His family was in the cinema business, but it was during his National Service that he began performing as a musician. After taking a correspondence course and arranging for some of the bands of the day, he formed The John Barry Seven. Barry then met Adam Faith, and composed songs and film scores on the singer's behalf.
It was this notoriety that caught the attention of the producers of Dr. No, who were dissatisfied with the score given to them by Monty Norman. Barry and the JB7 were hired and their recording of Norman's "James Bond Theme" would go on to be one of the most famous signature tunes in film history.
This would be the turning point for Barry, as he would go on to become one of the most celebrated film composers of modern times, winning five Academy Awards and four Grammys, with such memorable scores as The Lion in Winter, Midnight Cowboy, Out of Africa, and Dances with Wolves.
Barry is often cited as having had a distinct style which concentrated on lush strings and extensive use of brass. However, he was also an innovator, being one of the first to employ synthesizers in a film score (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), and to make wide use of pop artists and original songs in Midnight Cowboy.
Living in his native England until the mid 1970s, Barry spent some time in Spain (for tax purposes) before spending much of his life in the United States, mainly in Oyster Bay, outside of New York.
Barry died of a heart attack on 30 January 2011, at his Oyster Bay home, aged 77 years.
Tears
John Barry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Knowing I was in above my head
For all that I could see I never saw the truth.
Now I'm alone.
Heaven only knows how much I'm missing you,
Knowing I had heaven in my hands.
Tears are mixed with rain.
Keeper of my flame.
Time and tide is on my side,
It stands forever.
There will be nights of love
And, yes, there will be tears.
I will not sleep tonight.
There will be tears tonight.
I will not sleep tonight.
There will be tears.
The silent telephone, the turning of the key.
You're still inside of me, I'm not ashamed.
For all that I can do, I can't forget your face.
I call your name.
Heaven only knows what I've been crying for,
What I'm crying for.
And all I've done to keep this love alive.
Even through my tears,
Tears are mixed with rain.
Keeper of my flame.
I will pray you're on my side,
We stand forever.
There will be nights of love
And, yes, there will be tears.
I will not sleep tonight (oh oh).
There will be tears tonight.
I will not sleep tonight (oh).
There will be.
Soon there will be tears
Rolling down my world.
Keeper of my flame.
Time and tide is on my side,
It stands forever.
There will be nights of love
And, yes, there will be tears
I will not sleep tonight.
There will be tears tonight
I will not sleep tonight.
There will be tears...
The lyrics of John Barry's song "Tears" seem to tell the story of a person who didn't realize what they had until it was gone. The singer appears to have been content to stay behind the scenes and let someone else take the limelight. However, as time goes by, they realize that they were in over their head and didn't see the truth of the situation. Now, they're alone and missing the person they had at their side. The chorus refers to tears mixed with rain and the idea that the person they miss was the "keeper of [their] flame," suggesting that they brought passion and meaning to the singer's life.
The second verse of the song reveals that the singer is trying to keep their love alive, but they're struggling. They can't forget the face of the person they miss, and they cry for them even though they may not know what they're crying for. Despite their tears, they pray that the person they miss is on their side and that they can make it work. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the idea that there will be nights of love and tears.
Overall, the lyrics of "Tears" seem to be about the fragility of love and the pain caused by its loss. The singer didn't appreciate what they had while they had it, and now they're left with tears and regret. Despite this, they hope that they can find a way to move forward and keep their love alive.
Line by Line Meaning
I started out to be the man behind the scenes
I had planned to work behind the scenes.
Knowing I was in above my head
I realized that the situation was beyond my level of expertise.
For all that I could see I never saw the truth.
I failed to see the real picture despite looking at everything.
Now I'm alone.
I am currently by myself.
Heaven only knows how much I'm missing you,
I cannot even quantify how much I miss you.
Knowing I had heaven in my hands.
I had everything that I ever wanted but didn't realize its importance.
And there will be tears,
I will cry because of my regrets.
Tears are mixed with rain.
My tears mix with the raindrops that fall from the sky.
Keeper of my flame.
My love for you is still alive.
Time and tide is on my side,
The passing of time is in my favor.
It stands forever.
Our love will always be there.
There will be nights of love
There will be times when we enjoy each other's company.
And, yes, there will be tears.
But, we will also experience sadness and grief.
I will not sleep tonight.
I will be kept awake by my thoughts and emotions.
The silent telephone, the turning of the key.
The phone doesn't ring and the door doesn't open since you're not coming.
You're still inside of me, I'm not ashamed.
You are still a part of me, and I am not embarrassed to admit it.
For all that I can do, I can't forget your face.
Despite my efforts, I cannot erase your memory from my mind.
I call your name.
I still say your name, hoping that somehow it will bring you back.
Heaven only knows what I've been crying for,
I can't put into words what I've been weeping for.
What I'm crying for.
I don't even understand why I am crying.
And all I've done to keep this love alive.
I did everything in my power to maintain our relationship.
Even through my tears,
Despite my sadness and tears.
Tears are mixed with rain.
My tears mix with the raindrops falling from the sky.
I will pray you're on my side,
I will hope that you support me and are on my team.
We stand forever.
Our love is permanent and enduring.
Soon there will be tears
In the near future, I will cry.
Rolling down my world.
My tears will flow freely and impact my world.
I will not sleep tonight.
I will lie awake and contemplate my actions.
There will be tears tonight
I will cry because of my regrets and sorrow.
I will not sleep tonight.
My thoughts and emotions will keep me up all night.
There will be tears...
I will cry because I miss you and I am regretful of my past actions.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave
Written by: BARRY GIBB, MAURICE GIBB, ROBIN GIBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind