Ballard was initially a guitarist with Buster Meikle & The Day Breakers in 1961, together with Roy Ballard, Russ's older brother on piano and Bob Henrit on drums. After a stint with The Roulettes, backing Adam Faith, he then went on to join Unit 4 + 2 (also Unit Four Plus Two) in the early 1960s, before becoming the lead singer and guitarist of Argent, writing their hit the rock-anthem God Gave Rock and Roll to You, which would later be covered by both Petra and Kiss.
In 1972, Ballard performed on The Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone's album Ennismore, which was produced by Chris White. Ballard also wrote the hit single, I Don't Believe in Miracles, which featured on that album.
He left Argent in 1973 and pursued a solo and songwriting career. He wrote such hits as Three Dog Night's Liar, Hot Chocolate's 1977 UK chart topper So You Win Again, and Rainbow's Since You Been Gone (also featured on Ballard's second solo album Winning) and I Surrender. As a solo artist, Ballard charted once on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, when "On the Rebound" reached #58 in 1980. Progressive rock band Uriah Heep covered On the Rebound in 1982 on their album, Abominog.
Ballard also wrote and performed on The Who's vocalist Roger Daltrey's first two solo albums - Daltrey (1973) and Ride a Rock Horse (1975) and produced several singles.
British pop band Hello recorded Ballard's New York Groove in 1975, reaching #7 in Germany and #9 in the UK. In 1978 New York Groove would again feature on KISS' lead-guitarist Ace Frehley's solo album and be a hit once more.
Ballard also wrote the #17, 1981 hit for Santana, called Winning, which appeared on their album entitled Zebop! and had previously been released by Ballard himself on his second solo album.
Ballard wrote and produced You Can Do Magic for the group America. The single climbed to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1982, and helped resurrect the band's career. The following year, America brought in Ballard to produce their follow-up album, Your Move. One of its tracks, The Border, which was co-written by Ballard with Dewey Bunnell, reached #33 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Borrowing from The Cure's Simon Gallup's 1981 "Other Voices" bass riff, Ballard wrote ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad's 1982 solo hit: I Know There's Something Going On (with drums played by Phil Collins). The track reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. He also penned Can't Shake Loose for fellow ABBA former member, Agnetha Fältskog, which peaked at #29 in the same listings.
His song Voices - from the album Russ Ballard - was featured on the Miami Vice episode entitled "Calderone's Return: Part 2 - Calderone's Demise", which aired on 26 October 1984. The song was a brief hit on rock radio stations, peaking at #15 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. However, "Voices" stalled below the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #110. The song In The Night (also from the Russ Ballard album), was also featured in Miami Vice, and included in the episode entitled "Calderone's Return: Part 1 - The Hit List". The show also featured Your Time Is Gonna Come by Ballard and recorded by Roger Daltrey for the movie soundtrack: McVicar.
The Fire Still Burns, the title track of his 1985 album attained #15 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
In 1991 the song he co-wrote with John Waite (The Babys) and Jonathan Cain, So This Is Eden, appeared on Bad English's album, Backlash.
Ballard has also written and produced for Elkie Brooks, and more recently, acting as a talent scout, he "discovered" Lauren Harris.
Other artists he's worked with or have covered songs written by him include Bay City Rollers, Pointer Sisters, Carol Douglas, Clout, Kandidate, Long John Baldry, Peter Criss (KISS drummer), The Cats, Bruce Dickinson, The Brian May Band to name a few.
Day to Day
Russ Ballard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's going on, in every one it seems
You come to me, in slow motion, then you pledge your devotion
Then I awake, I realize, you won't be coming back
[Chorus]
I'm living day to day, now that you've gone away
I'm living day to day, and that's the way it will stay
Til you come back, I'll keep living day to day
And when it's light, I walk down the stairs
I read the news, the weather's fine, who cares
I stand up, walk to the doorway, I look down on the floor lay
Just one letter maybe two, but there ain't one from you
[Chorus: x2]
Til you come back, I'll keep living day to day
The lyrics of Russ Ballard's "Day to Day" illustrate the emotional turmoil of a person who has lost their loved one. The singer admits that since their departure, they have been experiencing strange dreams. In every dream, the person who left them appears to pledge their devotion. However, the harsh reality is that they are no longer together, and the singer cannot escape that fact. The chorus is a heartfelt confession of how the singer is coping with life now that their significant other is not with them anymore. They state that they are only living day to day, trying to get through the day by doing what they have to do. The singer tries to hold on to hope for the return of their partner, but everyday reality reminds them that until that happens, they have to keep living their present life.
In the second verse, the singer shifts to the mundanity of daily life. The weather is nice, but nothing else seems to matter. They hope to find a letter or two, but unfortunately, there isn't any from their partner. The pain of loneliness and separation is felt deeply in the repeated chorus as the singer resigns himself to living day-to-day until their love returns.
The overall theme of the song is the struggle of moving forward when life takes an unexpected turn. The singer is struggling to make peace with the fact that their lover is not with them anymore. The repeated "I'm living day to day" phrase is a reminder to the listener that moving on from a relationship can be difficult, and it's okay to take it one day at a time.
Line by Line Meaning
Since you been gone, I get the strangest dreams
Ever since you left, I've been experiencing unusual and bizarre dreams
What's going on, in every one it seems
In every dream I have, something strange and unexplainable is happening
You come to me, in slow motion, then you pledge your devotion
In my dreams, you appear in slow motion and profess your love for me
Then I awake, I realize, you won't be coming back
But as soon as I wake up, I become aware that you are not returning to me
I'm living day to day, now that you've gone away
Life has become a daily struggle since you left me
I just do what I have to do to get through the day
I do whatever it takes to survive and make it through each day
And that's the way it will stay
Things will continue to be this way as long as you are gone
Til you come back, I'll keep living day to day
Until the day you return to me, I will have to keep enduring life one day at a time
And when it's light, I walk down the stairs
In the morning, I descend the staircase
I read the news, the weather's fine, who cares
I read the news, but everything seems unimportant and insignificant now that you're not here
I stand up, walk to the doorway, I look down on the floor lay
I stand up, walk to the door and look at the floor
Just one letter maybe two, but there ain't one from you
Although I hope to receive a letter from you, I never do, and it breaks my heart
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BALLARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind