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.
Bone Bomb
Brian Eno Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So thin
So tired
Beaten for years
Ploughshare to bomb
So hard
Bonebomb
Bonebomb
My town
So dusty
So dry
Buildings pushed over
Lives heat together
Young girls dreaming of beautiful deaths
Pop star pictures above their beds
Above their heads
Troops
Everything stolen
Except my bones
Now I am only bone
I waited for peace
And here is my peace
Here in this still last minute of my life
The lyrics of "Bone Bomb" by Brian Eno talks about the devastating effects of war on individuals and a community in general. The song is told from the perspective of a victim of war whose body has been worn down over the years of surviving military attacks. The opening lines "My body, so thin, so tired, beaten for years" depict the suffering and pain people go through in war-torn communities. The line "Ploughshare to bomb, so hard" represents the irony of a tool used for farming being converted into a weapon that causes destruction and loss of life.
The chorus of the song, "Bonebomb," is a poignant reminder of the rawness of the effects of war as the skeletal remains of victims that are found in the aftermath of such conflicts. The song also portrays the loss of both the physical and emotional aspects of the victim's existence. The singer mentions how his town has been reduced to rubble, and lives heat together, which is an indication of the displacement and loss of homes that result from war. The line "Everything stolen except my bones" has a sense of finality and despair about it, as the victim acknowledges the damage done to his life and the likelihood that he may not have much to live for.
Overall, "Bone Bomb" by Brian Eno is a powerful song that captures the horror and cost of war, both in terms of human life and the destruction of infrastructure.
Line by Line Meaning
My body
My physical form
So thin
Emaciated, lacking in flesh
So tired
Exhausted, lacking energy
Beaten for years
Abused, physically harmed for an extended period of time
Ploughshare to bomb
A tool used for farming has been transformed into a weapon of destruction
So hard
Difficult, challenging
Bonebomb
An explosive device made out of bones
Bonebomb
An explosive device made out of bones
Bonebomb
An explosive device made out of bones
My town
The place where I live
So dusty
Covered in fine dirt or powder
So dry
Lacking in moisture, arid
Buildings pushed over
Structures knocked down, destroyed
Lives heat together
People living closely together, crowded conditions
Young girls dreaming of beautiful deaths
Adolescent females fantasizing about dying in an idealized way
Pop star pictures above their beds
Images of famous musicians displayed in their sleeping area
Above their heads
Suspended in the air, situated higher than oneself
Troops
Military personnel, soldiers
Everything stolen
All possessions taken without consent
Except my bones
Only my skeletal structure remains
Now I am only bone
I have been reduced to my basic physical composition
I waited for peace
I hoped for a period of calm, tranquility
And here is my peace
Death is the only way to achieve peace in my current situation
Here in this still last minute of my life
My final moments of existence, remaining utterly motionless
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ENO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Herea Puscas Ioana Iuliana
I just love this song !
hydroone7
Nice I like the computer controlled zooms, and the imagery. Nnd the stills remind me of Chris Marker "La Jete." I like the super close ups where it's abstract and impressionistic, then a representational image appears.
Rich Godsil
Hauntingly beautiful song.
sidDkid87
I find it strangely poetic that this song is 3 minutes and twenty-one seconds long . . . 3 - 2 - 1 . . .
sidDkid87
@mead2000 then you are the "strange poet" to whom I refer - and I applaud you for it - noticing such things is my strange 'gift' - I'd also noticed that Eno's tune was not actually 3 - 2 - 1, but decided to stick to my guns
mead2000
@sidDkid87 - amazing you noticed! the Brian Eno song itself was 3:09 but I timed this for 3-2-1.
sidDkid87
@***** Chilling - I have a strange knack for noticing strange things . . .
mead2000
thanks for your kind comments and input, mickjongold. much appreciated~
sidDkid87
"everything stolen /
except .. my .. bones" 🎶 . . .
sonicsnap117
Awsome.