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 (1970β1980).
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.
Sea of Heartbreak
Lynn Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lights in the harbor don't shine for me
I'm like a lost ship adrift on the sea.
The Sea of Heartbreak lost love and loneliness
Mem'ries of your caress so divine
How I wish you were mine again my dear
How did I lose you where did I fail
Why did you leave me always to sail.
This Sea of Heartbreak lost love and loneliness
Mem'ries of your caress so divine
How I wish you were mine again my dear
I'm on a sea of tears the Sea of Heartbreak.
Oh, what I'd give to sail back to shore
Back to your arms once more.
Come to my rescue come here to me
Take me and keep me away from the sea.
The Sea of Heartbreak lost love and loneliness
Mem'ries of your caress so divine
How I wish you were mine again my dear
I'm on a sea of tears the Sea of Heartbreak.
Sea of Heartbreak, Sea of Heartbreak, Sea of Heartbreak...
Lynn Anderson's "Sea of Heartbreak" is a poignant commentary on the depth of loneliness that comes with heartbreak. Anderson's longing voice and the evocative lyrics capture the image of a ship alone in a stormy sea, struggling to find its way back to shore. The haunting melody and melancholy lyrics speak of a love that has been lost, and the desperate yearning to find it again.
The song is written in the first-person perspective of the singer, who is lost in the Sea of Heartbreak, an endless expanse of loneliness, pain, and heartache. The harbour lights that usually guide lost ships to shore don't shine for the singer. The imagery of a ship adrift in a stormy sea is a metaphor for the singer's own emotional state - lost and alone, desperately searching for a way back to shore. The singer is reminiscing about the sweet memories of their lost love, wishing for a second chance. The lyrics are also filled with regret and questions of self-doubt as the singer laments why they lost their love, where they failed, and why their partner left them.
Line by Line Meaning
The lights in the harbor don't shine for me
I feel lost and alone, with no hope of finding my way or finding comfort in familiar places.
I'm like a lost ship adrift on the sea.
I am completely lost and without direction, much like a ship without a crew or compass.
This Sea of Heartbreak lost love and loneliness
My heart is filled with sadness and despair, as I am alone and without the love I so desperately desire.
Mem'ries of your caress so divine
I long for the tenderness and affection of my lost love, and the memories of these moments are bittersweet and haunting.
How I wish you were mine again my dear
I yearn for the return of my love and the happiness that came with our time together.
I'm on a sea of tears the Sea of Heartbreak.
My sorrow is overwhelming, and I feel as if I am drowning in a sea of sadness and tears.
How did I lose you where did I fail
I am filled with regret and self-doubt, as I wonder what I did wrong and why our love could not endure.
Why did you leave me always to sail.
I feel abandoned and betrayed by my love, who left me to face the pain and hardships of life all alone.
Oh, what I'd give to sail back to shore
I would do anything to return to the safety and warmth of my love's embrace once again.
Back to your arms once more.
There is nothing I desire more than to be held in the loving arms of my lost love, safe and secure in their embrace.
Come to my rescue come here to me
I am in desperate need of help and support, and I beg my love to return to rescue me from my misery.
Take me and keep me away from the sea.
I am so tired of the pain and the tears, and I long to be taken away from this sea of heartbreak and into a place of safety and serenity.
Sea of Heartbreak, Sea of Heartbreak, Sea of Heartbreak...
The pain and sadness of this sea of heartbreak is all-consuming, and it fills my every thought and feeling.
Writer(s): Paul Hampton, Hal David Copyright: Casa David LP, Casa David Music, Shapiro Bernstein & Co. Inc.
Contributed by Audrey O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@carlmcquinn2860
She is a awesome singer β€ this song π΅
@marryannlamb9853
Great song Dan Thanks for sharing.
@bestclassiccountrymusic8319
So many great re-do's on this song.. hard to find a favorite, but this is up there for me... thanks so much Marryann...Glad you enjoyed too
@marryannlamb9853
@@bestclassiccountrymusic8319 your so welcome.dan.
@DavidWhitley
good version of this song
@danielburns987
this song went to #33 on the country charts in 1979!!!
@hugoagogo4324
Beautiful voice but a bit to slow