It started in 1997 with their debut single Sunrise, the first step towards producing their own tracks. Nowadays, one cannot imagine the electronic elite without BLANK & JONES. 13 of their singles made it into the German Top 50, and three into the Top 20. Each and every album hit the Top 50, including two which climbed into the Top 10. They also scored a spectacular triple whammy by occupying the Top Ten album, singles and compilation charts simultaneously with Substance, Desire and The Mix respectively.
BLANK & JONES have teamed up with a number of top international stars in their career to date. The Cure mastermind Robert Smith, Bernard Sumner (New Order), Anne Clark, Sarah McLachlan and Claudia Brücken (Propaganda) have been immortalized on BLANK & JONES tracks, giving them a certain credibility way beyond the boundaries of dance music. Further evidence of their versatility can be seen in their contributions to the Café del Mar compilation series and their own chill-out albums, Relax and Relax (Edition 2). Next up, the people behind the Buddha Bar series have also made enquiries..
The release of the A Forest single and the accompanying album Monument in the USA last year also laid the foundations for BLANK & JONES to create a solid fanbase across the Atlantic.
Seven albums, 3 mix albums (The Mix 1-3) and 15 singles later, BLANK & JONES and their longstanding production colleague Andy Kaufhold have chosen this moment to collate their finest material on one release - The Singles. Comprising the best tracks and greatest successes of BLANK & JONES plus two brand new tracks, recorded exclusively for this album. “We felt the time had come to put all our singles together on one CD, “ Piet and Jaspa explain. “We prefer to see it as one step along the way, rather than a mere retrospective. A little breather before we move on to pastures new.“
Over 20 tracks were in the reckoning for The Singles collection, most of them penned by BLANK & JONES themselves. From the first single Sunrise via chart smashes such as Desire, DJ Culture and Beyond Time all the way to entrancing collaborations with the like of Elles DeGraaf on Mind Of The Wonderful, Claudia Brücken on Unknown Treasure and Steve Kilbey (The Church) on Revealed, the album is packed with original material. One of the few covers is, of course, A Forest with Robert Smith of The Cure on vocals.
An absolute must for fans is the all new WMC Retouch version of Nightfly, direct from the Miami Winter Music Conference (WMC), where BLANK & JONES headlined in March of this year. So new, the track was hot to the touch as it made its way onto the album, having been premiered to rave reactions at the dance convention. BLANK & JONES’ Nightfly WMC Retouch was the talk of the town the following morning on various online sites and blogs.
The album also features two completely new tracks. One is Somebody and the other is Catch, the newest single, based on Kosheen’s 1998 tune. Vocals supplied once again by the fantastic Elles DeGraaf.
BLANK & JONES have taken the utmost care in getting the sound right. Tracks have been remastered but not remixed. “Our aim was to retain the flair of each original track“ Piet and Jaspa elucidate. “We wanted them to sound just as they did when we made them, but clearer, in the same way as one restores a painting. You don’t paint it from scratch, you just bring out the colours again.“ Such loving attention to detail is typical of BLANK & JONES, making them the artists they are today, ready and able to see the bigger picture.
The album is also being released in Limited Edition format, in which The Singles are complemented by an additional DVD, bringing together all BLANK & JONES videos on one disc for the first time. The BLANK & JONES clips are something worth seeing, with a artistic quality rarely seen in such a genre. BLANK & JONES’ dramatic credentials are matched by their sense of humour. Numerous famous names have featured in their videos, including Estella Warren and Til Schweiger in Beyond Time, the latter having also directed the clip.
The DVD was produced and designed by Thomas Jahn, renowned as scriptwriter and director of “Knocking On Heaven’s Door“ and also the man responsible for The Hardest Heart, Mind Of The Wonderful, Perfect Silence and Desire.
The video for the latest single, Catch, was directed by Conchita Soares and Toni Froschhammer and features the thespian talents of TV actress Nadine. The piece will not only be presented on the music channels, but will also be shown at short film festivals over the summer.
BLANK & JONES’ roots are firmly placed in DJ culture. Year after year, millions of ravers around the globe feel the heat of their sensational sets at major events like Mayday, Nature One and Love Parade as well as in clubs all over the world. BLANK & JONES mix DJ and live, making the most of today’s technology. “We do everything digitally, on the basis of Final Scratch, which allows us to use our own edits and mixes, nothing comes straight from tape. Every set we play is unique, not only sound-wise but also in terms of what we play and how we play it. Roughly 60% of our set consists of our own repertoire, as where better to present our own material than via the DJ decks.“
BLANK & JONES are global players in the best sense of the word, with a worldwide reputation to match. They are more than welcome guests at the major festivals and raves in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Russia. At the beginning of the year, they played to 15,000 fans in St. Petersburg! They also travel further afield on a regular basis, to Canada, Mexico, South America and Australia.
2005 saw BLANK & JONES spend a lot of time in the USA, where A Forest proved to be a big success. Electronic music is growing and growing Stateside, so BLANK & JONES will return to LA, San Diego, San Francisco and many more cities in North America this year. Overwhelmingly positive reactions to Catch on the initial installment of the BLANK & JONES tour mean that the American fans can hardly wait for The Singles to be released. This will be the third BLANK & JONES US album.
Not content to rest on their laurels, Piet and Jaspa are already preparing an exciting, new and unusual project. On May 26th, BLANK & JONES will perform together with the Robert Schumann Kammerorchester conducted by Alexander Shelly in the Tonhalle Düsseldorf. The definitive electro-classical crossover extravaganza!
www.blankandjones.com
www.myspace.com/blankandjonesinfo
www.myspace.com/relaxedition
www.blankandjones.com/rlx09
Pictures Of You
Blank & Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then think of a church with nobody prayin'
If you've ever looked up at a sky with no blue
Then you've seen a picture of me without you
Have you walked in a garden where nothing was growin'
Or stood by a river where nothing was flowin'
If you've seen a red rose unkissed by the dew
Can you picture Heaven with no angels singin'
Or a quiet Sunday morning with no church bells ringin'
If you've watched as the heart of a child breaks in two
Then you've seen a picture of me without you
The song "Pictures Of You" by Blank & Jones is a beautiful representation of love and longing. The opening line of "Imagine a world where no music was playing" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The world without music is a dull and uninteresting place, much like the soul without love. The next line "Then think of a church with nobody praying" is a similar metaphor, in the context of the song, it represents the absence of hope and faith. The lyrics go on to describe how a picture of the world without colors is akin to the state of the singer's heart when they are without their loved one.
The verses go on to describe different scenarios that represent the feeling of emptiness when the singer is alone. For instance, "Have you walked in a garden where nothing was growing, Or stood by a river where nothing was flowing" represents the emptiness and vacuousness that the singer feels without their love. The final verse, "Can you picture Heaven with no angels singing, Or a quiet Sunday morning with no church bells ringing," paints a vivid picture of the loneliness that one feels without love. The song ends with the declaration that everything beautiful in the world is incomplete without love.
Overall, "Pictures Of You" by Blank & Jones is a song that tugs at the heartstrings of anyone who has ever loved and lost. It is a poignant and beautifully written love song that will resonate with listeners for years to come.
Line by Line Meaning
Imagine a world where no music was playing
Imagine a life without you, where everything feels dull and colorless. Without your presence, the world loses its vibrancy and joy.
Then think of a church with nobody praying
If you're not in my life, it's like a place of worship without anyone to fill it. There's an emptiness that can't be filled.
If you ever looked up at a sky with no blue
A world without you is like a sky without its color. Life feels incomplete and washed out, a poor imitation of what it could be.
Then you've seen a picture of me without you
It's hard to imagine what life without you would be like, but if you're missing, everything loses its luster, and I'm left with a sense of dullness.
Have you walked in a garden where nothing was growing
Without you, life feels like a garden without life. Everything is stagnant and unforgiving, and there's no growth, progress, or meaning.
Or stood by a river where nothing was flowing
Life without you would be like standing by a river that's stopped flowing. Everything is without purpose or direction, and there's no forward momentum.
If you've seen a red rose unkissed by the dew
Seeing a red rose that's missed its opportunity to flourish is like life without you. There's an emptiness and sadness that can't be undone.
Then you've seen a picture of me without you
Without you, my life loses all joy and purpose. It's like staring at a picture without any life, motion, or beauty.
Can you picture Heaven with no angels singing
A life without you is like picturing Heaven without its choir. The beauty and grandeur of life are incomplete without your presence and love.
Or a quiet Sunday morning with no church bells ringing
There's a hollowness and sadness to life without you that's like a quiet Sunday morning with no church bells ringing. A meaningful and joyful experience loses its soul and purpose.
If you've watched as the heart of a child breaks in two
Seeing a child's heartbreak is a reminder of what it would be like to lose you. A life without you is like witnessing the pain and loss of innocence.
Then you've seen a picture of me without you
Without you, I lose all perspective on the beauty and meaning of life. Everything is muted and dreary, and there's no hope or joy to be found.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Richey, Norris D Wilson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tutaita01
Maybe I
I never wanted you to be controlling me
I only wanted you to be
Come call on me
I didn't want to say that I could corner me, hm-mm
Maybe I
I never wanted you to be controlling me
I only wanted you to be
Come call on me
I didn't want to say that I could corner me, hm-mm
Can't breathe
Never wanted her to go
Can't feel
Never wanted her to go
Everytime I hear her name it makes me cold
I feel it slip away, I'm losing the control
Oo, if I could go back, then I could save us
Oo, I wouldn't be afraid to touch you
Oo, if I could go back, then I could save us
Yeah, I'd know what to say
I'd give you all my love
Maybe I
I never wanted you to be controlling me
I only wanted you to be
Come call on me
I didn't want to say that I could corner me, hm-mm
Maybe I
I never wanted you to be controlling me
I only wanted you to be
Come call on me
I didn't want to say that I could corner me, hm-mm
Can't breathe
Never wanted her to go
Can't feel
Never wanted her to go
Everytime I hear her name it makes me cold
I feel it slip away, I'm losing the control
Oo, if I could go back, then I could save us
Oo, I wouldn't be afraid to touch you
Oo, if I could go back, then I could save us
Yeah, I'd know what to say
I'd give you all my love
I'd give you all my love
I'd give you all my love
Can't breathe
Never wanted her to go
Can't feel
Never wanted her to go
Everytime I hear her name it makes me cold
I feel it slip away, I'm losing the control
Oo, if I could go back, then I could save us
Oo, I wouldn't be afraid to touch you
Oo, if I could go back, then I could save us
Yeah, I'd know what to say
I'd give you all my love.. 🙃