Born to a working-class family, Ferry studied fine art and taught at a secondary school before pursuing a career in music. In 1970 he began to assemble the rock band Roxy Music with a group of friends and acquaintances in London, and took the role of lead singer and main songwriter. The band achieved immediate international success with the release of their eponymous debut album in 1972, containing a rich multitude of sounds, which reflected Ferry's interest in exploring different genres of music. Their second album, For Your Pleasure (1973), further cultivated the band's unique sound and visual image that would establish Ferry as a leading cultural icon over the next decade.
Ferry began a parallel solo career in 1973 by releasing These Foolish Things, which popularized for the first time the concept of a contemporary musician releasing an album covering standard songs and was a drastic departure from his ongoing work with Roxy Music. His second album, Another Time, Another Place (1974), featured as its cover image Ferry posing by a pool in a white dinner jacket and represented one of his most impactful fashion statements. Over the next two years, Roxy Music released a trilogy of albums, Stranded (1973), Country Life (1974) and Siren (1975), which broadened the band's appeal internationally and saw Ferry take greater interest in the role of a live performer, reinventing himself in stage costumes ranging from gaucho to military uniforms.
Ferry disbanded Roxy Music following the release of their best-selling album Avalon in 1982 to concentrate on his solo career, releasing further singles such as "Slave to Love" and "Don't Stop the Dance" and the UK no. 1 album Boys and Girls in 1985. Including his work with Roxy Music, Ferry has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
As well as being a prolific songwriter, Ferry has recorded many cover versions, including standards from the Great American Songbook, in albums such as These Foolish Things (1973), Another Time, Another Place (1974), Let's Stick Together (1976), Taxi (1993) and As Time Goes By (1999), as well as Dylanesque (2007), an album of Bob Dylan covers. In 2019, Ferry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Roxy Music.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Ferry
Studio albums
These Foolish Things (1973)
Another Time, Another Place (1974)
Let's Stick Together (1976)
In Your Mind (1977)
The Bride Stripped Bare (1978)
Boys and Girls (1985)
Bête Noire (1987)
Taxi (1993)
Mamouna (1994)
As Time Goes By (1999)
Frantic (2002)
Dylanesque (2007)
Olympia (2010)
The Jazz Age (2012)
Avonmore (2014)
Bitter-Sweet (2018)
Slave to Love
Bryan Ferry Lyrics
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In the usual place
With the tired and weary
And there's no escape
To need a woman
You've got to know
How the strong get weak
And the rich get poor
Slave to love
Oh, slave to love
You're running with me
But don't touch the ground
We're the restless hearted
Not the chained and bound
The sky is burning
A sea of flame
Though your world is changing
I will be the same
Slave to love
Oh, slave to love
Slave to love (na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na)
Slave to love (and I can't escape, I'm a slave to love)
(Oh)
(Can you help me?)
(Oh)
(Can you help me?)
The storm is breaking
Or so it seems
We're too young to reason
Too grown up to dream
Now spring is turning
Your face to mine
I can hear your laughter
I can see your smile
Slave to love (na-na-na-na, oh, na-na-na-na)
Slave to love (and I can't escape, I'm a slave to love)
Slave to love (na-na-na-na, oh, na-na-na-na)
Slave to love (and I can't escape, I'm a slave to love)
(Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na)
Slave to love (and I can't escape, I'm a slave to love)
(Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na)
Slave to love (and I can't escape, I'm a slave to love)
(Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na)
Slave to love (and I can't escape, I'm a slave to love)
In Bryan Ferry's song Slave to Love, the lyrics suggest a deep longing for a woman who has the power to enslave him. The song opens with the singer saying he will be waiting in the usual place with the tired and weary, as he acknowledges that he is a slave to love and there is no escape. The chorus repeats this idea, emphasizing the powerful hold that love has over the singer.
The second verse implies that the singer is running with the woman he loves, but they are not bound by earthly limitations - they are "restless hearted" and able to transcend physical constraints. The imagery of a burning sky and a sea of flame suggests a tumultuous, passionate love that is all-consuming. Despite the changes happening in the world around them, the singer insists that his love for this woman will remain unchanging and unwavering.
The final verse hints at a coming storm and the idea that the couple is too young to reason or too grown up to dream. However, the mention of spring turning the woman's face towards the singer's suggests a renewal of hope and growth, and his ability to hear her laughter and see her smile indicates a connection that transcends words. The repetition of the chorus serves to highlight the central theme of the song: that the singer is trapped in love and unable to escape its hold on him.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell her I'll be waiting
Inform the lady that I will be at the usual spot
In the usual place
The meeting spot is customary
With the tired and weary
Accompanied by the exhausted and fatigued
And there's no escape
There is no way out of the situation
To need a woman
Requiring the presence of a lady in life
You've got to know
It's important to understand
How the strong get weak
Even the powerful can become feeble
And the rich get poor
Wealthy individuals can become destitute
Slave to love
Enslaved by affection
Oh, slave to love
Oh, the captivity of love
You're running with me
You're moving alongside me
But don't touch the ground
However, you mustn't make contact with the floor
We're the restless hearted
We are those whose hearts are never at ease
Not the chained and bound
Not restricted and confined
The sky is burning
The heavens are ablaze
A sea of flame
An ocean of fire
Though your world is changing
Although your realm is in flux
I will be the same
I will remain constant
The storm is breaking
The tempest is subsiding
Or so it seems
That's how it appears
We're too young to reason
We are too inexperienced to comprehend
Too grown up to dream
Too mature to fantasize
Now spring is turning
As the season shifts to spring
Your face to mine
Your visage towards me
I can hear your laughter
I can discern your chuckles
I can see your smile
I can perceive your grin
Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na
Repetitive vocals
And I can't escape, I'm a slave to love
I am powerless against love's bonds
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Bryan Ferry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind