Oldfield and her siblings were raised in the Roman Catholic faith of their mother, Maureen. After spending her childhood partly in Dublin and then partly in Reading, Berkshire, Oldfield joined the Royal Academy of Dancing at the age of twelve to study ballet dancing. She quit dancing only four years later.
Oldfield's musical career started in 1968 when she co-founded the folk duo The Sallyangie together with brother Mike Oldfield. The group recorded their first and only album at the recommendation of the Pentangle guitarist, John Renbourn. The sound of the album, Children of the Sun recorded in 1969, was a fairy-tale blend of English folk and pop, with Sally's vocals taking center-stage. Guesting with The Sallyangie on their first recording were Terry Cox, noted drummer/percussionist of Pentangle, as well as flutist Ray Warleigh, who also played with Allan Holdsworth, Nick Drake and many others. Sally and Mike split up in the autumn of the same year due to artistic differences, and Sally and Mike went their own ways for a time.
Oldfield's first solo album release was Water Bearer, released in 1978. Since then, she has continued to release solo albums, as well as appearing on several albums of her siblings Mike and Terry. She was one of the singers performing the female chorus in a couple of sections of Tubular Bells, in the climax of part one and just before the Scottish tune in part two.
Natasha
Sally Oldfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All alone, there's no one out there,
She's standing beneath the start,
Woman of ice, she just don't care!
Natasha's dreaming but she's dreaming with open eyes,
Woman of many faces, woman of disguise,
All her life she's been walking up a lonely mountain,
Hoping that some day, somewhere, someone
Natasha! come in from the cold!
There's people all around you who make you who you are,
Natasha! come in from the cold!
There's people who will love you just the way you are,
You don't need to look so far,
Think you gotta reach for the stars,
There's nothing you can do, they're standing
Right in front of you.
She'll play the game, set the scene,
It's happy skies and there's sea-gulls calling
You'd think she's got it made
But watch her close, the mask is falling,
Natasha's crying for a love that has never been,
Her eyes are filled with pain from some childhood scene,
All her life her castles in the sand have crumbled,
Lost in her desperation, she just can't hear them calling.
Natasha! come in from the cold!
There's people all around you who make you who you are,
Natasha! come in from the cold!
There's people who will love you just the way you are,
You don't need to look so far,
Think you gotta reach for the stars,
There's nothing you can do, they're standing
Right in front of you.
All her life she's been walking up a lonely mountain,
Hoping that some day, somewhere, someone
Will really be there.
Natasha! come in from the cold!
There's people all around you who make you who you are,
Natasha! come in from the cold!
There's people who will love you just the way you are,
You don't need to look so far,
Think you gotta reach for the stars,
There's nothing you can do, they're standing
Right in front of you.
The lyrics of Sally Oldfield's song "Natasha" reflect the story of a woman who has been living a lonely and isolated life, marked by a certain sense of detachment and resignation. This woman is represented as standing on an empty stage and beneath the star, and despite her beauty and uniqueness, she feels out of place and disconnected from the world. She is depicted as someone who has been wearing a mask, pretending to be happy and content, but in reality, she is crying for a love that has never been.
The chorus of the song is a plea to this woman to come in from the cold, to step out of her isolation and realize that there are people around her who care about her just the way she is. The song suggests that this woman doesn't need to look far or reach for the stars to find love and acceptance; all she needs to do is to open her eyes and see the people standing right in front of her.
Line by Line Meaning
Woman standing on an empty stage
A woman is standing alone on a stage with no one around
All alone, there's no one out there,
The woman is completely alone on the empty stage
She's standing beneath the star,
The woman is standing under the starry sky
Woman of ice, she just don't care!
The woman appears cold and indifferent towards her surroundings
Natasha's dreaming but she's dreaming with open eyes,
Natasha is daydreaming with her eyes open
Woman of many faces, woman of disguise,
Natasha has many different personas and can be deceptive in her behavior
All her life she's been walking up a lonely mountain,
Natasha has had a difficult and solitary journey throughout her life
Hoping that some day, somewhere, someone
Will really be there.
Natasha hopes that someday, somewhere, someone will be there for her
Natasha! come in from the cold!
The artist is calling out to Natasha to leave her isolation and loneliness behind
There's people all around you who make you who you are,
Natasha's identity is influenced by the people around her
There's people who will love you just the way you are,
There are people who will accept and love Natasha for who she truly is
You don't need to look so far,
Natasha doesn't need to search far and wide for love and acceptance
Think you gotta reach for the stars,
Natasha doesn't need to strive for an unattainable goal to find happiness
There's nothing you can do, they're standing
Right in front of you.
The love and acceptance Natasha desires are already within reach
She'll play the game, set the scene,
Natasha will put on a façade and manipulate situations to suit her needs
It's happy skies and there's sea-gulls calling
The scene Natasha creates seems joyful and carefree
You'd think she's got it made
One would assume that Natasha has a perfect life
But watch her close, the mask is falling,
Natasha's true emotions and feelings are beginning to show through her façade
Natasha's crying for a love that has never been,
Natasha is weeping for a love she has never experienced
Her eyes are filled with pain from some childhood scene,
Natasha's pain originates from a traumatic childhood experience
All her life her castles in the sand have crumbled,
Natasha's attempts at finding love and acceptance have all ended in disappointment
Lost in her desperation, she just can't hear them calling.
Natasha is so desperate for love that she is unable to see the love that is already present around her
All her life she's been walking up a lonely mountain,
Natasha's journey through life has been a solitary one
Hoping that some day, somewhere, someone
Will really be there.
Despite her past disappointments, Natasha still holds onto hope of finding true love and companionship
Contributed by Abigail L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.