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.
Seven Deadly Finns
Brian Eno Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Think it's such a fucking shame
That the local boys with their country joys
Never make them daisy chains
They're swapping disappointing incidents
While at the docks another ship pulls in
And suddenly the door breaks down (ooh la la)
It's the seven deadly finns
Oh oh oh soldiers and sailors
Have all been here before
Gigolos and governments
Have stumbled through that door
Because they need all those french girls with all their kiss curls
And powder in their guns
And the seven finns with their deadly grins
Tend to measure beauty in tuns.
The first is a freak with a masochistic streak
And the second is a kitten up a tree
The third is a flirt with an awful print skirt
And the fourth is pretending to be me
The fifth wears a mac and never turns his back
The sixth never shows his eyes
But the seventh deadly finn is so tall and slim
He should of never been with those guys.
Although variety's the spice of life
A steady rhythm is the source
Simplicity's the crucial thing
Systemically of course (work it all out like Norbert Wiener)
So if those french girls say to you
Would you like your ashes piped?
You'll have to take their word for it
It's the only thing to take
The lyrics to Brian Eno's song "Seven Deadly Finns" speak about the French girls who are disappointed with the local boys and their inability to show them love through simple gestures. The girls exchange stories while watching ships arrive and leave at the docks. Suddenly, the door breaks down and in come the seven deadly Finns who are a group of dangerous men known to measure beauty in tuns. The song speaks about the past experiences of soldiers, sailors, gigolos, and governments who have stumbled upon the seven deadly Finns. The song goes on to describe the characteristics of these men, with each of them possessing unique traits ranging from being masochistic to being tall and slim. The song concludes with a statement about the significance of simplicity in life and how sometimes we have to take people's word for it.
The song is a commentary on the concept of beauty and how it is measured in different ways. It highlights how men and women have different ways of expressing beauty, and how beauty is not just limited to physical appearance or material possessions. The seven deadly Finns represent the different aspects of beauty, and the French girls' admiration for them shows how beauty can be mesmerizing and dangerous at the same time.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh oh the french girls with the string of pearls
The French girls with a string of pearls are talking about local boys who cannot make daisy chains for them and they are disappointed.
Think it's such a fucking shame
They are upset because no one makes daisy chains for them.
That the local boys with their country joys
The local boys have simple pleasures in life because they live in the countryside.
Never make them daisy chains
They do not have the skill to make daisy chains which disappoints the French girls.
They're swapping disappointing incidents
The French girls are exchanging stories of disappointment with each other.
While at the docks another ship pulls in
Another ship arrives at the dock while they are talking.
And suddenly the door breaks down (ooh la la)
The door suddenly breaks down and they are surprised.
It's the seven deadly finns
The seven deadly finns enter the room.
Oh oh oh soldiers and sailors
Soldiers and sailors have been in this situation before.
Have all been here before
They have been in situations where they needed French girls before.
Gigolos and governments
Even gigolos and governments have sought after French girls.
Have stumbled through that door
They have entered through the same door the seven deadly finns just entered.
Because they need all those french girls with all their kiss curls
They need French girls who have curly hair and are good at kissing.
And powder in their guns
They also need French girls who can supply them with gunpowder.
And the seven finns with their deadly grins
The seven finns have sinister smiles as they enter the room.
Tend to measure beauty in tuns.
They measure beauty in large barrels called tuns.
The first is a freak with a masochistic streak
The first deadly finn is a strange person who likes to experience pain.
And the second is a kitten up a tree
The second deadly finn is innocent and helpless like a kitten stuck in a tree.
The third is a flirt with an awful print skirt
The third deadly finn is a flirtatious person who wears an unattractive skirt.
And the fourth is pretending to be me
The fourth deadly finn is pretending to be someone else.
The fifth wears a mac and never turns his back
The fifth deadly finn wears a raincoat and never faces away from someone.
The sixth never shows his eyes
The sixth deadly finn never reveals his eyes to anyone.
But the seventh deadly finn is so tall and slim
The seventh deadly finn is very tall and thin.
He should of never been with those guys.
The seventh deadly finn is too good to be with the other deadly finns.
Although variety's the spice of life
It's good to have variety in life.
A steady rhythm is the source
Having a consistent routine is important.
Simplicity's the crucial thing
Keeping things simple is key.
Systemically of course (work it all out like Norbert Wiener)
This should be done systematically, like Norbert Wiener would recommend.
So if those french girls say to you
If French girls ask you something,
Would you like your ashes piped?
They are asking if you would like to be cremated and have your ashes put in a pipe.
You'll have to take their word for it
You will have to trust them on their offer.
It's the only thing to take
This is the only offer they have for you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ENO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elizabeth Hann
It's a quarter to midnight [20 December 2019] and I have just had my mind blown. I only just listened to "Seven Deadly Finns" for the first time today, and I'm just AMAZED ! Eno's lyrics are the best Nonsense lyrics I've heard in months. "The first is a freak with a masochistic streak,/And the second is a kitten up a tree;/The third is a flirt with an awful print skirt,/And the fourth is pretending to be me!" That's perfect! Honestly, it sounds like some old-fashioned English Nonsense poem - something from A.A Milne or (maybe) (even though he's not English but Canadian) Dennis Lee - dirtied up and gone berserk. I think it sounds especially like dirtied-up Dennis Lee: the cadence of the lines quoted above (and the fact that they're a listing-off of dubious types) reminds me irresistibly of "Squirm was a Worm with a Terrible Temper./Wee was a flea with a Big Bad Roar./X was an Elephant who couldn’t keep his laces tied./And George was a bit of a bore..." from Lee's "The Hockey Game" (collected in Lee's 1974 classic ALLIGATOR PIE ), or perhaps "There are midgets at the bottom of my garden./Every night they come and play o violins./One is named Molly, and one is name d Dolly,/And one has diarrhea and grins..." from Lee's "A Child's Song" (collected in his other 1974 classic NICHOLAS KNOCK & OTHER PEOPLE ).
Grithron2
I don't think you understood the song - it's about a brothel, and its regular clients. To give you a clue: the first lines are full of sex/fetish-related puns, and there's a similar stealth-pun near the end.
skylounge
Brian Eno - wieczny prekursor brzmień i trendów w muzyce.
Guy Budziak
I am stunned to discover this. To learn that something such as this even EXISTS! How wonderful.
Dominic OfMontrealFan
I always loved Brian Eno I'm only 19 but my dad use to play Roxy Music in his car and I got to know Brian Eno and fell in love with him
Cringe Panda
Saaame altho not 19 yet here....and i guess you're 26 now lol
DocNintendo
Now you are 27
Leigh M Aucoin
Eno looks like a potion salesman from an RPG in this clip, I love it
John Barlow
Put the lotion in the basket
SOCIAL MOTION MEDIA
This human was in another gorgeous time zone. #producer #extraordinaire #artist