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.
Woman Like You
Russ Ballard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No it can't wait babe, we got to talk it out now
Your so called friends, they're trying to break us up
They say that I'm cheating on you, that I can't allow
It won't take a minute to talk it out, I'll make you believe me somehow
[Chorus]
There ain't a woman like you in the world baby
There ain't a woman in the world, can start such a fire the way that you do
There ain't a woman like you, there ain't a woman like you, no
There ain't a woman like you, there ain't a woman like you
No use pretending to you, you know I've been around
Won't be no more lying lady, all that's in the past
You ain't the first girl I really loved, but you'll be the last
[Chorus]
There ain't a woman like you in the world baby
Can do what you do, thrill me like you do
There ain't a woman in the world, can start such a fire the way that you do
There ain't a woman like you, no
There ain't a woman like you, no, no
There ain't a woman like you, no
The lyrics to Russ Ballard's song A Woman Like You appear to be a plea for forgiveness and an affirmation of love from a man to his partner. The first verse reveals that the man has some urgent issues to discuss with his partner with no time to waste. He tries to convince his partner that the accusations from her friends who claim that he is cheating on her are false. Furthermore, he is willing to do whatever it takes to make her believe him.
The chorus of the song "There ain't a woman like you in the world, baby, can do what you do, thrill me like you do" highlights the uniqueness of his partner, and no one else can match her deeds. In the second verse, the man admits that he has previously lied to her, but he's now genuinely sorry because he has found the right woman. He promises that she won't be his first love, but she will be his last love. He, therefore, assures her of his dedication and his desire to only have her in his life.
Overall, the song's lyrics portray a sincere wish to reconcile and remain in love through thick and thin. It highlights the essence of communication and trust in a relationship and assures his partner that he is willing to do the hard work to make the relationship work.
Line by Line Meaning
I know it's late babe, but I got to talk to you
Although it may be late, I need to talk to you urgently.
No it can't wait babe, we got to talk it out now
This can't be postponed any longer, we must discuss it immediately.
Your so called friends, they're trying to break us up
Your friends are working to ruin our relationship.
They say that I'm cheating on you, that I can't allow
They've made allegations that I refuse to accept, as I haven't been unfaithful.
It won't take a minute to talk it out, I'll make you believe me somehow
I'm confident that we can sort this out quickly, and I'll convince you that their rumors are untrue.
[Chorus] There ain't a woman like you in the world baby Can do what you do, thrill me like you do There ain't a woman in the world, can start such a fire the way that you do There ain't a woman like you, there ain't a woman like you, no There ain't a woman like you, there ain't a woman like you
You're truly unique among all the women in the world, and I'm amazed by your ability to make me feel incredibly special and passionate.
No use pretending to you, you know I've been around
There's no point in denying or downplaying my past experiences, as you already know about them.
Won't be no more lying lady, all that's in the past
I want to assure you that any deceitful behavior is a thing of the past, and I won't ever do it again.
You ain't the first girl I really loved, but you'll be the last
I've been in love before, but I know now that I'm completely devoted to you and will never love anyone else in the same way.
[Chorus] There ain't a woman like you in the world baby Can do what you do, thrill me like you do There ain't a woman in the world, can start such a fire the way that you do There ain't a woman like you, no There ain't a woman like you, no, no There ain't a woman like you, no
You're simply one of a kind, and nobody else can make me feel the way you do. There's nobody else who can compare to you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BALLARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind