He has been named number one in the prestigious DJ MAG Top 100 poll four times in a row, from 2007 till 2010 and for the 5th time in 2012. He's the first DJ in the history of the DJ Magazine to achieve that and an indication of his prolific output over more than 14 years he’s been dj’ing and producing. Being the official World’s Most Popular DJ is just one of his many achievements, but the driving force behind his success is an overriding passion for electronic dance music.
2008 began with the success that the number one DJ seems to attract; he was awarded with the prestigious Buma Cultuur Pop Award in January. This was followed by being voted as the Best Trance Artist in the Beatport Music Awards in March; judged on the musician’s artistic achievements, national and international success, it is evident that Armin van Buuren has become one of the decade’s most influential trance acts.
Even a basic list of recent successes reads like a lifetime of work: ‘Best Album’ for artist album ‘Shivers’ at both the Dutch Release Dance Awards and the prestigious Edison Awards; ‘Best Compilation’ for ‘A State Of Trance’, in 2006, claiming the ‘Best European DJ’ award in 2007 and ‘Best Mix Radio Show’ at the Miami Winter Music Conference in 2006 and 2007, for radio show ‘A State Of Trance’ – now broadcasting on a massive 40 FM stations as well as satellite and internet radio, with over 26 million listeners a week; a 5th year residency in Ibiza at Amnesia and over 50,000 downloads every week from podcasting high end chart-bothering positions all over the world for singles, albums and compilations , with single “Rush Hour” used as the theme tune to the UEFA European Youth Championship; the #1 entry in the Dutch album charts with his artist album ‘Imagine’, the #1 entry of the DVD registration of ‘Armin Only ‘ Imagine’ – the landmarks just keep coming!
The 350th episode and the 7th year of the hit radio show ‘A State of Trance’ was celebrated in May 2008 with an eight hour live broadcast from Antwerp in Belgium to over 40 radio stations internationally. Fans were invited to a free party with a line up that had been voted for by the show’s listeners; another example of the importance the DJ places on the satisfaction of his fans. Considering the popularity of the radio show the introduction of ‘A State of Trance Podcast’ was a natural progression. The weekly podcasts which contain highlights and Armin’s favourite tracks from the previous episode ensure that trance lovers across the world will never miss another episode!
Sold-out shows for Armin Only in 2005 and 2006 created eager anticipation of the third edition, which kicked off in a sold-out Jaarbeurs in Utrecht in 2008; over 16,000 fans attended and were enthralled by the DJ’s nine hour set. The theme of the night was ‘Imagine’, described by Armin as “the celebration of our sensations both in life and in clubland.” Fans all around the world should not despair, as ‘Armin Only’ tour dates have also been set for Romania, Poland, Belgium and Australia; the DJ will also be touring in England, Scotland, Ibiza, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the USA, with expected dates in, for an example, the Czech Republic.
Born in Leiden, Holland (on December 25, 1976) to a musical family, Armin indulged his passion for music from a young age. He spent all the money he earned with his paper round on records. His mum won a computer when he was 10, gaining Armin’s interest. “So as a little nerdy kid I was writing my own basic programmes, and learnt about the technology from there.” He progressed from making low-profile mix tapes for friends to higher profile mixes when he discovered experimenting with different sequences on his computer through his uncle. “I was so stunned by what I saw him doing on the computer, that I got addicted to creating music right there and then!”
“I loved dance music immediately – this great rebellious sound that was so different to the ‘beautiful’ songs of the years before”. Armin cites electronic pioneer Jean Michel Jarre as a major influence (famed for his awesome visuals as well as his groundbreaking synth sounds), as well as Dutch producer Ben Liebrand, who later mentored him in his mixing and producing.
In the early days, Armin thought it was wise to have something extra in case the DJ’ing didn’t work out. So he studied for a law degree. The final year of his course was inevitably stretched as he juggled his studies with his increasingly hectic schedule; his rise to fame included lots of productions and remixes, as well as playing out to packed clubs every weekend. It took him three years to graduate, but his determination made him succeed!
Armin’s own productions have all made a huge impact and quickly gain worldwide acclaim; his latest artist album titled ‘Imagine’ entered the Dutch Album Top 100 Chart at number one; this is the first time a dance producer has ever accomplished such a feat in the history of Dutch music. The first single to be taken from this album, ‘Going Wrong’ with DJ Shah featuring Chris Jones, entered the Dutch Singles Chart at number five. The ‘Armin Only DVD’ was also released and reached the acclaimed number one spot in its second week. His back catalogue includes Blue Fear, Communication, Sound of Goodbye, Shivers, Rush Hour, Burned With Desire, Exhale, Love You More, This World Is Watching Me, and Yet Another Day. While the remix offers flood in, Armin only takes on tracks that he really loves. He uses exactly the same criteria for his compilations, meaning that every release from Armin or his long-running Armind label is a bone fide stormer that’s earned its place. His output includes tracks for the cult TV series 24, and the likes of Motorcycle’s As The Rush Comes.
