In the late '60s he was a member of the rock band People!. People! released its first album I Love You in 1968 and had a Top 20 hit with the song, "I Love You" (written by Chris White of The Zombies).
Norman left People! and released his first solo album, Upon This Rock, in 1969. This could be considered the first Christian rock album, and included one of Norman's most memorable songs I Wish We'd All Been Ready. He followed up with the 1972 LP Only Visiting This Planet, which included an anthem for the burgeoning Christian rock movement, Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music. What made the album particularly significant was the combination of credible rock and roll music with songwriting that critiqued both American society and the contemporary church. Norman's songwriting stunned many in the Christian music scene by its bold references to subjects ranging from the Vietnam War to venereal disease and even the U.S. space program. The album was named the most significant album in Christian music history by a mid-1980s critic's poll in CCM Magazine, though it had slipped lower (though still in the top ten) in a similar CCM Magazine poll in the mid-1990s.
Norman's albums were a mixture of rock styles, with lyrics that were usually very serious, but occasionally very silly, (especially when performing with his best friend Randy Stonehill, whose first albums in the 1970s were produced by Norman).
In the late 1970s, Norman formed Solid Rock Records, which went on to release Stonehill's Welcome to Paradise and The Sky is Falling. He also produced Tom Howard's A View From The Bridge, and Mark Heard's Appalachian Melody among titles from other artists and himself.
But perhaps the most controversial involvement in Norman's career occurred over Daniel Amos' Horrendous Disc LP. The album had been dropped by Maranatha! Records after the label decided to quit releasing rock and roll albums and focus on children's releases and gospel music. So the band, now without a record contract, began to shop the project around to various labels. After considering a number of offers including the Warner Brothers' label Curb Records, Daniel Amos settled on Norman's Solid Rock Records. Norman had the album mixed and took photos of the band for the album's cover, though most of the tracks were recorded back in 1978 with Mike "Clay" Stone (Queen, Frank Zappa) as producer. For reasons that remain a mystery, the album was shelved until its release in April 1981, weeks before the band's follow up on Newpax Records, ¡Alarma!, hit record stores. The incident continues to generate controversy among the fans of D.A. and Norman.
The late 70's marked a difficult time for Norman. He was severely injured aboard an airplane in 1978 when an overhead compartment door fell on his head. Norman claimed that this accident gave him a "bipolar trauma" which made it impossible for him to work to completion on albums; he did not record a studio album for the next twelve years. A dispute with Word Records resulted in the dismantling of the Solid Rock label in 1980. Norman moved to Europe and formed the Phydeaux label.
In 1992, he suffered a severe heart attack and was expected to live less than one week. He survived high-risk surgery and was left with very limited cardiopulmonary ability. Even though easily winded, he continued to perform, although very infrequently. He performed what was billed as his "final" concert in October of 2003. Then, in 2005 he announced two more "final" concerts: one in his adopted home of Salem, Oregon and the other at a seaside festival in Norway. Additional dates in the United Kingdom were also planned. A further concert by Norman (with two members of the band People!) took place in August 2006.
Norman was inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Larry passed away on Feb. 24th 2008 after a long battle with heart related problems.
www.larrynorman.com/
I've Got to Learn to Live Without You
Larry Norman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You told my name to me and taught me what to do
But then you went away and left me by myself,
I feel completely lost and lonely without you
Why'd you go, baby? I guess you know,
I've got to learn to live without you
I've got to learn to live without you
Today I thought I saw you walking down the street
With someone else, I turned my head and faced the wall
I started crying and my heart fell to my feet
But when I looked again it wasn't you at all
Why'd you go, baby? I guess you know,
I've got to learn to live without you
I've got to learn to live without you
I've got to learn to live without you, without you
It's just no good without you, without you
It's just no good without you, without you
It's just no good without you
I've got to learn to live without you
I've got to learn to live without you
I've got to learn to live without you
Larry Norman's song "I've Got to Learn to Live Without You" tells the story of a person who's lost their love and is struggling to move on. In the first verse, the person expresses how their significant other taught them what to do and made them a better person. However, their partner then leaves them, and they feel lost and lonely without them. The chorus repeats the song's title and shows that the person knows they need to learn to live without their former love.
In the second verse, the person sees someone that looks like their ex-partner walking down the street with someone else. The person turns away and cries, feeling like their heart is falling to their feet. However, they soon realize that the person they saw wasn't their ex-partner at all. The song concludes with the final chorus repeating the idea that the person needs to learn to live without their former love.
Overall, the song portrays the feelings of heartbreak and the struggle to move on after a love is lost. It highlights the deep emotional pain that comes with losing someone and the difficulty of accepting that they are gone.
Line by Line Meaning
You came into my life, you took me off the shelf
You entered my life and made me feel seen and valuable.
You told my name to me and taught me what to do
You gave me guidance and helped me become a better person.
But then you went away and left me by myself,
You left me feeling abandoned and alone.
I feel completely lost and lonely without you
Your absence has left me feeling empty and without direction.
Today I thought I saw you walking down the street
I saw someone who reminded me of you and triggered memories of our time together.
With someone else, I turned my head and faced the wall
The thought of you being with someone else was too much to handle, so I tried to avoid it.
I started crying and my heart fell to my feet
The emotions I felt were overwhelming and caused me great sadness and despair.
But when I looked again it wasn't you at all
I realized that what I thought I saw was just a figment of my imagination and not really you.
It's just no good without you, without you
My life feels incomplete and unfulfilling without you.
I've got to learn to live without you
I need to find a way to move on and create a fulfilling life without you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LARRY NORMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Gerritsen
Still an inspiration and i cover a lot of his songs .Thanks for sharing
SteveZodiac2001
Larry nails it.
Nate the Rocker Preacher
The perfect breakup song. Dedicated to my last love.
xMCxVSxARBITERx
I wish I can have someone to love someday! But I fear it will never be so! I guess I gotta learn to live without...love. 😢😢😞😩😔
Jenny Murray
Greg, I miss you so much. I am learning to live without you. :(
Frederick Olsen
Great song, so powerful! Just went through this and it is hard, but climbing back up as we speak. Some of the best music from Larry Norman, wish his life here was better in relationships, but he seemed to have this undying goal and believe. Reminds me of Apostle Paul, the determination. Just meant to be single?
ipsurvivor
Frederick Olsen - Larry eventually remarried and had a least one kid. Not saying that’s what you should do but I do hope it gets better in your life. Peace Brother.
Denise Menezes
I've got to learn to live without you.... ♫
ipsurvivor
Great song but I prefer the original running order of this album which had this song later. Larry had his reasons for changing this when it was released on his label in 1977... which I respect but I made myself a copy which restores the track sequencing. To me a slow track is cool 😎 to open an album but this imho fits better as later filler material. Selah...
he basically reversed the order of the first three songs which originally were:
•WHY DONT YOU LOOK INTO JESUS
•THE OUTLAW
•IVE GOT TO LEARN TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU