Milsap was born in Robbinsville, North Carolina with a congenital disorder that left him almost completely blind. He was abandoned by his mother as an infant and raised by his grandparents until the age of five, when he was sent to the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Milsap showed musical aptitude at an early age. The school stressed classical music training but he preferred country, gospel and rhythm-and-blues. He released his first single, Total Disaster, in 1963 at the age of twenty. This was followed by several Ashford And Simpson, compositions, including the memorable "Let's Go Get Stoned", which, unfortunately for Milsap, was relegated to a b-side. A few months later it would become a million-selling single for the more popular blind pianist, Ray Charles. 1972 found him working regularly at Roger Miller's King of the Road Club in Nashville, Tennessee and he signed with RCA Records in 1973. He was at his peak of popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s with songs that made his name familiar to pop as well as country audiences, such as "It Was Almost Like A Song," "{There's) No Gettin' Over Me," "Smoky Mountain Rain," "I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World," and a remake of Chuck Jackson's "Any Day Now" (which was named Billboard magazine's Number One Adult Contemporary hit of 1982). Milsap recorded for RCA until 1992. During that time he created five gold albums, one platinum album and one double platinum album. He also won six Grammy Awards and eight Country Music Association awards including the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award. In 2005 Milsap resigned with RCA Records and released a new country single, "Local Girls."
Milsap has recorded music with Kenny Rogers, Elvis Presley and Barry Manilow.
Ronnie and his wife Joyce currently make their home in Nashville, Tennessee.
Milsap enjoys his hobby of amateur (Ham) radio. More info on him can be found at: http://www.qrz.com/wb4kcg
Any Day Now
Ronnie Milsap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I will hear you say "Goodbye, my love"
And you'll be on your way
Then my wild beautiful bird, you will have flown, oh
Any day now
I'll be all alone, whoa
Any day now
Oh, to my sad surprise
Then the blue shadows will fall all over town, oh
Any day now (any day now)
Love will let me down (any day now), whoa
I know I shouldn't want to keep you
If you don't want to stay-ay
Until you gone forever
I'll keep holding on for dear life
Holding you this way
Begging you to stay
Any day now
When the clock strikes, "Go"
You'll call it off
And then my tears will flow
Then my wild beautiful bird, you will have flown, oh
Any day now (any day now)
Love will let me down (any day now)
'Cause you won't be around
Ohh, then the blue shadows will fall all over town, oh
Any day now (any day now)
Love will let me down (any day now)
'Cause you won't be around
Any day now
You won't be around, ooh
(Any day now)
No, no, no, no, no, no
You won't be around
(Any day now)
The lyrics of Ronnie Milsap's "Any Day Now" is all about the fear of losing someone you love. The singer is anticipating the moment when their lover walks out of their life, leaving them alone and heartbroken. The first verse was written in the future tense, implying the inevitability of the event. The singer is already resigned to the reality that his love may leave him anytime soon. He refers to his lover as a "wild beautiful bird," capturing the idea of freedom and the natural tendency of birds to fly away.
The second verse spoke about the moment their eyes meet someone new, and the blue shadows will fall all over town, painting a picture of melancholy and loneliness. The singer knows that when his partner finds someone new, he will be devastated, and the world will appear sad and gray. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Any day now" in a tone that implies dread and sadness. The singer is begging his lover to stay, even though he knows that holding on is futile because he knows that he doesn't own him/her.
The lyrics of "Any Day Now" reflect the universal fear of losing someone who is important to us. The fear of being alone can be overwhelming and paralyzing. Ronnie Milsap's song captures the emotions that come with this fear - the desperation, the sadness, and the hopelessness. The song's touching lyrics have helped it endure as a classic, reminding us of the importance of cherishing the people we love before they are gone.
Line by Line Meaning
Any day now
I fear that soon, very soon, things will come to an end.
I will hear you say "Goodbye, my love"
The day I dread is the day you say those words and leave me forever.
And you'll be on your way
You'll be leaving me with a heavy heart and a wounded soul.
Then my wild beautiful bird, you will have flown, oh
Once you're gone, you'll fly away like a beautiful, free bird.
Any day now
It could happen at any time.
I'll be all alone, whoa
I'll be left to face the world alone, feeling lost and abandoned.
When your restless eyes meet someone new
When you start looking at other people with the look that was once reserved only for me.
Oh, to my sad surprise
This realization will bring great sadness and disappointment to me.
Then the blue shadows will fall all over town, oh
The world around me will become dark and gloomy, mirroring the state of my heart.
Any day now (any day now)
It could happen at any moment.
Love will let me down (any day now), whoa
The love I thought would never end will inevitably come to an end.
I know I shouldn't want to keep you
Deep down, I know that it is not right to hold onto someone who wants to leave.
If you don't want to stay-ay
If you no longer want to be with me, I cannot force you to stay.
Until you gone forever
Until the day you leave me for good.
I'll keep holding on for dear life
I'll hold onto you tightly and do everything I can to make you stay.
Holding you this way
I'll keep holding onto you for as long as I can.
Begging you to stay
I'll plead with you and do everything in my power to convince you to stay.
When the clock strikes, "Go"
When the time comes for you to leave.
You'll call it off
You'll decide that it's time to end things.
And then my tears will flow
I'll cry uncontrollably as you leave.
No, no, no, no, no, no
I don't want this to happen.
You won't be around
Once you're gone, you'll no longer be a part of my life.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Bob Hilliard, Burt Bacharach
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jim Cholley
THE TOP 50 BILLBOARD ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE
HOT COUNTRY SINGLES
1982
Number 37
ANY DAY NOW
Ronnie Milsap
Words & music by
Burt Bacharach, Bob Hilliard
Produced by
Ronnie Milsap and Tom Collins
Strings arranged by
D. Bergen White/
Performed by the
Nashville String Machine
RCA Records
PB-13216
From the Album
INSIDE RONNIE MILSAP
First Chart Date:
Saturday, May 1, 1982
59-46-33-25-21-14-11-4-3-1-8-21-30-45-53-60-94
Last Chart Date:
Saturday, August 21, 1982
Total weeks on the chart:
17
Peak Position on the chart:
1 [1 week]
Kellie Kretzmer
I just love this song and Ronnie! I'm a punk girl and I'm still in love with the song and Ronnie. Smoky mountain rain will set me in a trance.
Daniel Isom
๐ฏ
The Visual Storyteller
Smoky Mountain Rain is my favorite Milsap song
Kellie Kretzmer
It puts me in a happy place. Agreed
David K. Bruner
I hear that ๐งท
Jennifer Wilhelm
Ronnie Millsap has great songs and a unique voice
KOFFIN nails
At times he sounds like alabama to me
S8mone Perch
When this song is playing ,just close your eyes and let all good memories poor in
David McKinney
Ronnie Millsap is one of the best singers
Bruce Weis
So many great songs he did, this was a Burt Bacharach song and Ronnie nails it.