Anderson charted 12 No. 1, 18 Top 10, and more than 50 Top 40 hits. In addition to being named "Top Female Vocalist" by the Academy of Country Music (ACM) twice and "Female Vocalist of the Year" by the Country Music Association (CMA), Anderson won a Grammy Award (earning seven nominations), People's Choice Award and an American Music Award (AMA). She was named Billboard's Female Artist of the Decade (1970–1980).
Anderson was the first female country artist to win the American Music Award (in 1974), as well as the first to headline and sellout Madison Square Garden that same year.
Anderson debuted in 1966, at the age of 19, and had her first hit with Ride, Ride, Ride. After a series of Top 10 hit singles on the country charts during the late 1960s, Anderson signed with Columbia Records in 1970. Under Columbia, she had her most successful string of hits. Her signature song, "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden", remains one of the biggest selling country crossover hits of all time. In addition, the song also went to No. 3 on the Billboard Pop Chart and reached the top of the charts in several countries, an unprecedented achievement at the time. CMT ranks "Rose Garden" at No. 83 on its list of the "100 Greatest Songs in Country Music History". Anderson continued to record and remained a popular concert attraction until her death, regularly headlining major casino showrooms, performing arts centers and theaters.
She grew up in Sacramento, California with her mother, acclaimed singer-songwriter Liz Anderson who wrote "The Fugitive" and "(All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers", both Merle Haggard hits, among others. She began her solo career in 1966 with "In Person", followed by a hit with her mother's "If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)".
In 1968 she married Glenn Sutton, a future Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, with whom she had a daughter, Lisa. (They divorced in 1977.)
Consistent hits followed, and she was a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show during the 1967-68 season. In 1969 Anderson signed to Columbia where her work veered a bit more toward a polished, pop sound. She released her signature song, "Rose Garden" in late 1970. The song, written by Joe South, won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance reached number 1 on the U.S. country charts, and also hit number 3 on the pop charts, as well as being a hit in fifteen countries. Anderson also received Grammy nominations for her recordings "Big Girls Don't Cry" (1968), "That's a No No" (1969), and "How Can I Unlove You" (1971)> Anderson's other hits during this period included "You're My Man", "Listen to a Country Song", "Top of the World" (a number 1 country record for Anderson before becoming a pop hit for The Carpenters), "Cry", "Keep Me in Mind", "What a Man My Man Is" and "Smile For Me". In 1971, she was voted Top Female Vocalist of the year by both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association. Anderson charted eight no.one singles, 18 Top-Tens and earned a total of 17 international Gold records. She was perhaps the most in-demand country female vocalist on network television throughout the 1970's but after 1975 her records usually peaked in the top 20 as opposed to her earlier top ten success.
Anderson married a Louisiana businessman in 1978. The second marriage produced two more children, and she was divorced in 1982.
Anderson remained one of the top female country singers into the 1980's. Her last top ten record was 1984s "You're Welcome to Tonight". During the late 1980's and early 1990s, she received much press for her disputes with her now-divorced second husband. After spending time on her ranch, raising horses and participating in equestrian events, she began recording again in 1992.
"The Bluegrass Sessions", released in 2004, earned Anderson her first Grammy nomination in over 30 years.
That same year Anderson was arrested in Denton, Texas, for drunk driving.
The American Rose Society created and named in her honor a white and raspberry hybrid tea rose.
Anderson released a new CD of original songs entitled "Cowgirl" in 2006, all of the songs penned by her mother, the acclaimed songwriter Liz Anderson.
Love Me Tonight
Lynn Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You said you would always stay
It wasn't me who changed but you and now you've gone away
Don't you see that now you've gone
And I'm left here on my own
That I have to follow you and beg you to come home
You don't have to say you love me just be close at hand
Believe me, believe me I can't help but love you
But believe me I'll never tie you down
Left alone with just a memory
Life seems dead and quite unreal
All that's left is loneliness there's nothing left to feel
You don't have to say you love me just be close at hand
You don't have to stay forever
I will understand believe me, believe me
You don't have to say you love me just be close at hand
You don't have to stay forever
I will understand, believe me, believe me
The lyrics to Lynn Anderson's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" speak to the bittersweet feelings of a breakup. The singer addresses her former partner, telling them that they don't have to profess their love, only to be close and present. The singer reveals that it was their partner who initiated the separation, leaving the singer alone and heartbroken. Feeling abandoned and sad, the singer tries to persuade their partner to come back, but also acknowledges that they cannot force them to stay. The singer’s overwhelming desire is for their partner to come back and be near them, even if it's just for a short while.
The song's message is about the ebb and flow of love and how sometimes it dwindles or fades, but that doesn't nullify the love that existed before. The song goes beyond a typical heartbreak song, emphasizing the importance of "being close at hand" regardless if it means the continuation of the romantic relationship. Perhaps it's an ode to the power of love and how it can be expressed in many ways beyond the traditional definition.
Overall, "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" is a poignant song about the complexities of love and the desire to connect with someone who was once important in your life, even when the relationship is over. It is a reminder that the absence of love can be just as painful as its presence.
Line by Line Meaning
When I said I needed you
When I told you that I needed you in my life
You said you would always stay
You promised that you would never leave me
It wasn't me who changed but you
I haven't changed, but you have changed, and not for the better
And now you've gone away
And now you have left me alone
Don't you see that now you've gone
Can't you see that you leaving me has affected me greatly
And I'm left here on my own
And now I am here all by myself
That I have to follow you and beg you to come home
And now I feel like I have to chase after you and beg for you to come back to me
You don't have to say you love me just be close at hand
You don't need to say that you love me, just be there for me when I need you
You don't have to stay forever I will understand
You don't have to stay with me forever, I will be okay with it
Believe me, believe me I can't help but love you
You have to believe me when I say that I can't help but love you
But believe me I'll never tie you down
But you also have to believe me when I say that I will never hold you back or keep you from doing what you want
Left alone with just a memory
Being left here all alone with nothing but memories of you
Life seems dead and quite unreal
Life seems empty and meaningless without you
All that's left is loneliness there's nothing left to feel
All I feel is loneliness, there is nothing else left for me now
You don't have to say you love me just be close at hand
Again, you don't need to say that you love me, just be there for me when I need you
You don't have to stay forever I will understand believe me, believe me
And just like before, you don't have to stay with me forever, I will understand and still love you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Giuseppe Donaggio, Simon Napier-Bell, Vito Pallavicini, Vicki Heather Wickham
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@liammorgan2155
Another great cut from an awesome album!