During the mid 90s Anohni started solo; after originally producing songs with Blacklips Performance Cult and other late-night cabarets she had a number of songs to work with. In 1995 she assembled a backing group—the self-styled Antony and the Johnsons—and began to focus on the musical side of her performances. The group built up a cult following at hip New York clubs such as the Kitchen and Knitting Factory. Anohni then received a NYFA for “performance art/emergent forms” which she used to record the Johnsons' debut album “Blue Angel”, that remained unreleased until Current 93 leader David Tibet signed Antony and the Johnsons to his Durtro label. The cast list of musicians on the album, released under the title "Antony and the Johnsons" in 1998, included Baby Dee (harp), Francois Gehin (bass), Todd Cohen (drums), Charles Neilson (guitar), and a number of string and woodwind players. This album later were reissued in 2000 and in 2004 by Secretly Canadian.
This collection of modern torch songs highlighted Anohni's soulful, multi-octave vocals and the Johnsons' graceful chamber pop arrangements, reaching a peak on "Cripple And The Starfish" and "Divine", the latter a tribute to the late transvestite movie star. Further recordings by Antony and the Johnsons emerged in the early years of the new millennium, including "I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy" and a shared EP “Live at St. Olave's” with Current 93, recorded live at Saint Olave's Church in London, England.
In early 2001 released 3 song EP "I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy", included covers of Mysteries of Love (Appeared originally on the film Blue Velvet) and Soft Black Stars.
Split EP included two new songs from the Johnsons, the first being You Stand Above Me, only one minute and thirty-six seconds long but containing all the melancholy and drama one would expect from the Johnsons. The other new track was The Lake which was an 1827 poem written by Edgar Allan Poe beautifully adapted to song. The Johnsons appear with Current 93 again on a 7”, with side B including the song Virgin Mary. This was limited to 500 copies, both released May 12th, 2003. By now the line-up of the Johnsons featured Todd Cohen, Jeff Langston (bass), Jason Hart (piano), Julia Kent (cello), Joan Wasser (violin), and Maxim Moston (violin).
It was around this time that Lou Reed heard the “I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy” EP. Reed then recruited Anohni for her album The Raven for guest vocals and took her on tour in 2003 which meant that Anohni appeared on Lou’s live album Animal Serenade. With the band now attracting wider attention, Anohni and the Johnsons signed to US based label Secretly Canadian. Secretly Canadian then reissued the band's debut to a wider audience in the USA.
The Lake was released the following year through the new label. It’s another 3 song EP including "The Lake" - Lou Reed appeared on Fistful of Love with guest vocals and guitar. The Horror Has Gone seems to be Anohni expressing the end of a depressing phase in her life, a positive lyrical change from her debut style.
In February 2005 Antony and the Johnsons released their second full length, I Am A Bird Now. It has guest appearances from Rufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhart, Lou Reed and Boy George. It went on to receive great critical acclaim in the UK and won Anohni the Technics Mercury Music Prize for 2005.
In 2006 Anohni appeared in the Leonard Cohen tribute concert and subsequent film "I'm Your Man." Her performance of "If It Be Your Will" is perhaps the highlight of the film.
The 5-song Another World EP was released on October 7, 2008. As promised, it shows a mixture of continuation of earlier songs' atmosphere as well as more experimental work. Antony and the Johnsons' third album, "The Crying Light", was released on January 19, 2009. This was followed by "Swanlights" in October, 2010. Both of these latter albums are less melodic and more experimental in nature the Anohni's earlier work and have met with critical acclaim yet little commercial success.
http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/
Frankenstein
Antony and the Johnsons Lyrics
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I'm falling with you in my arms
No wait, these are your arms
Your arms of love that I'm falling into
Is this a vision of love?
When I was a young boy
Mama said, "You better watch out for the fall."
And I know, I know, I know
I can see the cold
I can see the cold to the place where he is born
Come on baby, let's fall, fall into the chasm
With me, fall into love
'Cause I know that the vision, it will never shatter
For as long as I hold onto you in these cold arms
There's something in these eyes too close for comfort
But now that I'm a grown woman
And I know, I know, I know, I know
I know the call to the place where it's born
You can see these arms are big and strong now baby
Well I'll prove to you these arms can hold you tight
It's cold, leave baby, it's cold, it's time
This is a vision of love and I'm freezing
I'm falling into cold, come on let's go
Antony and the Johnsons's song Frankenstein presents the listener with an eerie but emotionally moving picture of a lover's quarrel. The song is characterized by its cryptic and mystifying nature with the lyrics playing with the emotions of the listener. The opening line "I am falling into a chasm, I am falling with you in my arms" depicts a desolate scene where the singer is in a state of free-fall, accompanying someone who offers her/him little or no tangible support. In the absence of any other detail, it is difficult to explicitly describe the identity of the person who is carrying the singer. However, as the song moves towards the chorus, the lines "Come on baby, let's fall, fall into the chasm/ With me, fall into love" and "For as long as I hold onto you in these cold arms" emerge as an indication of the intimate relationship that the singer is a part of.
The song seems to deal with the theme of codependency and the idea that some people feel the most alive when they are in dangerous situations. This is inferred from the line "Mama said, you better watch out for the fall", which is answered by a similar line later in the song- "It's cold, leave baby it's cold, it's time". While the former expresses a sense of vulnerability and caution, the latter implies that the person speaking understands the dangers at play but is willing to continue to face them. Antony's vocals serve to underscore the fragility and vulnerability in the lyrics, bringing out the emotional resonance of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I am falling into a chasm
I am emotionally falling into an abyss.
I'm falling with you in my arms
I am falling with you in my arms, in love.
No wait, these are your arms
I am realizing that it's your love that is holding me.
Your arms of love that I'm falling into
It's your love that I'm emotionally falling into.
Is this a vision of love?
I wonder if what I'm feeling is true love.
When I was a young boy
When I was younger, I was warned about the danger of falling in love.
Mama said, 'You better watch out for the fall.'
My mother warned me to be careful of falling in love.
But now that I'm a grown woman
As a grown woman, I feel more comfortable and confident in my ability to love and be loved.
And I know, I know, I know
With experience, I have learned valuable lessons about love.
I can see the cold
I can see the harsh reality of love.
I can see the cold to the place where he is born
I can see the coldness of love where it originated.
Come on baby, let's fall, fall into the chasm
Let's take a leap of faith and fall into love together.
With me, fall into love
Join me on this journey of falling in love.
'Cause I know that the vision, it will never shatter
I have a strong belief in our love and that it'll never fall apart.
For as long as I hold onto you in these cold arms
Our love will remain strong as long as I hold onto you.
There's something in these eyes too close for comfort
There is some uncomfortably intense emotion in our connection.
But now that I'm a grown woman
As a mature woman, I am emotionally stronger and more able to handle this kind of love.
And I know, I know, I know, I know
I have learned to trust my own intuition about love.
I know the call to the place where it's born
I know the attraction to the harsh origins of love.
You can see these arms are big and strong now baby
I am now able to love with strong and resilient arms.
Well I'll prove to you these arms can hold you tight
I'll demonstrate to you that I am capable of loving you deeply.
It's cold, leave baby, it's cold, it's time
The harshness of reality is setting in, it's time to leave.
This is a vision of love and I'm freezing
I am feeling frozen in my belief in love.
I'm falling into cold, come on let's go
I am falling into the reality of love, let's leave this place behind.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
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