Nicolas Godin studied architecture at the École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Versailles, and Jean-Benoît Dunckel studied mathematics, before forming a band in 1995. Before founding Air (erroneously considered as an acronym of Amour, Imagination, Rêve, which translates to Love, Imagination, Dream), Dunckel and Godin played together in the band Orange with others such as Alex Gopher, Xavier Jamaux and Jean de Reydellet. The former two subsequently contributed to remixes of tracks recorded by Air.
Initially Godin worked alone, recording a demo with members of Funkadelic as his backing band before releasing his first entirely solo effort, "Modular Mix", which featured production by Étienne de Crécy.
Career
After making several remixes for other acts in the first half of the 1990s, Air recorded its first EP, Premiers Symptômes, in 1995. The band released its first album, Moon Safari, in 1998. Its first single, "Sexy Boy", was heavily played on alternative radio stations. The album received universal acclaim and became an international success. In 1999, Air composed the score The Virgin Suicides to Sofia Coppola's debut film of the same name; in 2012, Air wrote its second score to Georges Méliès' Le voyage dans la lune.
Other works
Air has often collaborated with Coppola. Air drummer and former Redd Kross member Brian Reitzell put together the soundtrack to 2003's Lost in Translation, including one original contribution by Air titled "Alone in Kyoto". The soundtrack for Coppola's October 2006 film Marie Antoinette featured a track by Air ("Il Secondo Giorno"). Air wrote and played the music of the album 5:55 by Anglo-French actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, which was released in August 2006. Air has recorded a DJ mix album, Late Night Tales: Air, for Azuli Records' Late Night Tales series. The release was initially scheduled for October 2005, but was delayed several times. It finally was released, complete with a new sleeve design, in September 2006. Darkel, a solo album by Dunckel, was released that same year.
City Reading (Tre Storie Western) (2003) started as an idea for a collaboration with contemporary Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, known for his unusual characterizations and lyrical, poetic style. Baricco contacted Air in summer 2002 with the idea to marry narration of texts from his book City with live original musical accompaniment. The performance premiered live in November 2002 at Rome's Teatro Valle and was deemed such a success that both parties resolved to make a full studio recording.
Influences and musical style
Air is associated with a variety of musical styles: electronica, space pop, dream pop, progressive rock, downtempo, chillout, trip hop, ambient, electronic pop and space rock. Dunckel grew up listening to both classical and electronic music, especially Kraftwerk. He later took an interest in what he called the "English dark rock" of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division, while being a fan of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Brian Eno and Cluster were two of the electronic acts who inspired him the most. He cites among his favorite artists: Maurice Ravel for classical music, François de Roubaix for music soundtracks and Siouxsie and the Banshees for pop music. Dunckel shared with Godin a special liking for the music of Michel Legrand, Philip Glass and Grace Jones. During his childhood, Godin was fascinated by the Beatles before later discovering the soul of Sly and the Family Stone. The duo were influenced by progressive rock pioneers Pink Floyd.
Air uses many of its studio instruments (like Moog synthesizers, the Korg MS-20, Wurlitzer and Vocoder) on stage, where their ability to improvise is more clearly highlighted. The band performs the well-known tracks from the albums live as extended or altered versions. Air often collaborates (both in the studio and live) with artists like Beth Hirsch (Moon Safari), Françoise Hardy ("Jeanne"), Jean-Jacques Perrey ("Cosmic Bird"), Gordon Tracks ("Playground Love" and "Easy Going Woman" – Gordon Tracks is a pseudonym of the French singer Thomas Mars from Phoenix), Beck (10 000 Hz Legend) and Jean-Michel Jarre ("Close Your Eyes" from Jarre's Electronica 1: The Time Machine). They also invited Dave Palmer on their 2004 tour and drummer Earl Harvin, Vincent Taurelle and Steve Jones on their 2007 tour.
Studio albums
Moon Safari (1998)
10 000 Hz Legend (2001)
Talkie Walkie (2004)
Pocket Symphony (2007)
Love 2 (2009)
Le voyage dans la lune (2012)
Soundtrack albums
The Virgin Suicides (2000)
Music for Museum (2014)
Extended plays
Premiers Symptômes (1997)
Collaborative albums
City Reading (Tre Storie Western) (2003)
Mix and remix albums
Everybody Hertz (2002)
Late Night Tales (2006)
Compilation albums
Twentyears (2016)
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Air is one of the many aliases of Pete Namlook. He has been releasing ambient music under this name since the release of an eponymous album in 1993.
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Japanese noise rock, Air is an alias of Koji Kurumatani first released album Wear Off in 1996.
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Air is a late 90s Indonesian Pop band that became popular with their "Bintang" song.
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Air was a jazz trio with its roots steeped in Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), and was formed originally in 1971. The jazz trio Air formed from within the Muhal Richard Abrams Sextet, which was active on the Chicago scene contemporaneously with the birth and growth of the AACM and groups such as the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Henry Threadgill on reeds, hubcaphone, and percussion; Fred Hopkins on bass, and Steve McCall on drums formed the trio when Threadgill was commissioned by Columbia College to score and adapt Scott Joplin's work for a performance honoring Joplin's centenary (Joplin's birth has been established now as sometime in 1868) and a rebirth of interest in the noted ragtime composer. All three men were Air signs in the zodiac, and so adopted the name.
They performed first around Chicago, while maintaining residency with Muhal Abrams group, which also featured Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre and Wallace McMillan, both reed players. The Air "brand" remained a side project until all three reunited in New York in 1975, and began recording under that name for India Navigation, Nessa, Black Saint, and Novus. The trio broke up when Steve McCall left in the early 1980s, and when Pheroan Aklaff joined in 1982, they recorded as New Air, and recorded several albums under that name, including Air Show No. 1 in 1986, which featured Cassandra Wilson on vocals. Andrew Cyrille ultimately replaced akLaff before the band eventually was superceded by the burgeoning careers of its members: Threadgill with his groups Sextett and Very Very Circus, and Hopkins as the go-to bassist for Threadgill, David Murray, and Hamiet Bluiett. McCall's health forced his retirement from touring around 1980, and the dynamic drummer and effusive and gracious man who was a cofounder of the AACM with Muhal Abrams and Fred Anderson, died of a stroke in 1989.
This Air is listed as Air (4) on Discogs and is also been identified on last.fm as Air (Fred Hopkins, Steve McCall, Henry Threadgill) and Air with Fred Hopkins, Steve Mccall, Henry Threadgill (sic: McCall's name misspelt), and possibly also other alternative spellings of the group's name exist.
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Air was a psychedelic folk rock band featuring Googie and Tom Coppola, John Siegler and Mark Rosengarden. They released their first self titled album in 1971.
Cherry Blossom Girl (Hope Sand
Air Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't stand it anymore
I just want to say "Hi"
To the one I love
Cherry blossom girl
I feel sick all day long
I just want to go out
Every night for a while
Cherry blossom girl
Tell me why can't it be true
I never talk to you
People say that I should
I can pray everyday
For the moment to come
Cherry blossom girl
I just want to be sure
When I will come to you
When the time will be gone
You will be by my side
Cherry blossom girl
Tell me why can't it be true
Tell me why can't it be true
Cherry blossom girl
Cherry blossom girl
I'll never love again
Can I say that to you
Will you run away
If I try to be true
Cherry blossom girl
Cherry blossom girl
I'll always be there for you
That means no time to waste
Whenever there's a chance
Cherry blossom girl
Tell me why can't it be true
Tell me why can't it be true
The lyrics of Air's Cherry Blossom Girl are about the singer's longing to express their feelings towards their love interest, who is referred to as the "Cherry Blossom Girl". The singer expresses their frustration with their own shyness and desire to overcome it so that they can finally say "Hi" to their love. However, the fear of rejection holds them back, making them feel sick all day long. The phrase "Cherry blossom girl" is repeated throughout the song, like a mantra, signifying that the singer is fixated on this person and their desire to be with them. The lyrics convey a sense of longing, hope, and the fear of rejection that comes with confessing your love.
The lyrics are poetic, and the imagery of cherry blossoms, which are known for their beauty and fleeting nature, are used to evoke a sense of transience and fragility. The singer wants to seize the moment and make the most of their time with the Cherry Blossom Girl. They are willing to make changes in their life and go out every night to pursue their love interest. They express their willingness to wait for the right moment and be patient until the time is right.
Overall, the lyrics of Air's Cherry Blossom Girl are about the complexities of love, the fear of rejection, and the desire to express one's feelings towards someone they love. The song evokes a dreamy, nostalgic atmosphere that mirrors the fleeting nature of cherry blossoms.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to be shy
I am tired of being shy and want to break out of my shell.
Can't stand it anymore
The feeling of shyness is becoming unbearable and I need to do something about it.
I just want to say "Hi"
I want to start a conversation with the person I love by simply greeting them.
To the one I love
The person I am referring to is someone I deeply care about and have romantic feelings towards.
Cherry blossom girl
This is a term of endearment that I use to describe the person I love.
I feel sick all day long
The absence of the person I love makes me feel physically and emotionally unwell.
From not being with you
I am referring to the person I love and how being away from them is affecting me.
I just want to go out
To take my mind off my feelings of sickness, I want to go out and do something fun and distracting.
Every night for a while
I want to keep myself busy and preoccupied with things I enjoy doing.
Tell me why can't it be true
I am expressing frustration and confusion about why things cannot work out between me and the person I love.
I never talk to you
Despite my feelings towards the person, I have never actually spoken to them before.
People say that I should
Others have noticed my feelings towards this person and have encouraged me to express them.
I can pray everyday
I am hoping and wishing that the opportunity to express my feelings to the person I love will present itself.
For the moment to come
The ideal scenario for me would be that the perfect moment arises for me to reveal my true feelings.
I just want to be sure
Before confessing my love, I want to feel confident and secure in the knowledge that the other person feels the same way.
When I will come to you
I am anticipating the moment when I finally get to open up to the person I love.
When the time will be gone
I want to make sure that I don't miss my opportunity to confess my love before it's too late.
You will be by my side
I am hopeful that the person I love will reciprocate my feelings and support me in my endeavors.
I'll never love again
If I am unable to express my feelings to the person I love or if they do not feel the same way, I am not sure if I will be able to love again.
Can I say that to you
I am unsure if it is safe to reveal my true feelings to the person I love and am seeking reassurance.
Will you run away
I am afraid that my confession of love will scare the person I love away and that I might lose them altogether.
Cherry blossom girl
I am using this term of endearment again to express my love for this person.
I'll always be there for you
I want to let the person I love know that regardless of their feelings, I am always here to support them and care for them.
That means no time to waste
I am emphasizing the importance of taking action and not letting opportunities pass me by.
Whenever there's a chance
I am ready and willing to take a chance and make a move on the person I love whenever the opportunity arises.
Contributed by Ryan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jack Saylor
That girl at :29 through :33 is possibly the hottest girl in the world