Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno, RDI (born Brian Pet… Read Full Bio ↴Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno, RDI (born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is an English musician, record producer, visual artist, and theorist best known for his pioneering work in ambient music and contributions to rock, pop, and electronica. A self-described "non-musician", Eno has helped introduce unique conceptual approaches and recording techniques to contemporary music. He has been described as one of popular music's most influential and innovative figures.

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.

the real
Brian Eno Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The real the flourish
Seeing the real in things
Really seeing the real
Describing the exact actuality of what
It is you see or what it is you seem to see
You really seem to see the real
The exact and actual reality
Of the real in things you seem to see

The real thing
And no other voice or paint in this
But just the thing, you see
The thing you see is the real in things
What you see is what seems
The reels of this seem to
Mean the real in things
While real runs out and seems
To reach the real as it runs
No dry run the real is done
The flourish seeing the real in things
Really seeing the real
Describing the exact actuality
Of what it is you see
Or what it is you seem to see
You really seem to see the real
The exact and actual reality
Of the real in things you seem to see
The real thing
And no other voice or paint in this
But just the thing, you see

The thing you see is the real in things
No dry run (The real is done)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "The Real" by Brian Eno & Elisha Mudly explore the concept of perceiving and understanding reality. The song emphasizes the idea of truly seeing and describing the exact actuality of what is being observed. It suggests that there is a distinction between what one thinks they see and what is actually real.

The repetition of phrases such as "Seeing the real in things" and "The thing you see is the real in things" reinforces the importance of perceiving reality in its true form. The song argues that there is no need for embellishments or subjective interpretations when it comes to perceiving the real. It suggests that the realness of things lies in their inherent nature, free from any external influences or biases.

The lyrics also touch upon the transient nature of reality, as expressed in lines like "While real runs out and seems to reach the real as it runs." This implies that reality is constantly evolving, and our perception of it is fleeting. The phrase "no dry run" suggests that there is no rehearsal or practice for perceiving the real; it is a one-time opportunity.

Overall, "The Real" encourages introspection and a deeper understanding of what is truly happening around us. It highlights the importance of seeing things as they are, without any filters or illusions.

Line by Line Meaning

The real the flourish
The true existence of something is celebrated and highlighted

Seeing the real in things
Recognizing and perceiving the genuine essence within objects or situations

Really seeing the real
Truly and deeply observing the authentic truth

Describing the exact actuality of what
Articulating the precise reality and truthfulness of what

It is you see or what it is you seem to see
Whether it is the reality you perceive or the illusion you perceive as reality

You really seem to see the real
You genuinely appear to perceive the actual existence

The exact and actual reality
The precise and genuine existence

Of the real in things you seem to see
Within the things you appear to perceive, the true essence exists

The real thing
The genuine, authentic entity

And no other voice or paint in this
No alternate perspective or representation in this

But just the thing, you see
Only the pure and unadulterated entity, you comprehend