O'Neill began her career in the 1970s in her home country, then gained moderate success in Australia with the hit "Words" (AUS #56) and the subsequent singles "How Do You Talk to Boys?" (AUS #25, 1980), "Maybe" (AUS #38, 1981), "Losing You" (AUS #26, 1983), and "Power" (AUS #36, 1984).
The early 1980s proved her most commercially successful period, composing and performing the soundtrack to the 1981 film "Smash Palace", and with the Foreign Affairs album in 1983 spawning her biggest hit "Maxine" (AUS #16, 1983) a song which chronicled the life of a Kings Cross prostitute. A legal battle with her then record company Sony caused a delay in her career. During the enforced hiatus, O'Neill wrote songs for ABC TV series Sweet and Sour (1984) including the title song performed by Deborah Conway (later recorded by O'Neill as "In Control") and "Glam to Wham". O'Neill met American keyboardist and songwriter, Alan Mansfield on Dragon's Body And The Beat Tour of New Zealand in 1984—they later became domestic and professional partners.
In 1987 O'Neill returned with arguably her best album (if under-rated at the time) Danced in the Fire on Polygram which featured some biographical songs about the legal wrangles with Sony.
O'Neill's last album of new material, Edge of Winter, was released in 1990. A mature work, two singles were taken from this album, "Satin Sheets" and "Poster Girl", both of which failed to find chart success.
She all but disappeared from the music scene until 2001–2002 when she toured as a guest artist with New Zealand female act, When The Cat's Away. In 2005 she toured Australia as a support act for Leo Sayer and a comprehensive collection of her greatest hits was released on CD. In 2006 and early 2007 O'Neill again toured Australia supporting Leo Sayer.
In August / September 2007 O'Neill toured as part of the 'Countdown Spectacular 2' concert series Australia-wide and toured Australia and New Zealand on The Let It Be Tour (The Beatles tribute show) in November / December 2007.
Danger
Sharon O'Neill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Talking only when the lights go down
Secretively planning
Don't they know I can hear every sound
I think I'm in danger
Of losing my grip and falling
Danger, talking is cheap and so are...
But I'll have to face it one day
It's just a matter of time
Well maybe I'm too fragile
Huh, I bet she's gonna leave her mark on him
But party talkin' always dies down
And she'll just throw him back to sink or swim
I think I'm in danger
Of losing my grip and falling
Danger, talking is cheap and so are...
Words said in anger
But I'll have to face it one day
It's just a matter of time
Who knows why it happens the way it does, Who can tell?
I thought we both turned on one axis
But it seems like we weren't noticing it that much
Who can tell, who can tell?
I think I'm in danger
Of losing my grip and falling
Danger, talking is cheap and so are...
Words said in anger
But I'll have to face it one day
It's just a matter of time
The song "Danger" by Sharon O'Neill is a haunting melody about the fear of losing control, and the danger that lies in people's words and actions. The lyrics paint a picture of figures standing around, whispering and planning in secret, while the singer can hear every sound. There is a sense of imminent danger in the air, and the singer feels like they are on the verge of losing their grip and falling. Despite this, they know that they will have to face the truth eventually.
The song suggests that people can be unpredictable and change without warning. The line "Who knows why it happens the way it does, who can tell?" speaks to the mystery of human behavior and why people do the things they do. The singer thought they were on the same page as someone else, but it turns out that they were not. The fear of not knowing what might come next is palpable in the song, and the sense of vulnerability adds to the emotional weight of the lyrics.
Overall, "Danger" is a powerful song about the fragility of human relationships and the fear of losing control. The lyrics are poignant and insightful, and Sharon O'Neill's vocal performance imbues the song with a sense of urgency that captures the listener's attention from start to finish.
Line by Line Meaning
There are figures standing
People are present around her
Talking only when the lights go down
The people present are being secretive and talking only when the lights go down
Secretively planning
These people are plotting or planning something and keeping it a secret
Don't they know I can hear every sound
The singer can hear everything that these people are saying
I think I'm in danger
The singer feels that there is a potential threat to her safety
Of losing my grip and falling
She thinks that she might be losing control of the situation and will fall victim to the danger
Danger, talking is cheap and so are...
The danger is real and people should not just talk about it with no action
Words said in anger
Angry words are not helpful to others and could make the situation worse
But I'll have to face it one day
She knows that she will confront the danger eventually
It's just a matter of time
The confrontation with the danger will happen sooner or later
Well maybe I'm too fragile
Perhaps the singer recognizes that she is vulnerable
Huh, I bet she's gonna leave her mark on him
Another woman may try to impress a man that the singer is interested in
But party talkin' always dies down
However, after the party talk is over, the man will realize who truly cares about him
And she'll just throw him back to sink or swim
The other woman will move on if she doesn't get what she wants
Who knows why it happens the way it does, Who can tell?
No one can predict the outcome of the situation or explain why things happen as they do
I thought we both turned on one axis
The singer thought that she and another person were on the same page or had similar goals
But it seems like we weren't noticing it that much
They were not both committed to the same outcome as much as she thought
I think I'm in danger
The singer feels that there is a potential threat to her safety
Of losing my grip and falling
She thinks that she might be losing control of the situation and will fall victim to the danger
Danger, talking is cheap and so are...
The danger is real and people should not just talk about it with no action
Words said in anger
Angry words are not helpful to others and could make the situation worse
But I'll have to face it one day
She knows that she will confront the danger eventually
It's just a matter of time
The confrontation with the danger will happen sooner or later
Writer(s): Sharon Lea O'neill
Contributed by Michael N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.