In 1984 Hornsby formed Bruce Hornsby & the Range, who were signed to RCA Records in 1985. Besides Hornsby, Range members were David Mansfield (guitar, mandolin, violin), George Marinelli (guitars and backing vocals), Joe Puerta (bass guitar and backing vocals), and John Molo (drums).
During the 1990s he toured with the Grateful Dead, and released four albums, including A Night on the Town (1990) after which he split from The Range. Harbor Lights (1993) was his first solo album and signaled Hornsby was moving in a new jazz-influenced direction, whilst retaining elements of rock and pop. Later releases include Hot House (1995) and Spirit Trail (1998).
His experimental album Big Swing Face (2002) attracted much criticism as it veered away from his piano-based style. Despite these criticisms, he returned with his next studio album, shrugging off RCA and signing to Sony Music Entertainment. Halcyon Days, released in 2004, saw a return to the piano as the key instrument; this album also became the premise for his world tour the same year.
Hornsby continues to tour with his live band "The Noisemakers", in addition to solo shows and his progressive bluegrass performances with Ricky Skaggs.
In 2007 he released Camp Meeting, his first total jazz album as The Bruce Hornsby Trio, which involved jazz giants, Jack DeJohnette and Christian McBride with whom he made live appearances with throughout 2007.
In March 2007 Hornsby teamed with bluegrass player Ricky Skaggs to produce a bluegrass album, Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby, and played several tour dates together. The seeds for the album had been sown in 2000 when the pair collaborated on "Darlin' Cory", a track on the Big Mon Bill Monroe bluegrass tribute album and then proposed recording an album together. Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby, featuring the duo backed by Skaggs's band Kentucky Thunder, combined bluegrass, traditional country, "a tinge of Hornsby's jazzy piano and a splash of humor" on a spectrum of songs from the traditional to new compositions such as the opening track "The Dreaded Spoon," "a humorous tale of a youthful ice cream heist. The pair also reinvented Hornsby's hit "Mandolin Rain" as a minor key acoustic ballad and "give his cautionary tale of backwoods violence", "A Night On the Town," a treatment highlighting the "Appalachian storytelling tradition that was always at the song's heart. The album ended with a surprise cover of Rick James's funk hit "Super Freak" in a bluegrass arrangement. Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby topped Billboard's bluegrass charts for several weeks. The album showed Hornsby carving out a place for piano within traditional bluegrass, disproving the notion that the piano is not compatible with "string-oriented" bluegrass.
Concurrently with the bluegrass project, Hornsby recorded a jazz album, Camp Meeting. with Christian McBride (bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums). Alongside original compositions by Hornsby, the trio delivered "newly reharmonized versions" of tunes by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, a previously unrecorded Ornette Coleman work ("Questions and Answers") and an early Keith Jarrett composition ("Death and the Flower.") The trio made a series of appearances in the summer of 2007, including the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival and at the Hollywood Bowl.
On January 4, 2007, former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart reunited along with Hornsby, Mike Gordon (of Phish and the Rhythm Devils) and Warren Haynes to play two sets. including Dead classics, at a post-inauguration fundraising party for Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House in the United States Congress.
Hornsby wrote songs for a Broadway Musical, titled "SCKBSTD"; one song from this project, a playful biographical tune about real-estate tycoon Donald Trump titled "The Don of Dons," made several appearances in setlists during his early-2007 solo piano performances. He also composed the score for Spike Lee's ESPN documentary, Kobe Doin' Work, about NBA star Kobe Bryant and his MVP season.
Outside of music composition and performance, Hornsby has taken an ownership interest in Williamsburg area radio station "The Tide," WTYD 92.3 FM, and he has endowed the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program at University of Miami's Frost School of Music, encouraging the study of songwriting broadly across traditional genres. Hornsby played himself in a cameo role in the Robin Williams movie World's Greatest Dad, in which Williams' character is a Bruce Hornsby fan.
He has also been honored by piano makers Steinway & Sons with their Limited Edition Signature Piano Series. Hornsby selected ten Model B Steinway Grands to be featured in this collection, each one personalized with his signature. Hornsby owns three 9-foot Model D Steinway Grands himself.
Listen To The Silence
Bruce Hornsby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
People talk without listening
People listen without hearing
I do it all the time
You know it's a funny phenomenon
People on their constant run
So obvious to me and yet
Listen to the silence
You might hear what you're looking for
Hearing nothing but the sound of your mind
[Chorus]
Listen to the silence
A little quiet time
You just might find what you're after
If you close your eyes
There's a jackhammer here and a speech maker there
Here a gun, there a gun, everywhere
See my man go tearing his hair
When everything's fine
I don't pretend to know a lot
I'll do the best with what I've got
Clear my head and give it a shot
'Till the stars line up right
[Chorus]
Listen to the silence
A little quiet time
You just might find what you're after
If you close your eyes
This isn't deep, it's not profound
It's just something that I think about now
Had to find a new way around
The old way's not right
Self-help books and the latest moves
Who knows what will get you through
Don't know about me, less about you
I don't know but I'll try
[Chorus]
Listen to the silence
A little quiet time
You just might find what you're after
If you free your mind
It's a noisy life I'm living right now
Believe I've done my time in the loud
Noisy life I'm living right now
I've played my joyful song with a loud sound
The lyrics of Bruce Hornsby's "Listen to the Silence" talk about how we often miss out on important things in life because we are too busy talking or we listen to respond instead of listening to understand. Hornsby encourages the listener to take a break from the constant noise and chaos of life, and take some time to listen to the silence. He believes that by doing this, we might actually hear what we are looking for – maybe some inner peace and clarity, or some guidance or direction in our lives. He then repeats the chorus, suggesting that if we just take a little quiet time and close our eyes, we might find what we are after.
The verses of the song embellish on the idea of the noisy world, where there is a constant buzz around us from jackhammers, speechmakers, and guns. The cluttered world often leaves us confused and overwhelmed. Hornsby admits that he doesn't have all the answers, but he is willing to give it a shot, even though he doesn't know what will work for him and for others. The song is not deep or profound, but it's Hornsby's reflective musings on the ways we live our lives.
Overall, "Listen to the Silence" is a reminder to take a break from the constant noise and chaos around us and to take a moment to be still, and clear our minds. It's an encouragement to listen intently to ourselves and to the world around us as we might find the answers we are searching for.
Line by Line Meaning
You know I think it's a funny thing
Bruce Hornsby starts the song by talking about how he finds it amusing that people talk without truly listening to what is being said.
People talk without listening
While many people engage in a conversation, they interrupt and think about what they will say next instead of truly listening to the other person.
People listen without hearing
Some people may hear the words of others, but they don't comprehend their message as they don't take the time truly to listen and process it.
I do it all the time
Bruce acknowledges that he is guilty of not listening closely enough and that it's something we all do on a regular basis.
You know it's a funny phenomenon
Here, Bruce Hornsby describes people living such a fast-paced lifestyle without taking time for themselves or other people in their lives.
People on their constant run
He's emphasizing the fact that people are always in a hurry, without any time to relax and listen to the silence that surrounds them.
So obvious to me and yet
Bruce points out how evident it is that we are too busy and not present in the moment, but despite that, he still falls into the same trap.
I never stop to get set
Bruce realizes that he doesn't take enough time to collect his thoughts and pay attention to his surroundings, instead of always being on the move.
Listen to the silence
Bruce Hornsby goes on to urge listeners to slow down, be present in the moment, and take some time in life to enjoy the silence and hear what's happening within and around them.
You might hear what you're looking for
If you stop to listen carefully to the silence, you may find something you have been looking for in life.
Hearing nothing but the sound of your mind
Likewise, if you are still having an active, deafening internal monologue, you won't make room for new insights, new enlightenment, and new perspectives. It's all about being here now.
Chorus: Listen to the silence, A little quiet time, You just might find what you're after, If you close your eyes
The chorus emphasizes that if you slow yourself down, stop to take a breath, and listen, you will be better able to hear what you have been seeking. It speaks to the importance of having a little bit of quiet, reflection, and contemplation in one's life.
There's a jackhammer here and a speech maker there, Here a gun, there a gun, everywhere
This verse indicates that Bruce's life is full of commotion, chaos, and distraction from jackhammers to political speeches, to guns. All of these clearly causes a lot of noise, and give little or no room for silence and deep thought.
See my man go tearing his hair
It's emblematic of someone going through a stressful or tough patch, and feeling helpless and unable to think straight or cease the noise that's plaguing them.
When everything's fine
When everything is good or ideal, there's still constant noise and endless thoughts that can muddy your perceptions and weigh on your mind. This is true even when you feel things should be going well.
I don't pretend to know a lot
Bruce asserts that he's not an expert or guru on how to achieve inner peace or attain enlightenment. He only does his best and offers an insight into his personal struggles.
I'll do the best with what I've got
That even though he's not perfect, he will try his best to make the most out of what he has and work with what he's got at his disposal.
Clear my head and give it a shot
He wants to clear his mind of all the distraction and fix on a singular idea, and just give it a chance as much as he can.
Till the stars line up right
He will keep trying and fighting for his goals until everything aligns as they should be, and until he achieves his destiny.
This isn't deep, it's not profound
Bruce reiterates that he's not trying to be deep or philosophical in the song. He's just stating his opinion and giving insight into his life.
It's just something that I think about now
Nevertheless, what he has been singing about is an essential aspect of his life that he's learned to care about over time. It's something that he wants to share with others who are likewise seeking guidance in this area.
Had to find a new way around
After recognizing that life is too noisy and wants to find a different path, Bruce is seeking to find a new way of living that frees him from all the commotion.
The old way's not right
He implicitly acknowledges that his former way of life, which ignored the importance of deep thought and inner peace, was not right for him, and maybe for others, hence his search for a new approach.
Self-help books and the latest moves
Bruce's tried several self-help books, and the latest personal growth hacks, but he's yet to stumble on the key to enlightenment that he's seeking.
Who knows what will get you through
No one said that there's a guaranteed success formula that works for everyone. People are different, and therefore, different approaches might work to achieve inner peace.
Don't know about me, less about you
There's little he knows about himself, let alone other people. So, it's best for one to take individual steps and build some rapport with oneself towards achieving the right balance required for enlightenment.
I don't know but I'll try
Despite the uncertainty with this process, Bruce Hornsby still wants to give it his best shot, and drive for solutions amidst the noise and chaos of life, so that he can finally discover what others have found in silence.
Chorus: Listen to the silence, A little quiet time, You just might find what you're after, If you close your eyes
The song ends by reemphasizing the chorus, urging his audience to take the time to slow down and genuinely listen to the silence so that they might find what they have been seeking. It speaks to the importance of having a little bit of quiet, reflection, and contemplation in one's life.
Listen to the silence, A little quiet time, You just might find what you're after, If you free your mind
In the end, Bruce's message is clear: if you want to achieve clarity and gain real insight, then you should free yourself of distractions, shut out the noise, and open yourself to the possibilities that can only arise in the silence.
It's a noisy life I'm living right now
This ending statement acknowledges the world as it stands today, which is fast-paced and full of constant distractions and noise, leaving individuals to seek some peace either by finding a way through or completely shutting off. He affirms that the experience has indeed been a noisy one for him.
Believe I've done my time in the loud
Bruce here seems to allude to previous times in his life where he faced the same struggles with noise and internal monologues, and he has come to believe that those times are in the past.
Noisy life I'm living right now, I've played my joyful song, and it's now time for a quiet sound
He concludes by affirming his desire to deescalate the noise and pressure that has characterized his life in tune with the title, Listen to the Silence. Bruce believes that a change to a quieter, peaceful life is needed and wants to take the next step in that direction.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRUCE HORNSBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind