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.
Cordoba
Brian Eno Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He wrote to me from Cordoba.
After the theatre, we went to his house.
He's a very generous Cordoban.
We waited at the door, but he didn't come.
According to his father, he's very ill.
There was a long line of cars
in front of me.
I left without paying, a suitcase under my arm.
I won't see you until Sunday.
I'll come as soon as I can.
I'll meet you alone in the shoeshop near the bakery.
By the two-storey house/very pretty/like a villa.
The lift stops between two floors.
You start to walk towards the station.
I walk towards the bus.
We'll have to wait at the station.
Leave the parcel on the top deck.
You start to walk towards the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
The lyrics of "Cordoba" by Brian Eno and John Cale depict a series of disconnected events and conversations that seem to be fragments of a larger story. The song starts with a man sleeping under a tree and writing a letter to the singer from Cordoba. Later, they go to this man's house, who is described as a generous Cordoban but doesn't show up at the door, as he is reportedly very ill according to his father. Then, the song describes a scene where the singer and someone else (presumably the person being addressed in the lyrics) split directions and end up walking towards different modes of transportation.
The song's disjointed lyrics capture the sense of being lost, disconnected, and isolated in a strange foreign city. The line of cars in front of the singer suggests that he's stuck in traffic, unable to move forward, and emphasizing the feeling of being trapped. The repeated phrases "you walk towards the station, I'll walk towards the bus" creates a sense of parallelism, reinforcing the idea that the two people mentioned in the song are physically close but emotionally distant.
Overall, "Cordoba" is a song that creates a sense of uneasiness and fragmented narrative, capturing themes of disconnection and loneliness, particularly in unfamiliar settings.
Line by Line Meaning
A man was sleeping under a tree.
A person was found lying unconscious under a tree.
He wrote to me from Cordoba.
He communicated with me through a letter from Cordoba.
After the theatre, we went to his house.
Following the theatre experience, we visited his residence.
He's a very generous Cordoban.
He is a magnanimous person hailing from Cordoba.
We waited at the door, but he didn't come.
We stood by the entrance, but he did not show up.
According to his father, he's very ill.
As per his father's statement, he is severely unwell.
There was a long line of cars in front of me.
I observed an extensive queue of vehicles ahead of me.
I came as soon as I could.
I arrived promptly.
I left without paying, a suitcase under my arm.
With a suitcase in my hand, I absconded before paying.
I won't see you until Sunday.
I will be unable to meet you until Sunday.
I'll come as soon as I can.
I will arrive as expeditiously as possible.
I'll meet you alone in the shoeshop near the bakery.
I will rendezvous with you singularly at the footwear store close to the bakery.
By the two-storey house/very pretty/like a villa.
Further to the elegant villa-like two-storeyed building.
The lift stops between two floors.
The elevator halts amid two storeys.
You start to walk towards the station.
You start to make your way towards the railway station.
I walk towards the bus.
I head towards the bus.
We'll have to wait at the station.
We shall have to remain at the station until further notice.
Leave the parcel on the top deck.
Please abandon the package on the peak floor.
You start to walk towards the station.
You set off on foot towards the railway station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will advance towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
You make your way towards the railway station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will head towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
You proceed towards the railway station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will walk in the direction of the bus.
You walk towards the station.
You walk in the direction of the railway station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will travel towards the bus on foot.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ENO, JOHN DAVIES CALE, John Cale
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind