, with pride and heartache driving him forward as he struggles to hold back his tears. He knows that he is out of the running for true love, and must accept that someone else has won his love. Despite the pain, he must keep moving forward, as the race is on and the winner takes all.

The melancholy lyrics of "The Race Is On" struck a chord with audiences when it was first released in 1964. The song was written by Don Rollins and first recorded by George Jones, but it was Edmunds's cover that became a hit in the UK in 1971. The song has been covered by numerous artists over the years, including Waylon Jennings, Ronnie Milsap, and Sawyer Brown. The emotional lyrics of "The Race Is On" continue to resonate with listeners today, reminding us of the pain and heartache that can come with love.

Line by Line Meaning

I feel tears wellin' up going deep inside
I am overcome with emotions, and tears are forming inside me.

Like my heart's gonna get broke
I feel like my heart is going to be broken.

And the stab of loneliness sharp and painful, That I may never shake
I feel a strong sense of loneliness that I fear will never go away.

You might say that I was takin' it hard, since you broke me off with a call
It's fair to say I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact that you ended things over the phone.

But don't you wager that I'll hide my sorrow, When i may break right down and bawl
I won't try to hide my sadness, and it's possible that I'll start crying uncontrollably at any given moment.

Now the race is on, And here comes pride up the backstretch
The competition for love has begun, and it seems like pride is in the lead.

Heartaches going to the inside, My tears are holding back, They're trying not to fall
I'm trying to hold back my tears and emotions, but the pain inside me seems to be taking over.

My heart's out of the running, True love's scratched for another's sake
I feel like I can't compete for true love anymore, as it seems like someone else has taken her away.

The race is on and it looks like heartaches, And the winner loses all
In this race for love, it seems like the biggest losers are the ones who fall in love, as heartache is almost always the ultimate result.

One day I ventured in love never once suspecting, What the final result would be
I never could have imagined the heartache that would come from falling in love.

Now I live in fear of waking up each morning, Finding that she's gone from me
I'm terrified of waking up each day and realizing that she's no longer with me.

There's aching pain in my heart, For the name of the one, That I had to replace
My heart is filled with pain for the loss of the one I loved, and for having to try to replace her.

Somebody new came up to win her, And I came out in second place
Someone else has won her heart, and I'm left feeling like I came in second best.

Lyrics © GLAD MUSIC CO., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Donald Edmond Rollins

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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