After splitting up with Alan Parsons during the recording of Freudiana, Woolfson has pursued musical theatre. Those are mainly performed in Germany and Austria, but also in Korea and Japan.
Contents
Life before The Alan Parsons Project:
He was born in 1945 (18 March 1945 – 2 December 2009) in Glasgow, Scotland, and started composing music in his early teens. He moved to London where he found work as a session pianist, at the age of eighteen. The record producer for the Rolling Stones, Andrew Oldham, signed him up as a songwriter. During the following years, Woolfson wrote songs for such artists as Marianne Faithfull, Frank Ifield, Joe Dassin, The Tremeloes, Marmalade, Dave Berry, Peter Noone. His songs were recorded by over one hundred artists both in Europe and America. During the sixties he worked with two unknown writers: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
In the early seventies, Eric turned his hand to management and was instantly successful. His first two signings were Carl Douglas, (whose record Kung Fu Fighting was one of the biggest selling hits of all time) and engineer/record producer Alan Parsons.
The start of The Alan Parsons Project:
In 1975, Woolfson joined forces with record producer Alan Parsons who was a recording engineer on many Beatles and Paul McCartney albums as well as having engineered Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’.
Eric and Alan formed a new kind of collaboration that would allow Parson’s engineering skills to be exploited to the full and at the same time give Woolfson a vehicle for his talents as a songwriter/lyricist. The Alan Parsons Project was born. From 1976-1987, Eric has conceived and wrote the lyrics for all ten albums by The Alan Parsons Project (he and Parsons collaborated on writing the music), which have achieved world-wide sales in excess of forty million.
Splitting up:
Freudiana was originally meant to be the eleventh album by The Alan Parsons Project. While recording the album, Brian Brolly entered the picture and he helped steer the album in a new direction. Brolly was previously a partner with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and together they created such musicals as Cats. With Brolly's help, Woolfson was able to turn Freudiana into a stage musical.
Before the Freudiana stage production opened in 1990, a double-length studio album was released. The musical had a successful run, and it was planned that the show would open in other cities. However, plans were put on hold when a lawsuit broke out between Brolly and Woolfson, each fighting for control of the project. In the end, Brolly won.
The studio disc (the "white" album) was quite difficult to obtain for a while. There was also a double-length cast disc (the "black" album) which is currently out of print.
The afterlife:
Woolfson was eager to write for musical theatre. He explained his career switch during an interview by MusicalWorld on July 7, 2004: "I eventually developed The Alan Parsons Project as a vehicle but then I realised that there was more to it than that and that Andrew Lloyd Webber was right and that the stage musical was a fulfilling media for a writer like myself. I got into stage musicals in the mid-eighties." His musicals are mainly performed in Germany. This was for two reasons: The Alan Parsons Project was well known in Germany, and at that time the arts were very well funded there.
His first musical premiered in Vienna in 1990: Freudiana, about Sigmund Freud. The success of this first work led to Woolfson’s second musical Gaudi (concerning the Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi) (1995), which ran for over five years in several German productions. Gambler, Woolfson’s third musical also premiered in Germany in 1996 and had a first run of over 500 performances. Gambler has had five productions in Korea, one of which also toured Japan in 2002 (the first time a Korean language production had been staged in this way). A fourth musical Edgar Allan Poe, based on the life of the author, was given a demonstration production at Abbey Road studios, London in 2003. This musical was released in March 2010 as More Tales of Mystery and Imagination on CD and DVD
Dancing with Shadows (based on the anti-war play Forest Fire by the Korean playwright Cham Bum-Suk and with a book by Ariel Dorfman) was premiered in July 2007 in Korea
Personal life and death:
Woolfson was active in the British Social Democratic Party or SDP.
Woolfson was married to Hazel from 1969 until his death from kidney cancer in London[6] in the early hours of 2 December 2009. He is survived by both his daughters.
excerpt from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Woolfson
Too Late
Eric Woolfson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I was knocking on your door you gave me none
Well I don't make that kind of deal with anybody
And I won't be that kind of fool for anyone
How do you feel when the tables have been turned?
What will you do now the bridges have been burned?
Too late now the spell is broken
Too late now to count the cost
Of words that should remain unspoken
When I need you by my side you stand above me
And when I look into yuor eyes you turn away
Well if that's the best there is then I won't buy it
Well if that's the only game then I won't play
How many danger signs did you ignore?
How many times have you heard it all before?
Cause it's too late now the magic's lost
Too late now the spell is broken
Too late now to count the cost
Of words that should remain unspoken
These lyrics capture the emotions of someone who has been let down by another person. In the first stanza, the singer describes how they were there for the other person when they needed help, but the other person doesn't seem to reciprocate. The singer refuses to make deals with people who won't do the same for them and won't be a fool for anyone. This shows that the singer values reciprocity and doesn't want to be taken advantage of.
In the second stanza, the singer questions how the other person feels now that the tables have turned, and they are the one who needs help. The singer asks what the other person will do now that the bridges have been burned, indicating that their trust has been lost. The chorus emphasizes that it's too late, that the magic and the spell between the two of them is lost, and there's no going back. The words that should've remained unspoken have been said, and the cost is too high.
The third stanza describes how the other person is not there for the singer when they need them the most, turning away from them when they look into their eyes. The singer refuses to settle for less than what they deserve and won't play games if that's the only option. The singer questions how many danger signs the other person ignored, and how many times they've heard the same thing before. These lines suggest that this is not the first time the other person has let the singer down.
Overall, these lyrics convey a sense of disappointment and betrayal from someone who trusted and relied on another person. The singer is fed up with being let down and refuses to continue playing games or making deals with people who don't reciprocate.
Line by Line Meaning
When you were standing in the rain I gave you shelter
I gave you safety and comfort when you were vulnerable and exposed to the elements.
When I was knocking on your door you gave me none
In my time of need, you didn't offer me any help or support.
Well I don't make that kind of deal with anybody
I don't expect anything in return for helping someone in need. It's just who I am.
And I won't be that kind of fool for anyone
I won't let anyone take advantage of me or my kindness.
How do you feel when the tables have been turned?
How does it feel to be in the same vulnerable position that I once was?
What will you do now the bridges have been burned?
Now that any chance of our relationship or connection has been destroyed, what will your next move be?
Cause it's too late now the magic's lost
Our connection and spark has vanished and there's no going back.
Too late now the spell is broken
The charm and enchantment of our relationship is broken beyond repair.
Too late now to count the cost
It's too late to consider the consequences and damage caused by our words and actions.
Of words that should remain unspoken
Things that should have remained unsaid and kept to ourselves, but were spoken and caused harm.
When I need you by my side you stand above me
When I need your support, you act superior and refuse to help me.
And when I look into your eyes you turn away
You avoid making eye contact with me when I need your attention and understanding.
Well if that's the best there is then I won't buy it
If that's the most effort and care you're willing to give, I won't accept it.
Well if that's the only game then I won't play
If that's the only way you know how to treat people, I won't participate in that toxic dynamic.
How many danger signs did you ignore?
How many red flags did you overlook or choose to ignore?
How many times have you heard it all before?
How many times have you been warned or criticized about your behavior before?
Contributed by Sophia K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.