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.
You Always Stand in My Way
Aphrodite's Child Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You always stand in my way
You
will you hear to what I say?
I want you to go away
You
You should find another man
I say you
make my face become one
I want you to cut it down
You, you, you
get away
I can't stand you,
you, you
I am mad when I see you
you, you you
better hide or clutch your face
You
you come on and change your mind
Say you
You're the one I must cement
and what if I don't want you
You
You always stand in my way
And I said you
Will you hear to what I say
And I want you to go away
You you, you
get away
I can't stand you,
you you
I am mad when I see you
You, you better pack up all your things
and I, I, I feel like chewing so I'm getting mad,
baby
And I said you
you, you always stand in my way
(better not)
You
will you hear to what I say
I want you to go away
You
you should find another man
I said you
make my face become one
I want you to cut it down
you, you, you
got a way I can't stand
you you, you, you
get away
I can't stand
you
You you you better hide and clutch your face
And I, I, I feel it
You better say
you, you, you
The lyrics of this song are about a person who is frustrated with someone else who always stands in their way. The song talks about how this person wants the other person to go away and find someone else to be with. The singer is angry and mad when they see this person and wants them to leave immediately. They feel like chewing so they are getting mad.
The lyrics depict a toxic relationship where one person is unhappy and wants the other person to leave. The singer is frustrated with their current situation and wants to break free from it. They are angry and resentful towards the other person and are unable to hide their emotions. It seems as though the singer has tried to communicate their feelings with the other person, but nothing has worked, and hence they are left with no other option but to tell them to leave.
Interestingly, the lyrics of this song are accompanied by a very upbeat and catchy tune that is very reminiscent of the disco era. The song was released in 1972 and was a hit in Europe. The song was written by Vangelis, a Greek composer who went on to achieve worldwide fame with the soundtrack for the movie Blade Runner. The song was performed by Aphrodite's Child, a Greek band that was active in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey you
Addressing the person who is always standing in the singer's way
You always stand in my way
The person being addressed is constantly blocking the singer from what they want
You will you hear to what I say?
Asking if the person will actually listen to what the singer has to say
I want you to go away
The singer wants the person to leave and stop getting in their way
You should find another man
Suggesting that the person should find someone else to be with instead of bothering the singer
I say you make my face become one
The person is causing the singer to become angry and frustrated, making their face contort in a negative way
I want you to cut it down
The singer wants the person to stop causing them problems and making them feel angry
You, you, you get away
Repeating that the person needs to leave as they are getting in the way
I can't stand you, you, you
The singer has a strong dislike for the person who is causing them problems
I am mad when I see you you, you you
The person is so frustrating that even seeing them makes the singer angry
better hide or clutch your face
Suggesting that the person should be afraid of the singer when they are angry
you come on and change your mind
Asking the person to change their behavior and stop getting in the singer's way
Say you're the one I must cement
The person is important to the singer, but they are causing too many problems
and what if I don't want you
The singer is contemplating whether they actually want the person in their life anymore
And I said you will you hear to what I say
Repeating the question of whether the person will listen to the singer
And I want you to go away
Repeating that the singer wants the person to leave and stop causing problems
you, you, you got a way I can't stand
The person has behaviors that the singer cannot tolerate
You you, you, you get away I can't stand
Repeating that the person needs to leave because the singer cannot tolerate them
You, you better pack up all your things
The person needs to leave the singer's life entirely
And I, I, I feel like chewing so I'm getting mad, baby
The singer is so angry that they feel like chewing something, expressing how intense their frustration is
And I said you you, you always stand in my way (better not)
Repeating that the person is always causing problems and implying that they should stop doing so
You will you hear to what I say
Repeating the question of whether the person will listen to the singer
I want you to go away
Repeating that the singer wants the person to leave and stop getting in their way
You you should find another man
Repeating that the person should find someone else to be with
I said you make my face become one
Repeating that the person is causing the singer to become angry and frustrated, making their face contort in a negative way
I want you to cut it down
Repeating that the singer wants the person to stop causing problems and making them feel angry
you, you, you got a way I can't stand
Repeating that the person has behaviors that the singer cannot tolerate
you you, you, you get away I can't stand
Repeating that the person needs to leave the singer's life entirely
You you you better hide and clutch your face
Repeating that the person should be afraid of the singer when they are angry
And I, I, I feel it
Repeating that the singer feels angry and frustrated
You better say you, you, you
The person needs to recognize that they are causing problems and need to leave
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EVANGELOS PAPATHANASSIOU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Assy Aberamovich
Amazing band , I think they are big as the "beatles" , they were a head of their time with their progressive rock.
Maria Georgina Silva
Saudades ñ tem idade. Qtas recordações maravilhosas desta banda grega .Minha juventude foi embalada nesta época.
Margo Sipman
Je staat altijd in de weg!! Wat een nummer!! Echte kwaadheid in zijn stem!! Lekker ruig nummer!! Alles lukte hem!!💕💞💕💞💕
Thomas Kopv
Crazy how they deliver a brand new sound with every song.
Zlatko Peric
That voice tho wow
Alex P
best song ever! only real men understand lyrics
Chief Whitenoise
One genuine love song♠️🖤
Rogol Domedonfors
Time after time I get to ask people "Do you remember Vangelis", and they kind of hesitate and say "Err.. Chariots of Fire?", and I say "Yes! And the Blade Runner score - he did that too", and then I say "Do you remember Demis Roussos?" And everybody says "Oh God, yes - Forever and Ever?".
And then I ask them "Have you ever heard the two play together?", and they inevitably assume that it's going to be some twinkly keyboard ballad.
My Work Here Is Done..
Daniel Bouju
They were four of them;(not in 1968,in paris,though).
Daniel Bouju
And Lucas and Silver:One day...