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.
Whenever You Come Around
Vince Gill Lyrics
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I lie awake at night wishing you were mine
I'm standing here holding the biggest heartache in town
Whenever you come around
I get weak in the knees; and I lose my breath
Oh I try to speak but the words won't come
I'm so scared to deathAnd when you smile the world turns upside down
Whenever you come around
I feel so helpless; I feel just like a kid
What is it about you that makes me keep my feelings hid
I wish I could tell you, bu the words can't be found
Whenever you come around
I get weak in the knees; and I lose my breath
Oh I try to speak but the words won't come
I'm so scared to death
And when you smile the world turns upside down
Whenever you come around
And when you smile that smile
The whole world turns upside down
Whenever you come around
Whenever you come around
The lyrics to Vince Gill's song "Whenever You Come Around" explore the feeling of being completely enamored by someone to the point of being rendered speechless. The singer of the song is in love with someone who they see as a beautiful angel with pretty eyes that shine. However, the singer is unable to express their feelings, feeling helpless and like a kid. Instead, they get weak in the knees, lose their breath, and feel scared to death whenever this person is around. The singer wishes they could tell this person how they feel, but they can't find the words.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the impact this person has on the singer's life. Whenever they come around, the singer becomes completely overwhelmed, feeling weak and helpless. The world turns upside down when this person smiles, indicating the amazing effect they have on the singer.
"Whenever You Come Around" is a powerful ballad and one of Gill's most popular songs. The lyrics speak to the heart of anyone who has ever been smitten with someone but unable to express their feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
The face of an angel; pretty eyes that shine
You have a divine countenance and your eyes radiate brightness
I lie awake at night wishing you were mine
I lay awake all night hoping that you could be mine
I'm standing here holding the biggest heartache in town
I'm facing the most significant sadness around in my town as you are not with me
Whenever you come around, I get weak in the knees; and I lose my breath
I get overwhelmed whenever you're close, and my legs get shaky, and I can't breathe normally
Oh, I try to speak, but the words won't come, I'm so scared to death
I try to talk but can't find the right words; I am afraid I'll mess things up
And when you smile the world turns upside down, Whenever you come around
Your smile has a captivating effect on everything, and it changes the way the world looks to me whenever you come around
I feel so helpless; I feel just like a kid
I feel powerless, and I'm reminded of a child when I'm around you
What is it about you that makes me keep my feelings hid?
I don't know what it is, but something stops me from expressing how I feel about you
I wish I could tell you, but the words can't be found, Whenever you come around
Even though I want to say how much I am into you, the words don't come out, and I can't express myself whenever you're around
And when you smile that smile, the whole world turns upside down
Your smile has an effect on everything and makes the world look different.
Whenever you come around, Whenever you come around
Every time I see you or think about you, my heart beats fast, and my emotions take over.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PETE WASNER, VINCE GILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind