John Bayless started playing the piano when he was four, receiving lessons from his mother. She taught him the standard teaching methods and music including Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Gershwin. As soon as he was old enough, he says, he was drawn to the piano whenever he had heard or emotionally experienced anything, and expressed these impressions by improvising.
One of his primary influences was the movies. His town on the West Texas Plains, Borger, Texas was typical for its time, with a drive-in movie where the family went every Friday "regardless of rain, dust storms, tornadoes, whatever," as he recalls. Along with the chili-cheese hamburgers, doughnuts, and popcorn, he ingested the music of film scores and was soon rushing over the piano afterwards to recreate the music of Mancini, Rota, Steiner, Rozsa, Herrmann, and Williams.
He won a scholarship to the Aspen School of Music at fifteen, and at seventeen went to Juilliard in New York to study piano with Adele Marcus. She recognized his unusual ability at improvisation (an art long in decline among classical musicians) and encouraged it. He was invited to participate as a composer in New York University's Masters Degree Musical Theatre Program, studying with Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green.
His first recording, "Happy Birthday Bach," was released in 1985 on the Pro Arte label. He has primarily recorded on Angel. His "Bach Meets the Beatles" and its follow-up, "Bach on Abbey Road" were hits, the first of them being one of Billboard's Top Ten crossover albums of the 1980s. "The Puccini Album ‹ Arias for Piano" was at the top of the classical crossover chart for eighteen weeks. Other hits have been a set of variations on songs from Bernstein's West Side Story and a set of classical film scores.
Bayless tours widely, playing around fifty concerts a year. He frequently appears at Pops concerts, and since the mid-1990s also appears often in Europe. As a composer, he has been commissioned to write for the Newport Music Festival, the University of Maryland International Piano Competition, and the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, the latter for a score to a film about its Lila Acheson Wallace Exhibition of 20th Century American Art.
The Long and Winding Road
John Bayless Lyrics
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That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to you door
The wild and windy night
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way
Many times I've been alone
And many times I've cried
Anyway you'll never know
The many ways I've tried
And still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't keep me waiting here
Lead me to your door
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
"The Long and Winding Road" is a song about the journey of love and how it is full of twists and turns, and how one can feel lost on the way. The song talks about the path that the singer has taken, always ending up in the same place - at the doorstep of the person they love. The long and winding road to the person's door will never disappear, no matter how hard they try to avoid it. The singer is trying to find his way back home.
The lyrics describe a wild and windy night that has left a trail of tears. The singer is crying for the love that was lost, asking the person to let him know the way to their door. The singer has been alone many times, and cried more often than not. But, no matter how many times they try to turn away, they always end up back where they started. The long and winding road, which leads to the person's door, brings them back every time.
In conclusion, this song is about the journey of love, how it can be full of twists and turns, and how one can feel lost and alone along the way. The singer finds themselves at the doorstep of the person they love, no matter how often they try to avoid it. The long and winding road is a metaphor for the unpredictability of life's journey.
Line by Line Meaning
The long and winding road
The path to your heart and soul may be unpredictable and full of unexpected twists and turns.
That leads to your door
This path always takes me to the place where I find you and your love.
Will never disappear
This path will always exist, waiting for me to follow it whenever I need to find you.
I've seen that road before
I have traveled this road many times in the past, and each time it has led me to you.
It always leads me here
No matter where I go or what I do, this path always brings me back to you.
Lead me to your door
Guide me to your heart and soul, where I can feel your love and warmth.
The wild and windy night
The stormy and turbulent times in our relationship.
That the rain washed away
The rain represents tears and emotions that have been shed and released, leaving only pain behind.
Has left a pool of tears
These past experiences have caused a deep sadness and longing that still lingers within me.
Crying for the day
I am still hoping for a time when the pain will fade away and we can be together again.
Why leave me standing here?
Why have you left me alone and wondering what went wrong?
Let me know the way
Please give me guidance and direction to help me find my way back to you.
Many times I've been alone
I have spent many lonely nights full of longing and sorrow, missing your love and companionship.
And many times I've cried
I have shed many tears in the darkness, wishing to be with you once again.
Anyway you'll never know
No matter how much I try to express my feelings or communicate my pain, you will never truly understand the depth of my emotions.
The many ways I've tried
I have attempted to reach out to you in countless ways, hoping for a chance to reconnect and heal our love.
And still they lead me back
Despite all of my efforts and struggles, my path always brings me back to you.
To the long winding road
No matter how difficult or confusing the journey may be, this path always leads to you.
You left me standing here
You have caused me great pain and confusion, leaving me feeling lost and abandoned.
A long long time ago
This hurt and sadness has been with me for a long time now, and it still persists to this day.
Don't keep me waiting here
Please don't make me wait any longer to reunite with you and find our love once again.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
This is a cry of pain and longing, expressing the depths of my emotions and feelings.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind