The band's first two albums, End of the World and It's Five O'Clock, combined a very '60s sounding Euro-pop-rock with Greek folk music elements. The former album featured the song "Rain and Tears", a reworking of Pachelbel's Canon in D major. The song was a minor hit in the United Kingdom, but did far better in France, where the band was based, as well as the rest of Europe. Other European hits included "Marie Jolie", "I Want to Live", and "Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall" from 1969 and 1970 respectively.
The band began to record their crowning achievement in 1970: a musical adaptation of the biblical Book of Revelations, entitled 666 - The Apocalypse of St. John. Relations between Roussos, Vangelis and Sideras were not good at the time, and continued to worsen before the album's creation. However, the group was contractually obligated to release a third album, and went into the studio in 1970 to create 666.
Essentially, 666 was Vangelis' concept, created with an outside lyricist, Costas Ferris. The music that Vangelis was creating for 666 was much more psychedelic and progressive rock oriented than anything the band had done before. This did not sit well with the other band members, who wished to continue in the pop direction that had brought them success. Further, Roussos was being groomed for a solo career, and pressure from the record company for the band to produce another hit single did not help. In essence, the band broke up during the completion of 666. Vangelis finished the album primarily on his own with assistance from studio musicians.
Immediately afterwards, Vangelis engaged in a long fight with Mercury over the content of the album. The record company, in particular, objected to the song "∞" (infinity), which consisted of actress Irene Papas chanting the words "I was, I am, I am to come" in various stages of orgiastic ecstasy, while Vangelis accompanied her on percussion. However, the double-album length of 666 and the musical experimentation, as well as the subject matter, also exacerbated Mercury's ire. After Roussos and Sideras had already embarked on solo careers, Mercury finally agreed to release 666 two years after its completion, and it came out in 1972.
Strangely enough, 666 was the only Aphrodite's Child album to make any impact in America. The blood-red cover with the letters 666 prominently displayed in black and white was striking, and brought immediate accusations of occultism from various quarters. Any suspicions of occultism could be dispersed by simply reading the lyrics, which were fairly faithfully based around the Book of Revelations, but the accusations undoubtedly helped sell the album in the United States. The album met with less controversy overseas and sold reasonably well on its own merits.
The music itself was an impressive display of Vangelis' abilities, combining psychedelic and progressive rock with ethnic instruments, choral chanting, recitations, and very advanced use of synthesizers and keyboards for the time. In time the album became recognized as one of the most important early progressive rock works, and a defining example of the concept album. 666 also made Vangelis an underground name to watch, and earned him an offer from Jon Anderson to join Yes. Vangelis turned down the offer in order to concentrate on a solo career. However, he and Anderson later created several duet albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
After the band split, both Vangelis and Demis Roussos pursued successful solo careers, Roussos as a pop singer and Vangelis as one of the pioneers in progressive electronic music. Kolouris worked with both on occasion. Lucas Sideras pursued a less successful solo career, releasing the single "Rising Sun" after the break-up.
Discography
End of the World (1968)
It's Five O'Clock (1969)
666 (The Apocalypse Of John,13/18) (1971)
Best Of Aphrodite's Child (1980)
Aphrodite's Child's Greatest Hits (1995)
The Complete Collection (Aphrodite's Child) (1996)
Babylon the Great (2002)
Song Highlights:
"Four Horsemen", from the album 666, was a minor hit on FM radio in the United States, receiving AOR airplay to this day. "Babylon", from the same album, was released as a single, and found similar acceptance on AOR radio in the 1970's. "Hic and Nunc" and "Break", from the same album, were also tried out as singles but did not chart well at the time.
"Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall" - the final single before the release of 666 and the last of the band's singles to chart significantly in their European home base.
"Rain and Tears" - based on Pachelbel's Canon in D major, this song was probably their biggest hit as a single release.
"It's Five o Clock" and "Such a Funny Night" also charted in Europe. All of the above songs can be found on various compilation/greatest hits discs. The band's singles were aimed squarely at the pop market, and do not bear any significant resemblance to the music on 666.
I Want to Live
Aphrodite's Child Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where they'll change what they have done
Yeah
I must die
cold and shunned by the sun
Yeah
Where there are people that hate
The things I need
and making me wait
yeah
They will teach you the hows instead of the why's
They will turn your truth into lies
I feel like crying
when I'm groping for a way
to stop it from going
cause I want it,
want it, to stay
Yeah
They will teach you the hows instead of the why's
They will turn your truth into lies
I want to live
try, look and understand
I needed you to take hold of my hand
and pull me up, yeah
I feel but I can't, yeah
(Yes I do)
I want to, I want to live
Yes, I want to live yeah, yeah
To feel and...
[I'm gonna lose it, yeah]
The lyrics of "I Want to Live" by Aphrodite's Child describe the desire to live in a world where people are accepting, and where there is room for growth and change. The singer feels trapped in a world filled with hate and impatience, where people teach hows instead of whys, and turn truth into lies. The singer wants to live in a world where they can try, look, and understand, and where they can find someone to take hold of their hand and pull them up. The lyrics convey a sense of frustration and despair at a world that seems unwilling to change or accept those who are different.
The song reflects the social and political turmoil of the late 1960s, a time of great change and upheaval in Western society. It captures the spirit of rebellion and the desire for a better world that characterized the youth movement of the time. The themes of the song resonate strongly with the counterculture of the era, which rejected conventional values and sought to create a new, more egalitarian social order.
Aphrodite's Child was a Greek progressive rock band formed in 1967, consisting of keyboardist Vangelis Papathanassiou, singer Demis Roussos, and drummer Loukas Sideras. "I Want to Live" was released as a single in 1969, and later appeared on the band's album "It's Five O'Clock". The song was a commercial success in Europe, reaching the top ten in several countries.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to live
Desire to live a meaningful and fulfilling life
Where they'll change what they have done
Seeking a place where people can learn from their mistakes and grow
I must die
Feeling weighed down by the negative aspects of life
cold and shunned by the sun
Feeling isolated and rejected
Why should I stay
Questioning the value of staying in a toxic environment
Where there are people that hate
Describing a place with negativity and hate
The things I need
Necessities like love, support, and understanding
and making me wait
Being forced to wait and suffer without help
They will teach you the hows instead of the why's
A place where knowledge is superficial and lacking in deeper understanding
They will turn your truth into lies
Being deceived and misled
I feel like crying
Feeling overwhelmed by the struggle of trying to change
when I'm groping for a way
Seeking a path to a better life
to stop it from going
Desperately trying to prevent the situation from getting worse
cause I want it,
The strong desire for change
want it, to stay
Desire for positive change to remain a constant
I want to live
Reaffirmation that the desire for a better life remains
try, look and understand
Willingness to learn and grow
I needed you to take hold of my hand
Feelings of needing help and support
and pull me up, yeah
Desiring someone to support and encourage personal growth
I feel but I can't, yeah
Describing the difficulty of achieving personal growth in a negative environment
(Yes I do)
Affirming the desire to live a better life
I want to, I want to live
Strong desire to live a happy and fulfilling life
Yes, I want to live yeah, yeah
Reaffirming the desire to live a good life
To feel and...
Desire to experience positive emotions
[I'm gonna lose it, yeah]
Expressing frustration and desperation due to the current situation
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BORIS BERGMAN, . VANGELIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@geovaniamendonca
Que voz mais linda! Demis Roussos me traz muito paz. A voz dele é tão maravilhosa e penetrante que me deixa com arrepios. Amo esse Deus grego!💓💓💓💓
@limboroos987ss.
Уникальный и неповторимый голос❤❤❤!!!
@michellecorbeau6725
J'ai ce disque de 1969..j'avais 21 ans. Une autre époque..Nostalgie ! Mettez un pouce si vous êtes d'accord avec moi. Merci !
@dominiquetortrat2956
Que oui Michelle. Sacrée époque ; mobylette bleue 2CV ; l’insouciance, l’espérance , la liberté ; le bon vivre dans cette famille de Françaises et Français. Parfois pas beaucoup de moyens mais quelque chose de formidable qui malheureusement ne reviendra jamais 🙏👋🙏
@edjou9348
exact !..👍👏🏽🇫🇷 merci
@teresadiscolo5914
@Dominique Tortrat oui, je suis vraiment d'accord avec vous. 👍👍☀️🙋♀️🙋♀️
@aldofin6209
@ED Jou cette chanson à bercé mon premier grand amour
@dominiquetortrat2956
Sacrée époque dans tous les domaines .....bien finie avec maintenant la merde servie à tous les étages 🙏🙏🙏🙏
@carolinahernandezdezabalo8498
Preciosa canción de Demis Roussos en sus comienzos como siempre con su inigualable voz. R.I.P. Demis Roussos.
@juliovergara4853
Ahora Vangelis se junta eternamente con Demis