Gillan was born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England. He joined the band Deep Purple in 1969. In 1970, he sang the part of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. After leaving Deep Purple in 1973, he went into brief retirement before forming the Ian Gillan Band. The early band sound had a distinct jazz-rock aspect which proved unpopular and was replaced by a more high powered hard rock sound as Gillan reformed the lineup and shortened the groups name to Gillan. With the release of Mr. Universe Ian Gillan was back in the UK charts and through several more line up changes released a string of hit singles and successful albums including Glory Road, Future Shock, Double Trouble, and finally Magic.
Then he announced the band would fold as he needed to rest his damaged vocal cords. In 1983 he joined Black Sabbath to record the Born Again album before rejoining a reunited Deep Purple shortly after completing the Born Again tour in early 1984. He left Purple again in 1989, but rejoined for good in 1992. He remains in the band today.
Gillan is now working on a project to document his 40-year career, tentatively called Gillan's Inn. Tony Iommi, Jeff Healey, various members of Deep Purple and many others will be featured on this 2006 DVD project.
If I Sing Softly
Ian Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The touch of your skin
Alive and glistening
What are you doing to me
You've got a hold on me
The smile in your eye
What are you doing to me
When will you come to me
I want to be beside you
I want to be inside you
How can I wait much longer
My love is growing stronger
Will you love me
Baby will you stay with me, love me
Will you hold me and love me
I need you, we must be together
Will you stay here forever
If I sing softly to you
Your body so near
The joy and the fear
Soon we shall be as one
I want to be beside you
I want to be inside you
How can I wait much longer
My love is growing stronger
Will you love me
Baby will you stay with me, love me
Will you hold me and love me
I need you, we must be together
Will you stay here forever
If I sing softly to you
The lyrics of the song 'If I Sing Softly' by Ian Gillan are about the intensity of one's feelings towards a special someone. The song consists of the singer expressing his love for his significant other and the strong emotional and physical connection that exists between them. The use of metaphors such as 'the touch of your skin, alive and glistening,' and 'the smile in your eye, your breath and your sigh,' create vivid imagery in the listener's mind, giving them a glimpse into the deep emotional bond that exists between the singer and the other person.
The lyrics reflect the singer's desire to be close to his love interest, to be by their side, and to be able to express his love for them completely. The repeated use of 'I want to be beside you, I want to be inside you,' emphasizes the passionate intensity of his love. It is a plea to his lover to reciprocate those feelings, to hold him, to love him, and to stay with him forever.
Overall, the song is about two people who have an intense connection and an unwavering love for each other. The singer's use of metaphors and vivid imagery helps to convey the depth of their feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
The touch of your skin
The sensation of your skin against me
Alive and glistening
Intensely vibrant and shining
What are you doing to me
How are you affecting my feelings so much
You've got a hold on me
I'm under your control
The smile in your eye
The radiance in your gaze
Your breath and your sigh
The sound and the feeling of your breathing
When will you come to me
When will we be united in person
I want to be beside you
I desire to be near you
I want to be inside you
I long to be one with you intimately
How can I wait much longer
I cannot bear to wait any longer
My love is growing stronger
My feelings for you are intensifying
Will you love me
Do you have affection for me
Baby will you stay with me, love me
Stay by my side and care for me
Will you hold me and love me
Embrace me and have romantic feelings for me
I need you, we must be together
I depend on you and we should be united
Will you stay here forever
Will you remain with me eternally
If I sing softly to you
If I express my emotions to you gently
Your body so near
Being in close proximity to you physically
The joy and the fear
The elation and apprehension I feel
Soon we shall be as one
We will soon become united as a single entity
Contributed by Mateo H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
johnny zell
The touch of your skin
Alive and glistening
What are you doing to me
You've got a hold on me
The smile in your eye
Your breath and your sigh
What are you doing to me
When will you come to me
I want to be beside you
I want to be inside you
How can I wait much longer
My love is growing stronger
Will you love me
Baby will you stay with me, love me
Will you hold me and love me
I need you, we must be together
Will you stay here forever
If I sing softly to you
Your body so near
The joy and the fear
Soon we shall be as one
I want to be beside you
I want to be inside you
How can I wait much longer
My love is growing stronger
Will you love me
Baby will you stay with me, love me
Will you hold me and love me
I need you, we must be together
Will you stay here forever
If I sing softly to you
rockrabbitt
The touch of your skin
Alive and glistening
What are you doing to me
You've got a hold on me
The smile in your eye
Your breath and your sigh
What are you doing to me
When will you come to me
I want to be beside you
I want to be inside you
How can I wait much longer
My love is growing stronger
Will you love me
Baby will you stay with me, love me
Will you hold me and love me
I need you, we must be together
Will you stay here forever
If I sing softly to you
Your body so near
The joy and the fear
Soon we shall be as one
I want to be beside you
I want to be inside you
How can I wait much longer
My love is growing stronger
Will you love me
Baby will you stay with me, love me
Will you hold me and love me
I need you, we must be together
Will you stay here forever
If I sing softly to you
johnny zell
The touch of your skin
Alive and glistening
What are you doing to me
You've got a hold on me
The smile in your eye
Your breath and your sigh
What are you doing to me
When will you come to me
I want to be beside you
I want to be inside you
How can I wait much longer
My love is growing stronger
Will you love me
Baby will you stay with me, love me
Will you hold me and love me
I need you, we must be together
Will you stay here forever
If I sing softly to you
Your body so near
The joy and the fear
Soon we shall be as one
I want to be beside you
I want to be inside you
How can I wait much longer
My love is growing stronger
Will you love me
Baby will you stay with me, love me
Will you hold me and love me
I need you, we must be together
Will you stay here forever
If I sing softly to you
Наталья Пивоварова
Волшебный голос неподражаемого, любимейшего Гиллана!
ольга к.
Голос просто сказочно красив! Фантастика!
Adrian Cooke
Still one of my favourite songs after 37 years
johnny zell
The touch of your skin
Alive and glistening
What are you doing to me
You've got a hold on me
The smile in your eye
Your breath and your sigh
What are you doing to me
When will you come to me
I want to be beside you
I want to be inside you
How can I wait much longer
My love is growing stronger
Will you love me
Baby will you stay with me, love me
Will you hold me and love me
I need you, we must be together
Will you stay here forever
If I sing softly to you
Your body so near
The joy and the fear
Soon we shall be as one
I want to be beside you
I want to be inside you
How can I wait much longer
My love is growing stronger
Will you love me
Baby will you stay with me, love me
Will you hold me and love me
I need you, we must be together
Will you stay here forever
If I sing softly to you
Eva Rose
Beautiful song ❤
Tony TD
In my opinion, very very under rated song!
Goran Simić
Tony TD najbolji pjevac svih vremena
Sue J
Amazing song! Really surprised there's not more likes.
Julsol Morris Solano Cruz
Esta es una linda interpretación de Ian Gillan, y demuestea la versatilidad de su poderoza voz, por eso es el mejor cantante de hard rock de todos los tiempos....
strela1
Bought this album when I was 12, now I'm 43. You will listen the music you love all your life.