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.
Strangers
Sally Oldfield Lyrics
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I went walking down by the sea
The full moon shone on the silver sand
And I felt you were following me
All the summer our friendships growing
I felt that you really cared
I never wanted a one night stand
'Cause something stronger was there
'Cause we've lost something fine
We could have taken it much more slowly
And found the perfect time
Oh! we became two strangers in the dawn
Now that love has gone I can't forget
Please stay
Oh! we became two strangers in the dawn
The things we could have done and could have said
Were just a breath away
You've been talking about your life
And the way that you want it to be
It felt so good when you took my hand
And you shared your soul with me
Suddenly your eyes were changing
There was something on your mind
Then I could have turned away
But desire was so blind
Oh! we became two strangers in the dawn
Now that love has gone I can't forget
Please stay
Oh! we became two strangers in the dawn
The things we could have done and could have said
Were just a breath away
Strangers in the dawn
Strangers in the dawn
Oh! we became two strangers in the dawn
Now that love has gone I can't forget
Please stay
Oh! we became two strangers in the dawn
The things we could have done and could have said
Please stay
Oh! we became two strangers in the dawn
The lyrics to Sally Oldfield's song "Strangers in the Dawn" deal with the aftermath of a failed romantic relationship. The singer of the song is feeling lonely and regretful, thinking back to a time when she believed there was potential for something deeper between her and her partner. She recalls a night they spent together walking on the beach, talking openly about their lives and desires, feeling connected and alive. However, something went wrong, and now they are "two strangers in the dawn." She pleads with her former lover to stay, believing that there was still something they could have done or said that might have saved their love.
The song explores the universal issue of missed opportunities in relationships. The singer is haunted by the idea that there was more they could have done, more they could have said, and that they were simply too blind or too afraid to take the necessary steps to save what they had. The song is imbued with a sense of longing and regret, as the singer struggles to come to terms with the loss of something that could have been great.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I couldn't stand the crowd
I didn't feel comfortable around other people last night
I went walking down by the sea
I decided to take a walk by the sea
The full moon shone on the silver sand
It was a clear night and the full moon was illuminating the silver sand
And I felt you were following me
I had a sense that you were behind me
All the summer our friendships growing
Our friendship has been growing all summer
I felt that you really cared
I felt that you were genuinely concerned about me
I never wanted a one night stand
I wasn't interested in a short-term fling
'Cause something stronger was there
I knew we had something stronger and more meaningful
The way that I'm feeling tonight is lonely
I'm feeling lonely tonight
'Cause we've lost something fine
We had something great, but now it's gone
We could have taken it much more slowly
We should have taken things slower
And found the perfect time
We could have found the perfect moment
Oh! we became two strangers in the dawn
We have become strangers at this early hour
Now that love has gone I can't forget
I can't forget that our love is gone
Please stay
Please don't leave me now
The things we could have done and could have said
We missed out on many things we could have done and said
Were just a breath away
We were so close to experiencing and saying a lot of those things
You've been talking about your life
You have been sharing details about your life
And the way that you want it to be
And how you want your future to be like
It felt so good when you took my hand
It felt so comforting when you held my hand
And you shared your soul with me
And shared your deepest feelings with me
Suddenly your eyes were changing
Suddenly, I noticed a change in your eyes
There was something on your mind
You were clearly upset about something
Then I could have turned away
I had the chance to walk away
But desire was so blind
But my desire for you was too strong to turn away
Strangers in the dawn
We are now strangers in the early morning hours
Strangers in the dawn
We are now strangers in the early morning hours
Please stay
Please don't leave me now
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CANDY DEROUGE, GUNTHER MENDE, SALLY OLDFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind