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.
I Fall Up
Brian Eno Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm dying of light this early
It's all up!
It's all up!
Walled up!
Stepping into a dunky mermaid
Walled up!
More volts!
I'm sucking the juice from the generator
More volts!
More volts!
More volts!
"more suck at the duct" my dictu
More volts!
More volts!
Burn up!
Turn into a lanky housemaid
Burn up!
Burn up!
It's all up!
I'm living beyond the warnings
It's all up!
I fall up!
Sell up!
I'm cackling off to the congo
Sell up!
Sell up!
Give up!
Find God in a big fat water-melon
Give up!
Give up!
More volts!
I'm sucking the juice from the generator
More volts!
More volts!
More volts!
"more suck at the duct" my dictu
More volts!
More volts!
More volts!
I'm sucking the juice from the generator
More volts!
More volts!
More volts!
"more suck at the duct" my dictu
More volts!
More volts!
More volts!
I'm sucking the juice from the generator
More volts!
More volts!
More volts!
"more suck at the duct" my dictu
More volts!
More volts!
The lyrics of Brian Eno's song "I Fall Up" can be seen as a stream of consciousness narrative, where Eno is describing a series of experiences and emotions. The repeated refrain of "I fall up" creates an interesting paradox, as "falling" usually implies going down, while "up" implies going up, indicating the theme of the song is to embrace contradictions.
The opening lines, "I'm dying of light this early," suggest Eno is overwhelmed by the brightness of the day or the situation he is in. The following lines, "Walled up!" and "Stepping into a dunky mermaid," further support the feeling of claustrophobia and confinement. The repeated usage of "more volts" creates an image of Eno being electrically charged, either metaphorically or literally. The line "turn into a lanky housemaid" could either represent a personal transformation or a critique of traditional gender roles.
The next set of lines, "Sell up! I'm cackling off to the congo/Give up!/Find God in a big fat water-melon," display a sense of frustration and disillusionment, with Eno encouraging a cynical attitude towards capitalism and suggesting alternative spiritual paths. The song concludes with a repetition of the opening lines, which could suggest cyclical nature of the human experience.
Overall, "I Fall Up" can be interpreted as a commentary on contemporary society, with Eno lamenting the lack of direction and purpose in life while realizing the importance of individualistic expression and a willingness to embrace contradictions.
Line by Line Meaning
I fall up!
I am defying gravity and rising up instead of falling down
I'm dying of light this early
I am overwhelmed by the brightness of the light at this early hour of the day
It's all up!
Everything is going well!
It's all up!
Everything is going well!
Walled up!
Trapped inside this place, like being walled in
Stepping into a dunky mermaid
Entering a murky, uninviting world
Walled up!
Trapped inside this place, like being walled in
Walled up!
Trapped inside this place, like being walled in
More volts!
I require more electricity
I'm sucking the juice from the generator
I am drawing power from the generator
More volts!
I require more electricity
More volts!
I require more electricity
"more suck at the duct" my dictu
The duct is blocking the flow of energy and I need to suck more in
More volts!
I require more electricity
More volts!
I require more electricity
Burn up!
Heat up until the point of combustion
Turn into a lanky housemaid
Transform into something unrecognizable and servile
Burn up!
Heat up until the point of combustion
Burn up!
Heat up until the point of combustion
It's all up!
Everything is going well!
I'm living beyond the warnings
I am doing what I want despite the risks
It's all up!
Everything is going well!
I fall up!
I am defying gravity and rising up instead of falling down
Sell up!
Get rid of everything I have
I'm cackling off to the congo
Laughing and going to the Congo
Sell up!
Get rid of everything I have
Sell up!
Get rid of everything I have
Give up!
Stop trying and surrender
Find God in a big fat water-melon
Find spirituality in unexpected places
Give up!
Stop trying and surrender
Give up!
Stop trying and surrender
More volts!
I require more electricity
I'm sucking the juice from the generator
I am drawing power from the generator
More volts!
I require more electricity
More volts!
I require more electricity
"more suck at the duct" my dictu
The duct is blocking the flow of energy and I need to suck more in
More volts!
I require more electricity
More volts!
I require more electricity
More volts!
I require more electricity
"more suck at the duct" my dictu
The duct is blocking the flow of energy and I need to suck more in
More volts!
I require more electricity
More volts!
I require more electricity
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ENO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SCAB CASTLE
AWESOME
Peter Morris
More Volts From Mr Eno and Mr Fripp