Originally David Richard Solberg, he was born the son of a Lutheran minister. His father, Dr. Richard Solberg, was a senior representative for Lutheran World Relief during the reconstruction of Germany after World War II, and the family moved frequently while Soul was growing up. Soul's brother is a Lutheran minister and social activist.
Soul first gained attention as the mysterious "Covered Man" on several appearances on The Merv Griffin Show in 1967 in which he sang while wearing a ski mask and explained, "My name is David Soul, and I want to be known for my music".
Soul then appeared as level-headed Joshua Bolt on the television program Here Come the Brides, and later Arthur Hill's law partner on, "Owen Marshal: Counselor At Law". Superstar status came when he portrayed Detective Hutchinson on Starsky and Hutch. He has also made guest appearances on shows such as I Dream of Jeannie, McMillan and Wife, Cannon, Gunsmoke, World War III (miniseries), Star Trek, and The Streets of San Francisco. His best known film appearance was opposite Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force (1973). Soul also appeared in the mini-series based on Stephen King's horror classic "Salem's Lot" (1978).
After a successful singing career, including hits such as "Don't Give Up on Us" and "Silver Lady", Soul fell into relative obscurity during the 1980s, fought a long battle with alcoholism, although frequently made guest appearances in various US television series, with the occasional small film role.
In the 1990s, Soul moved to London, and forged a new career on the West End stage. He also notably participated in the successful 1997 election campaign of Martin Bell. In September 2004, he became a British citizen, but has kept his US citizenship and ties with the US. He is a big fan of English football (soccer) and is an Arsenal supporter. He has been married four times, three of those marriages have been to actresses: Karen Carlson, Patty Sherman, and Julia Nickson-Soul. He has six children: five sons and one daughter. His brother, Daniel Solberg, is pastor of St. Paulus Lutheran Church in San Francisco, California.
On July 12, 2004, he took over playing the role of Jerry Springer in Jerry Springer: The Opera at the Cambridge Theatre in London, televised by the BBC in 2005. He returned to the West End in 2006, playing Mack in a new production of Jerry Herman's musical Mack and Mabel at the Criterion Theatre. The production co-starred Janie Dee and was directed by John Doyle. He also appeared in the TV series Dalziel & Pascoe (Game of Soldiers). He had a brief cameo in the 2004 movie version of Starsky & Hutch, alongside original co-star Paul Michael Glaser.
In August 2008, Soul appeared in the reality TV talent show-themed television series Maestro on BBC Two mentored by Natalia Luis-Bassa.
He appeared with Fred Ward and Willem Dafoe in the film Farewell directed by Christian Carion, which received its U.S. release in 2010.
In June 2012, Soul made a one-week appearance with Jerry Hall at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, in a reprise of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated play by A. R. Gurney, Love Letters. On July 29, 2012, he appeared in an episode of the British television detective drama series Lewis, playing a murder victim. He was also featured in the hit album by Fosseytango, singing on the track "Landlord". In 2013, Soul appeared in a cameo role in the Scottish film Filth lip-syncing his own recording of "Silver Lady". In 2014, Soul appeared in a British television commercial for National Express singing "Silver Lady" while driving a coach.
Soul died on January 4, 2024, at the age of 80.
Landlord
David Soul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With his greedy yellow eyes and his tongue all bent
With his padlocked pockets and his badluck nose
Comes sniffin' round my doorway and goin' through my clothes
Oh how could you treat me so cold
Got a mortgage on my body and a lien on my soul
My neighbours are thieves but I got no proof
You like to take but you don't want to give
I've got to pay you rent just to have a place to live
Ah but hey you landlord I know you well
You run a rock'n roll' tavern and a fancy hotel
You misuse a lot of people that you got at your command
I'll put on a pair of gloves 'fore I shake your hand
You're gonna wake up in the helpless dawn
And look around and find that your land is all gone
You wanna be cold just as cold as you please
Will come next winter, you're gonna freeze
The lyrics to David Soul's song "Landlord" depicts the relationship between a tenant and his landlord as being dishonest, greedy, and manipulative. The landlords' only motive is to collect rent by any means necessary, even if it means trespassing on the tenant's privacy by rummaging through their personal belongings. The landlord is presented as a sly and conniving character with "greedy yellow eyes" and a "bad luck nose," suggesting that on some level, he is aware that his actions are unethical.
The tenant is depicted as being helpless in the face of his landlord's demands. He decries the fact that the landlord is taking advantage of his position of power to exploit him. The line "Got a mortgage on my body and a lien on my soul" illustrates the feeling of being trapped in the rented property and illustrating an almost slavish-like relationship that can be created between landlord and tenant. The tenant implies that the rent he pays is a fundamentally unfair trade for what he gets in return - "I've got to pay you rent just to have a place to live." The lyrics suggest that the tenant would happily be free of the landlord's grip and is reassured to some extent by the fact that his time is coming, where all his landlord's greed and selfishness will catch up with him.
The song's lyrics are a poetic representation of the universal experience shared by many: the stress and anxiety of dealing with a difficult landlord, and the feeling of injustice that comes with having to pay high rent for a less-than-ideal accommodation. The song's lyrics seem to be critical of the capitalist system, portraying the landlord as the embodiment of the greed that drives the system.
Line by Line Meaning
Yonder come my landlord collecting his rent
The landlord is coming to collect rent from the singer
With his greedy yellow eyes and his tongue all bent
The landlord is characterized as greedy and untrustworthy
With his padlocked pockets and his badluck nose
The landlord is described as possessive and having bad luck
Comes sniffin' round my doorway and goin' through my clothes
The artist feels violated by the landlord's invasive behavior
Oh how could you treat me so cold
The artist is questioning why the landlord is being so heartless
Got a mortgage on my body and a lien on my soul
The singer feels trapped and burdened by debt and financial obligations
I got a crackpot house with a two way roof
The singer's house is in disrepair and has a faulty roof
My neighbours are thieves but I got no proof
The artist suspects their neighbors of theft but cannot prove it
You like to take but you don't want to give
The artist accuses the landlord of being selfish and not giving back
I've got to pay you rent just to have a place to live
The artist is frustrated that they have to pay the landlord to have a place to live
Ah but hey you landlord I know you well
The singer has a deep understanding of the landlord's character
You run a rock'n roll' tavern and a fancy hotel
The landlord has multiple businesses and is wealthy
You misuse a lot of people that you got at your command
The singer accuses the landlord of mistreating those who work for him
I'll put on a pair of gloves 'fore I shake your hand
The singer is disgusted by the landlord and wants to protect themselves
You're gonna wake up in the helpless dawn
The landlord will wake up helpless and vulnerable
And look around and find that your land is all gone
The landlord will lose their wealth and property
You wanna be cold just as cold as you please
The artist believes the landlord deserves to suffer
Will come next winter, you're gonna freeze
The landlord will suffer the consequences of their actions in the future
Contributed by Carson P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.