Armin is a dedicated trance lover, but isn’t imprisoned by a single genre, saying “What makes trance work so well is that it doesn’t stick to one style, and can incorporate electro, minimal, whatever it likes.” His desire to showcase more of the great music he hears, along with the number of people sending him tracks they wanted to release, led to the obvious step of starting his own label, Armada, in 2003.
The label is a joint venture between Armin, Maykel Piron (former head of A&R for Warner Music) and David Lewis, who'd previously managed Armin. "What we wanted was a company that could offer everything for an artist: representation, a booking agency, and a record company. Artists can choose full management, or to just release a record or play out at gigs. Armada lets the artists choose what they want without telling them what to do".
Armin is now a fully-fledged artist in his own right, having made his songwriting debut on his album, the award-winning Shivers; The events continue to get bigger and bigger, and Armin regularly headlines the likes of Sensation White, Global Gathering, Dance Valley, ZoukOut, Mysteryland, Coachella, Beats In Brazil, Trance Energy, Fort Dance, Summer Days – basically whether you’re in Australia, Russia, the Middle East, the US or Europe, you can catch Armin van Buuren at a club or festival near you!
"This is just what I really want," says Armin. "It’s not just love for music, it’s my passion. It goes beyond liking, and beyond a hobby, it’s about a way of living. Music is essential to my life”.
Lonely For You
Armin van Buuren Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only lonely for you when
The sun doesn't shine
And I try to forget why
Why you're not here by my side
Only lonely for you at night, ah
Made it through another day
I've been cleaning out my brain
I quit you like cocaine, life changing
I start to panic when the sun goes down
I stay this jacked 'til the lights go out
I don't wanna go back home
Don't wanna be alone right now
No, you're never gonna see me cry
I already got a brand new life
Don't you know I'm moving on
And everyday I'm stronger
I don't even know you're gone
Only lonely for you at night
Only lonely for you when
The sun doesn't shine
And I try to forget why
Why you're not here by my side
Only lonely for you at night, ah
Wide awake, I'm in the dark
The spiral in my heart is storming, yeah
I just gotta close my eyes and
Know that I'll survive 'til morning
I start to panic when the sun goes down
I stay this jacked 'til the lights go out
I just wanna call your phone
Don't wanna be alone right now
No, you're never gonna see me cry
I already got a brand new life
Don't you know I'm moving on
And everyday I'm stronger
I don't even know you're gone
(I don't even know that you're gone)
Only lonely for you at night (I'm only lonely for you)
Only lonely for you at night
The sun doesn't shine
And I try to forget why (Oh, try to forget)
Why you're not here by my side (Ooh, ooh)
Only lonely for you at night, ah
I'm only lonely for you
I'm only lonely for you
The lyrics to Armin van Buuren's Made For You seem to speak about the aftermath of a breakup, with the artist expressing his loneliness and emptiness without his former partner. He suggests that he tries to forget the reason why they are not together anymore and that he is undergoing a process to quit the person just like he would quit cocaine. The artist admits that he starts to panic when the sun goes down as he must face his loneliness and try to find peace to survive until the next morning.
Despite the pain of the separation, the artist claims that he does not cry for his lost relationship and that he has even moved on with his life, feeling stronger every day. Nonetheless, he acknowledges the fact that he is still only lonely when the night falls, hinting that he still struggles with the feelings of loss, as he is only lonely for his lost love. The artist appears to be navigating through his emotions, yet the longing and vulnerability brought on by the absence of a loved one remains.
Line by Line Meaning
Only lonely for you at night
The feeling of loneliness is only experienced at night when the person is not around.
Only lonely for you when The sun doesn't shine
The absence of the person is only felt when the sun is not shining.
And I try to forget why
The person makes a conscious effort to forget the reason for their absence.
Why you're not here by my side
The person wonders why the other person is not with them.
Made it through another day
The person has managed to survive another day without the other person.
Don't even feel the pain, it's fading
The person does not feel the pain of their absence anymore.
I've been cleaning out my brain
The person has been trying to clear their mind.
I quit you like cocaine, life changing
The person has given up on the other person and it has changed their life.
I start to panic when the sun goes down
The person feels anxious when it gets dark.
I stay this jacked 'til the lights go out
The person feels alert and unable to relax until it's completely dark.
I don't wanna go back home
The person does not want to return to their home.
Don't wanna be alone right now
The person does not want to be alone at the moment.
No, you're never gonna see me cry
The person will not cry in front of the other person.
I already got a brand new life
The person has moved on and has a new life.
Don't you know I'm moving on
The person is trying to convey that they have moved on.
And everyday I'm stronger
The person gets stronger every day.
I don't even know you're gone
The person has moved on so much that they don't even realize that the other person is gone.
Wide awake, I'm in the dark
The person is awake and in the dark.
The spiral in my heart is storming, yeah
The person's emotions are turbulent.
I just gotta close my eyes and
The person just needs to close their eyes.
Know that I'll survive 'til morning
They will survive until the morning.
I just wanna call your phone
The person wants to call the other person.
I'm only lonely for you
The person only feels lonely for the other person.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Cloud9
Written by: Armin Van Buuren, Benno Goeij De, Bonnie Mckee, Jessie Malakouti
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind