Gill was born in Norman, Oklahoma, the home of the University of Oklahoma Sooners and learned to play several instruments, including banjo and guitar before he started high school at Oklahoma City's Northwest Classen High School. After he graduated, he played in a number of bluegrass bands. He debuted on the national scene with the country-rock band Pure Prairie League in 1979, appearing on that band's album Can't Hold Back. Gill is the lead singer on their hit song, "Let Me Love You Tonight" (1980), which he was still performing in concert years later - thus, he said, confusing many fans who knew him only from his subsequent solo work. Gill appeared on two subsequent albums along with his then-wife Janis Oliver.
Departing Pure Prairie League in 1981, Gill joined Rodney Crowell’s backing band The Notorious Cherry Bombs, where he met and worked with Tony Brown and Emory Gordy Jr., both of whom would later produce many of his future solo albums.
Signing as a solo artist with RCA Records in 1983, he first charted while on that label. In 1989 he switched to MCA Records where he recorded his breakthrough hit "When I Call Your Name." His 1998 album The Key received great critical acclaim. His other albums include Next Big Thing (2003) and Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye (2000). The Guitar Slinger Songfacts says that Gill released his twelfth studio album, Guitar Slinger, on October 25, 2011 via MCA Nashville. It was his manager, Larry Fitzgerald, who came up with the title, as he felt there was something different the way Gill was playing the guitar on the record.
Gill hosted the CMA Awards every year from 1992 to 2003. In 2004 he received a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. In 1997, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
He married country singer Janis Oliver (of Sweethearts of the Rodeo fame) in 1980. The couple have one daughter, Jennifer Jerene Gill, born 5 May 1982. Vince and Janis separated in the mid-1990s and eventually divorced in June 1998. Vince later began dating and eventually married Christian/pop singer Amy Grant in March of 2000. They have one daughter, Corrina Grant Gill born 12 March 2001.
Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler was a fan of Gill's, and had asked Gill to join the band full time. Gill turned down the invitation but did sing backup on one song ("The Bug") from Dire Straits' album On Every Street.
Gill has also sung duets with numerous artists, including Dolly Parton ("I Will Always Love You"), Reba McEntire ("Oklahoma Swing," "The Heart Won't Lie," "It Just Has to Be That Way"), Amy Grant ("House of Love"), and Barbra Streisand ("If You Ever Leave Me"); his other credits as a backup vocalist have included "Girls With Guitars" by Wynonna Judd (written by Mary-Chapin Carpenter, who, coincidentally, had a country hit with her cover of "The Bug") and "Nothing Left Behind Us" by Richard Marx.
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Vince Gill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
Hey! It doesn't show signs of stopping
And I've brought some corn for popping
The lights are turned way down low
And when we finally kiss good night
How I'll hate going out in the storm
But if you really hold me tight
All the way home I'll be warm.
The fire is slowly dying
Hey! and, Honey, we're still good-bying
But as long as you love me so,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!...
Vince Gill's version of Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow is a classic Christmas tune that spreads cheer and warmth. The song starts with the weather outside being frightful, but the fire being delightful, and Gill's soft and mellow voice adds to the coziness of the setting. Despite having no place to go, the idea of snow seems to excite them, and they sing, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"
Gill then brings in some corn for popping, the lights are turned down low, and they continue to sing and enjoy each other's company as they wait for it to snow. The song paints a picture of a warm and romantic atmosphere in the midst of snow.
The last verse is particularly significant as it expresses how the person singing wants to stay wrapped up tight, but knows they have to leave. Nonetheless, they are warmed by their lover's embrace, and the song ends with the reminder, "As long as you love me so, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the weather outside is frightful
The weather is bad and can be dangerous.
But the fire is so delightful
The fire inside is comforting and pleasing.
And since we've no place to go
There is nowhere to go, so we might as well enjoy being indoors.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
It's okay if it snows because we're warm and safe inside.
Hey! It doesn't show signs of stopping
The snow isn't going to stop anytime soon.
And I've brought some corn for popping
We have snacks to enjoy while being indoors.
The lights are turned way down low
The atmosphere inside is calm and relaxed.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
It's still okay if it keeps snowing, we're content being indoors.
And when we finally kiss good night
Before we go to sleep, we share a goodbye kiss.
How I'll hate going out in the storm
Having to leave the comfort of indoors is dreaded because of the bad weather.
But if you really hold me tight
Feeling secure in the embrace of a loved one can help make the trip outside more bearable.
All the way home I'll be warm.
The embrace will keep me feeling warm throughout the journey.
The fire is slowly dying
The warmth from the fire is dwindling.
Hey! and, Honey, we're still good-bying
We are saying our goodbyes and have to leave soon.
But as long as you love me so,
As long as we have each other's love, things will be okay.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
Even though things are coming to an end and the weather is bad, we can still enjoy being together.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind