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.
Empty Frame
Brian Eno Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It went on and on
They were years away
Though it seemed so long
But the captain never told them what he knew
As the poor ship laboured on through the endless blue.
Oh the storm was strong
And the ship was so frail
Raising broken sails,
And they held the heavy sky on their open hands
And they dreamed of when their poor feet would touch the land.
Baby, we're going round in circles!
Where is this place we're going to?
Does anybody know we're out here on the waves?
And are any of our signals coming through?
We're going 'round in circles.
We have no single point of view.
And like the clouds that turn to every passing wind,
We turn to any signal that comes through.
At the edge of the sea
Were the signs of the dove -
But the wrong way out
And the wrong way up.
We pushed the empty frame of reason out the cabin door,
No we won't be needing reason anymore.
Ooh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah.
The opening lines of "Empty Frame" describe a group of people who are lost at sea for years, unsure of where they are going, and uncertain about their fate. The strong storm and frail ship add to the feeling of hopelessness and despair. The captain, who holds the knowledge that could save them, refuses to share it, leaving the passengers to slowly suffer amid the endless blue.
The second half of the song shifts to the idea that the passengers are going round in circles with no clear direction or point of view. They desperately yearn for any signal that can give them some sense of direction, even if it means turning to passing winds like the clouds in the sky. The metaphorical "empty frame of reason" is something that they push out, as reason has lost its relevance in this situation.
The lyrics of the song subtly touch upon the idea of being lost, both physically and emotionally. The endless blue sea becomes a symbol of the despair that can arise from going in circles, and the passengers' complete abandonment of reason reflects their disconnection from reality. All this is done with a haunting melody and an exciting performance featuring Brian Eno's keyboard and John Cale's viola playing.
Line by Line Meaning
So they rode the sea,
They traveled across the ocean by boat,
It went on and on
The journey seemed endless,
They were years away
Their destination was far away and it would take them many years to reach it,
Though it seemed so long
The journey felt like an eternity,
But the captain never told them what he knew
The captain kept secrets from the crew,
As the poor ship laboured on through the endless blue.
The ship struggled through the vast expanse of the ocean,
Oh the storm was strong
A powerful storm hit the ship,
And the ship was so frail
The ship was weak and susceptible to damage,
But they stumbled on
They continued on despite the storm and weakened ship,
Raising broken sails,
They had to try to repair the damaged sails,
And they held the heavy sky on their open hands
They were at the mercy of the elements and had to fight to keep the ship afloat,
And they dreamed of when their poor feet would touch the land.
They longed for the day when they would finally reach their destination and step onto dry land,
Baby, we're going round in circles!
They were lost and going in circles,
Where is this place we're going to?
They were unsure of where they were headed,
Does anybody know we're out here on the waves?
They were wondering if anyone knew they were lost at sea,
And are any of our signals coming through?
They were unsure if their distress signals were reaching anyone,
We're going 'round in circles.
They were still lost and not making progress,
We have no single point of view.
They were not united in their vision of where they should be headed,
And like the clouds that turn to every passing wind,
They were easily swayed and not grounded in their decision making,
We turn to any signal that comes through.
They were looking for any sign of help or direction,
At the edge of the sea
As they approached the shore,
Were the signs of the dove -
There were indications of land like the dove in the story of Noah's ark,
But the wrong way out
They had taken a wrong turn or direction,
And the wrong way up.
They were not in the right position or headed in the proper direction,
We pushed the empty frame of reason out the cabin door,
They disregarded logical thinking and reasoning in order to survive on their journey,
No we won't be needing reason anymore.
They had given up on reason and were solely focused on survival,
Ooh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah.
These are vocalizations and have no specific meaning.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ENO, JOHN DAVIES CALE, John Cale
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind