Born in Suffolk, Eno studied painting and experimental music at the art school of Ipswich Civic College in the mid 1960s, and then at Winchester School of Art. He joined glam rock group Roxy Music as synthesiser player in 1971. After recording two albums with Roxy Music, he departed in 1973 to record a number of solo albums, coining the term "ambient music" to describe his work on releases such as Another Green World (1975), Discreet Music (1975), and Music for Airports (1978). He also collaborated with artists such as Robert Fripp, Cluster, Harold Budd, David Bowie on his "Berlin Trilogy", and David Byrne, and produced albums by artists including John Cale, Jon Hassell, Laraaji, Talking Heads and Devo, and the no wave compilation No New York (1978).
Eno has continued to record solo albums and work with artists including U2, Laurie Anderson, Grace Jones, Slowdive, Coldplay, James Blake, and Damon Albarn. Dating back to his time as a student, he has also worked in media including sound installations and his mid-70s co-development of Oblique Strategies, a deck of cards featuring cryptic aphorisms intended to spur creative thinking. From the 1970s onwards, Eno's installations have included the sails of the Sydney Opera House in 2009 and the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank in 2016. An advocate of a range of humanitarian causes, Eno writes on a variety of subjects and is a founding member of the Long Now Foundation. In 2019, Eno was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Roxy Music.
Eno is frequently referred to as one of popular music's most influential artists. Producer and film composer Jon Brion has said: "I think he's the most influential artist since the Beatles." Critic Jason Ankeny at AllMusic argues that Eno "forever altered the ways in which music is approached, composed, performed, and perceived, and everything from punk to techno to new age bears his unmistakable influence." Eno has spread his techniques and theories primarily through his production; his distinctive style informed a number of projects in which he has been involved, including Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy" (helping to popularize minimalism) and the albums he produced for Talking Heads (incorporating, on Eno's advice, African music and polyrhythms), Devo, and other groups. Eno's first collaboration with David Byrne, 1981's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, pioneered sampling techniques that would prove to be influential in hip-hop, and broke ground by incorporating world music into popular Western music forms. Eno and Peter Schmidt's Oblique Strategies have been used by many bands, and Eno's production style has proven influential in several general respects: "his recording techniques have helped change the way that modern musicians;– particularly electronic musicians;– view the studio. No longer is it just a passive medium through which they communicate their ideas but itself a new instrument with seemingly endless possibilities."
Whilst inspired by the ideas of minimalist composers including John Cage, Terry Riley and Erik Satie, Eno coined the term ambient music to describe his own work and defined the term. The Ambient Music Guide states that he has brought from "relative obscurity into the popular consciousness" fundamental ideas about ambient music, including "the idea of modern music as subtle atmosphere, as chill-out, as impressionistic, as something that creates space for quiet reflection or relaxation." His groundbreaking work in electronic music has been said to have brought widespread attention to and innovations in the role of electronic technology in recording. Pink Floyd keyboardist Rick Wright said he "often eulogised" Eno's abilities.
Eno's "unconventional studio predilections", in common with those of Peter Gabriel, were an influence on the recording of "In the Air Tonight", the single which launched the solo career of Eno's former drummer Phil Collins. Collins said he "learned a lot" from working with Eno. Both Half Man Half Biscuit (in the song "Eno Collaboration" on the EP of the same name) and MGMT have written songs about Eno. LCD Soundsystem has frequently cited Eno as a key influence. The Icelandic singer Björk also credited Eno as a major influence.
Mora sti Fotia (Babies on Fire), one of the most influential Greek rock bands, was named after Eno's song "Baby's on Fire".
In 2011, Belgian academics from the Royal Museum for Central Africa named a species of Afrotropical spider Pseudocorinna brianeno in his honour.
Baby
Brian Eno Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Better throw her in the water
Look at her laughing
Like a heifer to the slaughter
Baby's on fire
And all the laughing boys are bitching
Waiting for photos
Rescuers row row
Do your best to change the subject
Blow the wind blow blow
Lend some assistance to the object
Photographers snip snap
Take your time she's only burning
This kind of experience
Is necessary for her learning
If you'll be my flotsam
I could be half the man I used to
They said you were hot stuff
And that's what baby's been reduced to
Juanita and Juan
Very clever with maracas
Making their fortunes
Selling secondhand tobacco's
Juan dances at Chico's
And when the clients are evicted
He empties the ashtrays
And pockets all that he's collected
But baby's on fire
And all the instruments agree that
Her temperature's rising
But any idiot would know that
The lyrics to Brian Eno's "Baby" describe a woman who is on fire, both literally and metaphorically. The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song with the lines "Baby's on fire / Better throw her in the water." Here, the lyrics are referring to the woman being in a state of danger, but the next line, "Look at her laughing / Like a heifer to the slaughter," suggests that she is enjoying being in this dangerous state. The second verse continues the metaphorical theme with the lines "Baby's on fire / And all the laughing boys are bitching / Waiting for photos / Oh the plot is so bewitching." Here, the lyrics suggest that people are interested in seeing the woman in this dangerous state and that they are waiting to capture it on camera.
The third verse shifts the focus to the people around the woman who are trying to help her. The lines "Rescuers row row / Do your best to change the subject / Blow the wind blow blow / Lend some assistance to the object" suggest that the people around her are doing what they can to help her but are also trying to distract themselves from the situation. The fourth verse continues this theme with the lines "Photographers snip snap / Take your time she's only burning / This kind of experience / Is necessary for her learning." Here, the lyrics suggest that the photographers are taking their time to capture the moment and that the woman is learning something from this experience.
The last two verses introduce new characters, Juanita and Juan, who are making their fortunes by selling secondhand tobacco's. The lines "Juan dances at Chico's / And when the clients are evicted / He empties the ashtrays / And pockets all that he's collected" suggest that these characters are living in poverty and doing what they can to make ends meet. The song then ends with the repetition of the line "But baby's on fire / And all the instruments agree that / Her temperature's rising / But any idiot would know that," which brings the focus back to the woman who is still on fire.
Overall, the lyrics to "Baby" are dark and metaphorical, exploring themes of danger, the fascination with danger, and the people around us who are trying to help but are also trying to distract themselves from the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby's on fire
The girl is in trouble
Better throw her in the water
Someone should help her escape the danger she's in
Look at her laughing
Despite the situation, the girl is laughing
Like a heifer to the slaughter
She is going to her fiery doom without realizing it
And all the laughing boys are bitching
People are gossiping about her situation
Waiting for photos
They are waiting to capture the moment on camera
Oh the plot is so bewitching
People are fascinated by the drama of the situation
Do your best to change the subject
People are trying to avoid the unpleasantness of the situation
Blow the wind blow blow
People are hoping the wind will help to put out the flames
Lend some assistance to the object
People are seeking help to rescue her from the fire
Take your time she's only burning
Photographers are taking their time to get the best shot despite the danger
This kind of experience
The situation is a learning experience for the girl
Is necessary for her learning
She needs to go through this experience to learn a lesson
If you'll be my flotsam
If you help me stay afloat in the dangerous sea
I could be half the man I used to
I need your help to be strong and survive
They said you were hot stuff
People thought highly of her before the incident
And that's what baby's been reduced to
The situation has caused people to think less of her
Very clever with maracas
Juanita and Juan are skilled musicians
Making their fortunes
They are earning money with their skills
Selling secondhand tobacco's
They are selling secondhand goods
Juan dances at Chico's
Juan is a dancer at a club called Chico's
And when the clients are evicted
When the club closes down
He empties the ashtrays
He picks up cigarette butts
And pockets all that he's collected
He collects the cigarette butts to sell or keep
And all the instruments agree that
The music indicates
Her temperature's rising
The situation is becoming more dangerous for the girl
But any idiot would know that
Anyone can see that she's in trouble
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ENO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind