Peter was born in England, as one of four kids, and soon learned to play a … Read Full Bio ↴Peter was born in England, as one of four kids, and soon learned to play a variety of instruments such as recorder, clarinet, cornet, trombone, violin, harmonica, and piano. What he was not given were any instructions in playing the guitar. Therefore Peter self-trained to play a few simple chords and felt intrigued by the influence of The Beatles and other 60s music at the time. In his late teenager years he waived going to college, electing instead to pursue a career in the music business. He started to play professionally in small clubs and would eventually move to London, where he soon met Scottish singer/songwriter Al Stewart. Pretty soon Peter joined Al's backing band and toured England up and down, subsequently the USA, providing guitar and keyboards to the band's sound.

For the recordings of "Year of the Cat" Al put a classic Spanish guitar into Peter's hands and asked him to play on it for one song of the forthcoming album. That part became the opening of the well-known "On The Border". It were those recording sessions when Peter also worked with producer Alan Parsons of The Alan Parsons Project.

In 1978 he followed Al Stewart and moved to Los Angeles, CA. Around this time Peter's younger brother Danny felt the inspiration to form his own group, which would become Matt Bianco ("Bianco" is Italian for "White"). Temporarily the Al Stewart backing band was renamed to Shot in the Dark, which consisted basically of the crew (among them bass player Robin Lamble) which played on Al Stewart's 1980 and 1981 albums. Shot in the Dark alone only released one album in 1981; they disbanded when their record label closed down.

In the following years Peter became more and more involved in the L.A. music scene and played with the likes of Johnny Rivers (the "Secret Agent Man"), Bernie Leadon (after he left the Eagles), Susanna Hoffs (after she left The Bangles), Tori Amos (before she got famous), and Janis Ian ("At Seventeen"). Through this connection with Matt Bianco, Peter would contribute his guitar playing on albums of the band as well as later on with their lead singer Basia, also joining her on tours. In the late 80s he would discover that one of his neighbors, a man named Skipper Wise, was also a musician. Peter agreed to join him and his band Windows occasionally, playing guitar and keyboards on some of their records. When Skipper decided in 1988 to record a solo album (The Clock & The Moon) Peter agreed to support him, but asked for the same favor in return when it would come to his first solo album. Only one year later, in 1989, Peter White's first solo effort, Reveillez-Vous, was recorded and published, co-produced by Skipper Wise. A second release, Excusez-Moi, was finished in a similar fashion in 1992. Peter White became a leading smooth jazz musician and joined the "Guitars & Saxes" tour together with jazz musicians such as Richard Elliot, Warren Hill and Craig Chaquico.

Reason to Live
Peter White Lyrics

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Out of love, there's nobody around, all I hear is the sound of a broken heart
Out of time, no more waitin' for you
Now the hurtin's through, and a new day starts
And I feel a change in my life, I sailed into dark and endless nights
And made it alive

Everybody's got a reason to live, baby
Everybody's got a dream and a hunger inside

Everybody's got a reason to live, but it can't be your love

Out of touch, with myself for so long, now a feelin' so strong comin' over me
Down the line, there's a lesson I've learned
You can love and get burned, if it has to be
And I see a change in my life, and I'm not alone when I'm strong inside
And I realize

Everybody's got a reason to live, baby
Everybody's got a dream and a hunger inside
Everybody's got a reason to live, but it can't be your love

And I feel a change in my life
And I'm not alone when I'm strong inside and I realize

Everybody's got a reason to live, baby
Everybody's got a dream and a hunger inside
Everybody's got a reason to live, but it can't be your love

Everybody's got a reason to live, baby
Everybody's got a dream and a hunger inside
Everybody's got a reason to live, but it can't be your love

No it can't be your love, no it can't be your love
No it can't be your love

Overall Meaning

The song "Reason to Live" by Peter White talks about the experience of moving on from a broken heart and finding a new reason to live. The singer of the song talks about how, after being left alone and heartbroken, they have come out stronger and have learned to love themselves once again. The lyrics suggest that everyone has a reason to live, but that it cannot be based solely on someone else's love.

The song talks about the importance of self-love and self-reliance, and how letting go of someone who doesn't treat you right can ultimately lead you to a happier and more fulfilling life. The message of the song is that everyone should find their own reason to live, whether it be a dream or a passion, rather than relying on someone else to give their life meaning.

Interestingly, the song was released in 1994 as part of Peter White's album "Reflections." The album was White's fourth studio album and also featured a cover of the Beatles song "Can't Buy Me Love." The tracklist also included notable songs such as "Caravan of Dreams" and "Midnight in Manhattan."

Line by Line Meaning

Out of love, there's nobody around, all I hear is the sound of a broken heart
Feeling alone and heartbroken after a love has ended

Out of time, no more waitin' for you
Realizing that waiting for someone who doesn't want to be with you is a waste of time

Now the hurtin's through, and a new day starts
Feeling that the emotional pain is over and a new beginning is starting

And I feel a change in my life, I sailed into dark and endless nights
Experiencing a transformative shift in perspective after going through tough times

And made it alive
Feeling grateful for coming through a difficult situation and still being alive

Everybody's got a reason to live, baby
Acknowledging that everyone has a purpose in life

Everybody's got a dream and a hunger inside
Believing that everyone has aspirations and a desire to succeed

Everybody's got a reason to live, but it can't be your love
Realizing that one's reason to live and happiness cannot solely depend on another person's love

Out of touch, with myself for so long, now a feelin' so strong comin' over me
Having lost touch with oneself, but feeling a strong sense of self-rediscovery

Down the line, there's a lesson I've learned
Having gained wisdom from past experiences

You can love and get burned, if it has to be
Realizing that love is not always perfect and can lead to heartbreak

And I see a change in my life, and I'm not alone when I'm strong inside
Noticing personal growth and feeling less alone when feeling strong from within

And I realize
Coming to a realization

No it can't be your love, no it can't be your love
Affirming that one's reason to live cannot solely depend on another person's love

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DESMOND CHILD, PAUL STANLEY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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