Alpha, their second album, also had a couple of hits ("Don't Cry" and "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes") but its follow-up, Astra, was a flop. The group disbanded in 1985, only to reunite in 1990 without John Wetton; John Payne took his place. After churning out a couple of new songs for a greatest-hits collection, the band hit the road, including two sold-out dates in front of 20,000 fans in Moscow. Thereafter, they toured sporadically and released Aqua (1992), Aria (1994), Arena (1996), Aura (2001), and Silent Nation (2004). The band's lineup reverted to its original form featuring Wetton, Palmer, Howe, and Downes for Phoenix (2008) and Omega (2010). In 2012, the original Asia lineup returned with the studio album XXX, featuring the single "Face on the Bridge." The following year, Howe announced his amicable departure from the group to pursue other projects, and in 2014 Asia released the album Gravitas, featuring new guitarist Sam Coulson. In January 2017, a month and a half before the scheduled beginning of an extensive U.S. tour by the band, John Wetton died from colon cancer at the age of 67.
Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
There is another band with the same name:
2) Asia was an excellent hard rock band with a drive for epic, pomp-filled rock tunes. The band was from Rapid City, South Dakota and should not be confused with the famous U.K. one, which sadly outshone them and ended up rendering the U.S. group highly obscure despite the U.S. one's critical support. Going for a loose instrumental energy similar to Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, their eventual line-up was made up of Michael English (vocals, bass, percussion), Larry Galbraith (vocals, guitars, mandolin), Mike Coates (guitars, mandolin, mellotron, piano, harpsichord, vocals), and Doug Johnson (percussion). They released two albums: 'Asia' (1979) and 'Armed to the Teeth' (1980).
Anytime
Asia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fought the war, but felt no pain
Arm to arm, we left the skin
Then said the words, remember them
Oh, never a moments doubt
Oh, feel it, scream it loud
Anytime that you call
Anytime if you fall
Anytime I'll be there for you
Any moment of fear
Anytime say the prayer
Swear that our word is true
Should I go
Should I stay?
I won't turn my head away
Cross the line, the great divide
So kill the silence, where we hide
Oh, never a moments doubt
Oh, feel it so scream it loud
[Chorus]
If clouds fall, stand tall
As mountains climb from endless sea
Call out, fear not
Bring back that memory
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Asia's song "Anytime" describe a deep sense of loyalty and devotion between two people. The song starts off referring to childhood memories when the two used to play games and fight battles together. They may have been serious battles, but the lyrics suggest that there was no real physical pain involved as they stood arm to arm. They then said words that are remembered by both, possibly a promise to be there for each other no matter what.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Anytime I'll be there for you," solidifying the promise they made to each other. Their devotion extends to any moment of fear or doubt, any time the other person falls or calls out for help. They swear that their word is true and that they will stand by each other no matter what.
The bridge of the song expresses the conflicts that may arise in their relationship. Should one person go or should they stay? But they won't turn their heads away and will cross the great divide. They will confront any issues that arise and kill the silence where they hide their true feelings. Ultimately, they will stand tall and bring back that childhood memory of their promise to each other.
Line by Line Meaning
As a child, we played the game
During our childhood, we played a game that seemed simple and innocent.
Fought the war, but felt no pain
We fought the game like it was a war, but we didn't feel any physical pain.
Arm to arm, we left the skin
When playing the game, we were so engrossed that we rubbed our arms together and left our skin behind.
Then said the words, remember them
After playing the game, we said some words to each other and promised to remember them forever.
Oh, never a moments doubt
We never doubted the sincerity of our promise.
Oh, feel it, scream it loud
We strongly felt our promise and wanted to shout it out to the world.
Anytime that you call
I will be there for you whenever you need me.
Anytime if you fall
If you stumble and fall, I will be there to lift you up.
Anytime I'll be there for you
I promise to be there for you anytime you need me.
Any moment of fear
If you ever feel afraid, I will be by your side to comfort and support you.
Anytime say the prayer
Whenever you need someone to pray with you, I will be there for you.
Swear that our word is true
We swear that our promise to each other is true and we will keep it forever.
Should I go
If there comes a time when I have to leave,
Should I stay?
Or if I have to stay,
I won't turn my head away
I promise not to turn away from you or abandon you in any situation.
Cross the line, the great divide
Even if there are huge differences between us,
So kill the silence, where we hide
Let's break the silence and talk about our problems, instead of hiding them.
If clouds fall, stand tall
If difficult times come our way, let's stand tall and face them together.
As mountains climb from endless sea
Just like mountains rise from the sea, we will emerge from our troubles and hardships stronger than ever.
Call out, fear not
If you feel afraid, call out to me and I will be there to help you overcome your fears.
Bring back that memory
Let's remember the promises we made to each other and keep them forever.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GEOFF DOWNES, JOHN TIMOTHY PAYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Omertahun
that album is a MASTERPIECE
Jean Marron
Without any doubt - for me the best ASIA album EVER! Perfect choice of band members, awesome artwork, really cool lyrics, perfect songwriting and hell of recording skills and mixdown!
Martin DeBrois
Downes was an idiot, to not do anything and everything to keep Al Pitrelli on guitar.
Anne Baskerville
He really did that??? That was really stupid of him. The songs with Al Pitrelli were magical!
Martin DeBrois
@Anne Baskerville I think the Downes / Payne-Asia could have had a shot, in America - With Al steadily on guitar.
Jean Marron
@Anne Baskerville Pitrelli continued his awesome play by joining Savatage and then Trans Siberian Orchestra where he still remains today! Another awesome band collective by the way!
Ruben Saenz
One of the best songs ever!
Eric MORAND
The best Asia album ever. Whatever say those that think it is not Asia.
Cedrick Newsom
Eric MORAND I enjoy almost all of Asia's music, while I don't entirely disagree with you I still definitely lean towards the original line up. Any album could be called their best in different respects I personally couldn't pick a favorite album but my more listened to albums are with the original line up.
Ruben Saenz
Cedrick Newsom yeah but how many good ones with original line up? Just the first two! Anything post John Payne is terrible. And Astra is not good.