At the age of 14 (1957) Danko booked himself as an opening act for ronnie hawkins, & his band The Hawks. Hawkins asked Danko to join his band as a rythym guitarist, though later he would have Danko learn the bass, and by 1960 was Hawkins' bassist.
Around 1963 The Hawks broke away from Hawkins and the members (including Danko) would go on to continue as the Levon Helm Sextet (later renamed to The Canadian Squires and Levon and the Hawks).
In 1965, Bob Dylan recruited Levon and the Hawks to accompany him on his 1965/66 wold tour. However, Levon Helm chose not to tour with Dylan and was replaced on the tour by drummer Mickey Jones. In 1968, Danko and The Hawks, who had moved to Woodstock, where they began to be referred to as simply "the band," began recording with Dylan in the basement of a big pink house that Danko had rented (and which would soon become famous on its on as "Big Pink"). With Levon Helm back in the fold, they also released their first demo, allowing them to secure a record deal with Capitol Records. Working over the next few months, the five-piece band recorded what would become their debut album, Music From Big Pink. At this time, the group more or less officially changed their name from The Hawks to The Band, this time with a capital "B." Shortly after the album was released, Danko was seriously injured in a car crash, breaking his neck and back in nine places. Though he was laid up in traction for many weeks, he recovered and worked with The Band until 1976, when the group did their final concert at San Francisco's Winterland. The film of the concert, directed by Martin Scorsese, was released as "The Last Waltz" in 1978.
Danko would go on to record solo work on Arista Records, releasing his first solo work in 1977 (his self-titled debut). In the early 1990s, Danko teamed with Jonas Fjeld and Eric Andersen and three albums were released, Danko/Fjeld/Andersen in 1991, Ridin' on the Blinds in 1994, and One More Shot in 2001. Danko released a live album in 1997 (Rick Danko in Concert), and, in 1999, he released Live on Breeze Hill, which featured a new studio version of his much-loved song, "Sip the Wine" (the original version was on his first studio album) and was already working on material for his next work called Times Like These. On December 10, 1999, Danko's heart gave out and he passed away in his sleep. Times Like These was released posthumously the following year.
Makes No Difference
Rick Danko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't get over you and the flame still burns
And it makes no difference, night or day
Shadows never seem to fade away
And the sun don't shine anymore
And the rains fall down on my door
And the clouds never hung so low before
And it makes no difference how far I go
Just like that scar the hurt will always show
And it makes no difference who I meet
They're just a face in the crowd on a dead-end street
And the sun don't shine anymore
The rains fall down on my door
Well, these old love letters
You know, I just can't keep all the love letters
'Cause like that gambler said, "Just read them and weep"
Now the dawn don't rescue me, no more
Without your love, I am nothing at all
Like an empty hall, it's a lonely fall
Since you've been gone, it's a losin' battle
Stampedin' cattle, 'cause they rattle my walls
And the sun don't shine anymore
The rains fall down on my door
Well, I love you so much, that's all that I can do
Just to keep myself from ever tellin' you, love
That I've never felt so alone before
The lyrics to Rick Danko's song "It Makes No Difference" speak of the deep, ongoing pain of lost love. No matter where the singer turns, he cannot escape thoughts of the one who has left him, and the love he once had continues to burn within him. Day and night alike, shadows and clouds seem to follow him, with no respite from his loneliness. He laments that the sun no longer shines, and that rain constantly falls on him. He looks back on the love that he once had with fondness and speaks of the pain of knowing that there will never be another love as true as the love that has passed away unspoken.
Line by Line Meaning
It makes no difference where I turn
No matter what I do or where I go, I cannot get over you
Can't get over you and the flame still burns
The feelings for you remain, never fading
And it makes no difference, night or day
The shadows of your absence never leave
Shadows never seem to fade away
The memories of you remain ever present
And the sun don't shine anymore
The joy and light in my life have vanished since you left
And the rains fall down on my door
My tears represent the downpour of emotions that I am feeling
Now there's no love as true as the love that dies untold
The greatest love often ends without being expressed
And the clouds never hung so low before
The weight of sadness is heavier than ever
And it makes no difference how far I go
My love and longing for you remain consistent no matter where I am
Just like that scar the hurt will always show
The pain of your absence will always be evident
And it makes no difference who I meet
No one can replace the place you once held in my heart
They're just a face in the crowd on a dead-end street
Others are irrelevant in comparison to what was lost with you
Well, these old love letters
The letters of love that once meant so much
You know, I just can't keep all the love letters
They serve as a painful reminder of what was lost
'Cause like that gambler said, "Just read them and weep"
They only bring tears and sorrow when revisited
Now the dawn don't rescue me, no more
The hope of a new day and a fresh start fades without you
Without your love, I am nothing at all
You were my everything and without you, I feel hollow
Like an empty hall, it's a lonely fall
My world is quiet and isolated without you in it
Since you've been gone, it's a losin' battle
Every day is a struggle without you
Stampedin' cattle, 'cause they rattle my walls
The chaos represents the internal conflict of my emotions
Well, I love you so much, that's all that I can do
My love for you is so strong, it defines me
Just to keep myself from ever tellin' you, love
I hold back from expressing my love to avoid the pain of rejection
That I've never felt so alone before
Your absence has caused a profound feeling of loneliness
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gardeninggirl1107
My favorite song - every time I hear Rick sing it, it makes me cry. Sad for a lot of reasons....he was the best, no one even comes close to his performance.
Anna-Laura Hocker
Gardeninggirl1107 Me too! He sang with so much emotion.
Timothy Roman
😓❤️
robert donaldson
Me too
Freakster1970
The Band never went in for fads or styles. JUST PURE NATURAL TALENT. RIP Ricky.
wilburjr
One of the most soulful singers of all time, we miss you Rick, but we will always love you. Your spirit lives on.
Nick Lee
There is no point anyone else singing this song. It can only work with Rick singing it. A masterpiece of a song. An emotionally perfect song.
plainview1
My dad and I both cried when we listened to this version of the song.....R.I.P. Rick you brought so much joy to so many!!! Thank you...
Bob Leach
This is heartbreakingly beautiful. When I see this I hear pure music. The body was going but the soul and spirit shine through. And the technique is all there. It brings me back to Watkins Glenn. Rick came out by himself, drunk and began to ramble. He was trying to play an old folk song acoustic and as he began to lose it Bobby Weir and Jerry Garcia came out and helped him finish the song. I think Rick is just returning a favor for an old friend.
Louis Mazza
He was one of the best without a doubt, It Makes No Difference is such a sad but beautiful song…👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