Originally coming to fame in the mid-1960s singing orchestral pop ballads as the frontman of The Walker Brothers, Walker went on to a solo career balancing a light entertainment/MOR ballad approach with increasing artistic innovations in arrangement and writing. Despite a series of acclaimed albums, a disastrous drop in sales forced him back into straight Middle of the road recordings with little of his own artistic input. This in turn eventually led to a Walker Brothers reunion in the mid-1970s (although the latter eventually moved, by mutual consent, into more avant-garde areas).
From the mid-1980s, Walker revived his solo career while drastically reinventing his artistic and compositional methods, via a series of acclaimed and vividly avant-garde albums. These combined his iconic voice with an unsettling avant-garde approach which owed more to modernist and post-modernist classical composition than to his pop singer past. This change in approach has been compared to "Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen".
Walker has been a continuing influence on other artists, in particular The Last Shadow Puppets, Marc Almond, Goldfrapp, Douglas Pearce of the band Death in June, Billy MacKenzie of The Associates, David Sylvian, Julian Cope, Antony Hegarty, Thom Yorke, Steven Wilson, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Trey Spruance, Perry Blake, Radiohead, Noah Lennox, Mikael Åkerfeldt, and the Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon.
Walker continued to release solo material until his death, and was signed to 4AD Records. As a record producer or guest performer he worked with a number of artists including Pulp, Ute Lemper, Bat For Lashes and Sunn O))).
We Had It All
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just the way they used to, through the Georgia pines
You were there to answer when I called
You and me- Lord knows, we had it all
Remember how I used to touch my hand
While reaching for a feeling, that was always there
You're the best thing in my life that I recall
I know that we could never live those times again
So I let my dreams take me back where we've been
And I stay with you, girl, as long as I can
Oh, it was good- oh, so good
When I was your man
Never stopped believing in your smile
Even though it didn't stay- it was all worthwhile
You were the best thing in my life that I'd recall
You and me- we had it all
In Scott Walker's song "We Had It All," the lyrics reflect on a past relationship between two people who had everything together, reminiscing about the good times they shared. The first verse sets the scene with the wind blowing through the Georgia pines, evoking a sense of nostalgia and longing. The singer then remembers how the person he was with used to always be there for him when he called upon them. They had a connection that seemed unbreakable, and the singer knows that they had it all.
In the second verse, the lyrics describe how the couple had a deep emotional bond, always reaching for a feeling that was always there between them. The singer reminisces that the other person was the best thing in his life and that he could never forget the times they shared. The lyrics then acknowledge that they could never go back to those times, but the singer lets his dreams take him there, staying with the memories as long as he can, and cherishing the memories of being with his partner, knowing that it was good when he was with them.
Overall, the lyrics of "We Had It All" reflect on a love that once was and is now gone, leaving the singer with nothing but happy memories of their time together. It is a bittersweet reflection on a love that was real, but that has passed, and the lyrics of the song capture the complex emotions that come with longing for something that is no longer there.
Line by Line Meaning
I can hear the wind a-blowin' in my mind
The sound of the wind reminds me of the past and brings me nostalgia.
Just the way they used to, through the Georgia pines
The wind reminds me of the times when we used to spend time in Georgia.
You were there to answer when I called
You were always there for me whenever I needed you.
You and me- Lord knows, we had it all
We had everything we wanted and needed in our relationship.
Remember how I used to touch my hand
I remember how you would touch me and make me feel loved.
While reaching for a feeling, that was always there
Even though we didn't have to reach for love, it was always present between us.
You're the best thing in my life that I recall
You were the most important and best thing that ever happened to me.
I know that we could never live those times again
We can't go back to the past and relive those times.
So I let my dreams take me back where we've been
I often dream of the time we spent together and visit the past in my mind.
And I stay with you, girl, as long as I can
I'll always be there for you for as long as I can.
Oh, it was good- oh, so good
What we had was amazing and nothing can compare to it.
When I was your man
When I was with you and we were together, everything was perfect.
Never stopped believing in your smile
I always believed in you and your love even when things got tough.
Even though it didn't stay- it was all worthwhile
Although our love didn't last forever, every moment we spent together was worth it.
You were the best thing in my life that I'd recall
You were the most memorable and significant thing in my life.
You and me- we had it all
Our love was perfect and we had everything we needed when we were together.
Contributed by Riley K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Max Sugar
His incredible voice could do country music too ... he was just one of a kind.
keith stevenson
22 Jan 2020 What a voice. I've never heard these songs before. Scott Walker, an inspiration of real singing.
George Burrell
@wanda leckie You hear that resonance ... Scott ... one and only
Ralph Schön
@wanda leckie Yes, it is. I don't like it very much. Strange album.
wanda leckie
Is this really Scott singing? Does not sound anything like him??
xenia delfou
TO LATE...baby...or not?RIP....!His voice influence DAVID...rip +AGAIN rip..!!
Pilletta Doinswartsh
He puts the bass right up front. God bless him.
Void 007
A genius..Scott 2,3 and 4 I still,play 50 years after buying them..
Jane Friel
So underrated. Beautiful man,great talent.That voice, so,so smooth.
Anne Jeffery
Fantastic voice and music. How we all miss him.