Nelson was educated at the Wakefield College of Art, where he developed an interest in the work of poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. At this time he was also developing as a musician, drawing upon Duane Eddy as a primary guitar influence. His first recording was a brief contribution on an album entitled "A-Austr" with Chris Coombs, Brian Calvert and Mike Levon . Mike recorded and produced the album "A-Austr: Musics from the Holyground" which appeard on Holyground Records in 1970. After that Bill appeared in a much more substantial role on three Chris Coombs tracks on the Holyground album Astral Navigation released in 1971. One track from this also gave Bill his first airplay by John Peel: "Yesterday" by Chris Coombs, where Bill's lead guitars were recorded by Mike Levon in an acid-rock style, supporting Chris's Stylophone riff. After this, Bill's solo album was recorded and co-produced by Mike at Holyground, also in 1971. Bill's solo album titled Northern Dream drew more attention from famed British DJ John Peel, and this eventually led to Nelson's new band, Be Bop Deluxe, signing to EMI. The band's first recordings were also made at Holyground. All the Bill Nelson recordings made there were released in February 2001 by Holyground in an CD called "Electrotype". Shortly after this they were signed to EMI, releasing "Axe Victim". On stage the band developed a reputation built upon Nelson's electric guitar stylings, which have been described as "pyrotechnic".
After the breakup of Be Bop Deluxe, Nelson attempted another band project called Red Noise (aka Bill Nelson's Red Noise), but eventually settled into a career as a solo musician, recording iconoclastic albums in the early electropop vein such as The Love That Whirls and Quit Dreaming and Get On the Beam. Many of these albums also shipped with bonus records featuring experimental ambient instrumentals, and this was a genre of music Nelson would embrace more fully in the future.
Nelson had bad luck with major labels in the 1980s. A deal with CBS Records went sour, leaving one admired album, Getting the Holy Ghost Across (US title: On a Blue Wing) in limbo with no CD release until 2006. Nelson and his manager Mark Rye had formed the Cocteau Records label in 1981, and for many years this label handled the majority of Nelson's output, which often included multiple albums a year. Among the more ambitious Cocteau releases were the four-record boxed set of experimental electronic music, Trial by Intimacy (The Book of Splendors), and the later ambient collection, Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights, which contained music informed by Nelson's Gnostic beliefs. In the late 1980s, Nelson signed to the US label Enigma Records, and though they re-released his entire Cocteau catalog and seemed to be giving him a big push, the label soon went out of business.
As the 1980s ended, Nelson suffered a tremendous series of personal setbacks, including a divorce, tax problems, and an acrimonious falling-out with his manager over his back catalog rights. In the case of one album, the unreleased Simplex, his manager had been selling copies via mail order without Nelson's authorization; Nelson claims he never received any royalties from these sales.
Nelson channeled his troubles into his music, with the result that the 1990s proved an even more prolific period for him. His divorce inspired a 4-CD boxed set, Demonstrations of Affection, and he worked on some guitar-based instrumental projects such as the albums Crimsworth and Practically Wired, or How I Became Guitar Boy. With Demonstrations, Nelson perfected a songwriting ethic based on the immediacy of creative inspiration; each song was recorded almost as soon as it was written, taking only an average of two hours to complete. This technique enabled Nelson to produce a staggering amount of new music into the new century, which resulted in such large-scale releases as the 4-CD set My Secret Studio and the 6-CD set Noise Candy.
In 1996, Nelson's troubles with his former manager were resolved in a lawsuit which enabled Nelson to recover much of his back catalog. A fully authorized version of the Simplex album was released in 2001.
In the late 1990s, Nelson had a label, Populuxe Records, with a distribution arrangement with Robert Fripp's Discipline Global Mobile, but the relationship with DGM has stagnated and Nelson's last DGM release was Atom Shop in 1998. Subsequent releases have been on other imprints such as Toneswoon and Voiceprint as well as direct mail-order releases. Some of Nelson's early albums have recently been re-released in this manner, including Quit Dreaming And Get On the Beam and Chimera.
Though not a very public figure today, Nelson has a devoted core audience who admire his perseverance, his integrity to his art in the face of commercial rejection, and his versatile musicianship. In recent years Nelson has begun to perform live again.
Candyland
Bill Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And some of us infernos
Some of us are simpletons
And some of us are fools...
Some of us are birdbrains
And some of us are steam trains
Some of us are horses
And some of us are mules
Heavenly ukelele's
Ripple over oceans
Ride the wind on wings
Of tortoiseshell and cream
Booster, bleep and Blip-boy
Fabulous as fountains
Face the deepest future
Listen to them scream
In Candyland...In Candyland...
Little spirit houses
Caravans of light
Mobile homes
Like bungalows on wheels...
Driving down another lost highway
Buddhas in bubble-helmets
Bamboozled...Bamboozled...
In Candyland...In Candyland...
The song Candyland by Bill Nelson is a metaphorical representation of the world we live in. It highlights the diverse nature of human beings, who come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities. The lyrics describe how some people are angels while others are infernos, some are simpletons while others are fools, some are birdbrains while others are steam trains, some are horses while others are mules. All these different personalities come together in Candyland, which represents the world, with all its complexities and contradictions.
The song also describes the beauty of Candyland and the different elements that make up its landscape. Heavenly ukelele's ripple over oceans, and one can ride the wind on wings of tortoiseshell and cream. Booster, bleep, and Blip-boy are fabulous as fountains, and they face the deepest future, listening to them scream. The lyrics evoke images of little spirit houses, caravans of light, and mobile homes like bungalows on wheels. Here we see the diversity of things that make Candyland a beautiful and enchanting place.
Overall, the song Candyland is an ode to the diversity and complexity of the world. It celebrates the different personalities and elements that come together to create this beautiful, unpredictable, and at times chaotic place that we call home.
Line by Line Meaning
Some of us are Angels
Some people are good, almost divine beings
And some of us infernos
Others are like raging fires, full of passion and fury
Some of us are simpletons
Some individuals are uncomplicated and easy to understand
And some of us are fools...
While some others can be foolish and make poor decisions
Some of us are birdbrains
Few people can be like little birds - chirping and hopping about
And some of us are steam trains
Others are unstoppable, just like steam engines
Some of us are horses
Few individuals can be noble like horses
And some of us are mules
While others are stubborn and difficult to deal with
In Candyland...In Candyland...
But in this world, they all come together to live in peace
Heavenly ukelele's
The sweet sound of Ukuleles that can transport you to another world
Ripple over oceans
Its music and rhythm spread far and wide, like waves over the sea
Ride the wind on wings
Gentle breezes lift the music to the sky
Of tortoiseshell and cream
Made from materials that are as beautiful as they are rare
Booster, bleep and Blip-boy
Otherworldly characters that bring life to Candyland with their futuristic sounds
Fabulous as fountains
Their music flows like water, enchanting all those who hear it
Face the deepest future
People in Candyland look towards the future with an open mind
Listen to them scream
The sounds they create are so joyous that they make you want to cheer
In Candyland...In Candyland...
All of this takes place in the magical land of Candyland
Little spirit houses
Houses filled with joy, laughter and good vibes
Caravans of light
Groups traveling through Candyland, spreading light and happiness wherever they go
Mobile homes
Houses on wheels that can go wherever your heart desires
Like bungalows on wheels...
These homes are as comfortable as a cozy bungalow, but with the added bonus of mobility
Driving down another lost highway
Traveling through Candyland's endless roads, looking for new adventures and experiences
Buddhas in bubble-helmets
Wise individuals that are protected by protective bubbles as they traverse Candyland
Bamboozled...Bamboozled...
Even these wise souls can be surprised, amazed and bewildered by Candyland
In Candyland...In Candyland...
All of these amazing things that happen in Candyland!
Contributed by Declan A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.