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.
breath of crows
Brian Eno Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It grows and shrinks with nature's wish
A fire with no link to the wish of man
But it must be absolute, this god
For when the mind is still it moves
My god is in the breath of crows
May I not delude my I to think
He grows to grant my wish or wash my sin
As he makes his work wonder in this
Wonder in this
The sound of holy night abound
Kestrel calls and bells drink the air
And the race for meaning quells let it in
Let it in
Or the calls will sound like hollow tin
Or gramophone circles and background dust
I must replaced by must
By scent and sense wonder this
In "Breath of Crows" by Brian Eno, the lyrics speak of the artist's perception of their god, emphasizing its connection to the breath of crows, which represents a natural and unpredictable force. The god described is detached from human desires, existing independently of mankind's wishes. It is described as absolute, implying its power cannot be challenged or influenced by humans. When the mind is quiet and open, the god can be felt and experienced.
The lyrics caution against falling into the trap of delusion, urging the artist (and perhaps the listener) not to deceive oneself into believing that this god exists to fulfill personal desires or absolve sins. Rather, the emphasis is on observing with wonder the god's work, appreciating the awe-inspiring beauty and mystery it brings into the world.
The second verse introduces a contrasting image of the holy night, filled with the calls of kestrels and the sound of bells. The "race for meaning" refers to the frantic search for purpose or significance. The lyrics suggest that by allowing oneself to be open to the experience, the meaning and beauty of the world will reveal itself. If one fails to embrace this perspective, the calls of the crows will lose their significance and become empty, resembling the sound of hollow tin or distant music played on old gramophones. The lyrics imply that this loss of connection and wonder could be avoided by actively engaging in the world with all senses, replacing the automated "must" with a genuine desire to explore and understand.
Overall, "Breath of Crows" seems to encourage the listener to appreciate the wonders of nature and the mysterious workings of a transcendent force that is often beyond human comprehension. By letting go of personal desires and embracing a sense of wonder, one can tap into the power and beauty of the god found in the breath of crows.
Line by Line Meaning
My god is in the breath of crows
The essence of divinity resides in the breath of crows
It grows and shrinks with nature's wish
It expands and contracts according to nature's desire
A fire with no link to the wish of man
A passionate force unaffected by human desires
But it must be absolute, this god
However, it must possess unwavering certainty
For when the mind is still it moves
Because when the mind achieves tranquility, it becomes active
May I not delude my I to think
May I not deceive myself into believing
He grows to grant my wish or wash my sin
That this divinity grows to fulfill my desires or cleanse my wrongdoings
But let me watch in wonder
Rather, allow me to observe with awe
As he makes his work wonder in this
While he performs his miraculous creations
The sound of holy night abound
The resonating sound of a sacred night is present everywhere
Kestrel calls and bells drink the air
Kestrels' cries and the nourishing sound of bells fill the atmosphere
And the race for meaning quells let it in
And the pursuit of significance subsides, allowing acceptance
Or the calls will sound like hollow tin
Otherwise, the cries will echo as empty and meaningless
Or gramophone circles and background dust
Or akin to circular patterns of an outdated music player and insignificant particles
I must replaced by must
The sense of compulsion must be substituted with a genuine desire
By scent and sense wonder this
Through experiencing wonder with both smell and perception
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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