Finding his voice in a school choir, Crawford began his professional career still a teenager. Having some luck on the London stage in the early 60s, he then found his way onto the BBC and starred in various programmes such as 'Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'. He also had film roles in 'The War Lover', 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'. and 'How I Won the War' (which brought him into the same work as John Lennon).
Andrew Lloyd Webber's casting of him opposite Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton as the Phantom in 1986 shot his career into high gear. Winning a Tony Award for his role, Crawford also had the aforementioned tune, "The Music Of The Night", reach the British Top Ten. He has released several studio albums such as 'A Touch of Music in the Night' and 'On Eagle's Wings' among others.
Being Alive
Michael Crawford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone to hold you too close
Someone to hurt you too deep
Someone to sit in your chair
And ruin your sleep
And make you aware of being alive
Someone to know you too well
Someone to pull you up short
And put you through hell
And give you support for being alive-being alive
Make me alive, make me confused
Mock me with praise, let me be used
Vary my days, but alone is alone, not alive!
Somebody hold me too close
Somebody force me to care
Somebody make me come through
I'll always be there
As frightened as you of being alive,
Being alive, being alive!
Someone you have to let in
Someone whose feelings you spare
Someone who, like it or not
Will want you to share a little, a lot of being alive
Make me alive, make me confused
Mock me with praise, let me be used
Vary my days, but alone is alone, not alive!
Somebody crowd me with love
Somebody force me to care
Somebody make me come through
I'll always be there
As frightened as you to help us survive,
Being alive, being alive, being alive, being alive
The lyrics to Michael Crawford's song Being Alive discuss the human need for connection and the fear that comes with it. Through the repetition of the phrase "being alive," Crawford emphasizes the importance of experiencing all the ups and downs that life has to offer, even when they hurt or make us uncomfortable. The song speaks to the universal desire to have someone to hold, to understand and know us, and to push us out of our comfort zones.
The first verse sets the tone for the song, bringing up the idea that sometimes the people we love hurt us too deeply or invade our personal space. However, it is through these experiences that we become more aware of our own existence. The next verse continues this theme, mentioning the importance of having someone who needs us and challenges us, even if it means putting us through difficult situations. The line "Being alive, make me confused, mock me with praise, let me be used" highlights the paradoxes of human relationships and how they often push us to grow in unexpected ways.
The chorus then reflects the plea for someone to "make me/you alive" and the fear of being alone, as well as the shared experience of being frightened of what life has in store for us. The bridge touches on the need to let others into our lives, to share our emotions with them, and to survive together despite our fears.
Overall, Being Alive is a poignant reflection on the human experience and the importance of relationships in our lives, even when they are messy and painful.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone to hold you too close
I need someone to be so close to me that our skin touches.
Someone to hurt you too deep
I need someone who will hurt me so deeply that it will make me feel alive.
Someone to sit in your chair
I need someone who will invade my personal space and make themselves at home.
And ruin your sleep
I need someone who will make me think about them so much that I won't be able to sleep.
And make you aware of being alive
I need someone who will make me feel like I am truly living.
Someone to need you too much
I need someone who is so dependent on me that they cannot function without me.
Someone to know you too well
I need someone who knows everything about me, even the parts that I don't show to anyone else.
Someone to pull you up short
I need someone who will challenge me and stop me from making mistakes.
And put you through hell
I need someone who will make me go through difficult times and push me to my limits.
And give you support for being alive-being alive
I need someone who will support me and help me to feel alive.
Make me alive, make me confused
I want to feel like I am truly living, even if it means that I am confused about my feelings.
Mock me with praise, let me be used
I want someone to give me empty compliments and use me for their own benefit.
Vary my days, but alone is alone, not alive!
I need someone to give more meaning to my life than just existing alone.
Somebody hold me too close
I need someone to hold me so tightly that I can feel their heart beating against mine.
Somebody force me to care
I need someone to make me care about things that I would normally ignore.
Somebody make me come through
I need someone to challenge me and make me succeed.
I'll always be there
I promise to always be there for the person who can make me feel alive.
As frightened as you of being alive,
I am just as scared as you are about living a meaningful life.
Someone you have to let in
I need someone who I can trust enough to let them into my life completely.
Someone whose feelings you spare
I need someone who is sensitive enough to have their feelings spared.
Someone who, like it or not
I need someone who will stay with me even if they don't want to.
Will want you to share a little, a lot of being alive
I need someone who will want to share their life with me, and make me feel alive as well.
Somebody crowd me with love
I need someone who will shower me with love and affection.
As frightened as you to help us survive,
I am just as scared as you are about surviving the ups and downs of life.
Being alive, being alive, being alive, being alive
I need to feel truly alive, and I won't settle for anything less.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Stephen Sondheim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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