Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945, in Washington, Tyne and Wear) is an En… Read Full Bio ↴Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945, in Washington, Tyne and Wear) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to The Independent, Ferry and his contemporary David Bowie influenced a generation with both their music and their appearances. Peter York described Ferry as "an art object" who "should hang in the Tate".

Born to a working-class family, Ferry studied fine art and taught at a secondary school before pursuing a career in music. In 1970 he began to assemble the rock band Roxy Music with a group of friends and acquaintances in London, and took the role of lead singer and main songwriter. The band achieved immediate international success with the release of their eponymous debut album in 1972, containing a rich multitude of sounds, which reflected Ferry's interest in exploring different genres of music. Their second album, For Your Pleasure (1973), further cultivated the band's unique sound and visual image that would establish Ferry as a leading cultural icon over the next decade.

Ferry began a parallel solo career in 1973 by releasing These Foolish Things, which popularized for the first time the concept of a contemporary musician releasing an album covering standard songs and was a drastic departure from his ongoing work with Roxy Music. His second album, Another Time, Another Place (1974), featured as its cover image Ferry posing by a pool in a white dinner jacket and represented one of his most impactful fashion statements. Over the next two years, Roxy Music released a trilogy of albums, Stranded (1973), Country Life (1974) and Siren (1975), which broadened the band's appeal internationally and saw Ferry take greater interest in the role of a live performer, reinventing himself in stage costumes ranging from gaucho to military uniforms.

Ferry disbanded Roxy Music following the release of their best-selling album Avalon in 1982 to concentrate on his solo career, releasing further singles such as "Slave to Love" and "Don't Stop the Dance" and the UK no. 1 album Boys and Girls in 1985. Including his work with Roxy Music, Ferry has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

As well as being a prolific songwriter, Ferry has recorded many cover versions, including standards from the Great American Songbook, in albums such as These Foolish Things (1973), Another Time, Another Place (1974), Let's Stick Together (1976), Taxi (1993) and As Time Goes By (1999), as well as Dylanesque (2007), an album of Bob Dylan covers. In 2019, Ferry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Roxy Music.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Ferry

Studio albums
These Foolish Things (1973)
Another Time, Another Place (1974)
Let's Stick Together (1976)
In Your Mind (1977)
The Bride Stripped Bare (1978)
Boys and Girls (1985)
Bête Noire (1987)
Taxi (1993)
Mamouna (1994)
As Time Goes By (1999)
Frantic (2002)
Dylanesque (2007)
Olympia (2010)
The Jazz Age (2012)
Avonmore (2014)
Bitter-Sweet (2018)

Goin' Down
Bryan Ferry Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm goin' down
Down down down
I'm going down
Down down down
I've got my big feet on the ground

I'm goin' down
Down down down

I'm goin' down
Going back underground

Oh let me down without a sound
I'm going down down down down
I'm going down down down down down
You gonna miss me when I'm gone
Oh again, all my tears are gone

I'm goin' down
Down down down
I'm goin' down
Down down down

You're gonna miss me after all
At midnight, when all your tears are gone

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bryan Ferry's "Goin' Down" suggest a feeling of sadness and defeat as the singer talks about going back underground while his big feet are on the ground. The repetition of "down down down" throughout the song emphasizes a sense of going further down or farther away from something. At one point, the singer suggests that they want to be let down without a sound, which could suggest a desire for a quiet release or a silent departure.

The lyrics also suggest that the singer will be missed after they are gone. The line "You gonna miss me when I'm gone" seems to address the idea that often, people don't realize what they had until it's gone. The singer then repeats "all my tears are gone", which could be seen as an acknowledgment that they've already shed their tears and moved on from the situation.

Overall, "Goin' Down" seems to be a song about accepting defeat and moving on from a situation, even if it's not necessarily a positive outcome. The repetition of "down down down" and the idea of going back underground suggest a sense of being buried or hidden, perhaps indicating that the singer is ready to put this experience behind them and move on.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm goin' down
I'm descending into a lower state

Down down down
Continuously and rapidly, without stopping

I'm going down
My situation is getting worse

Down down down
Continuously and rapidly, without stopping

I've got my big feet on the ground
I'm still standing, despite my hardships

Going back underground
Returning to a place of obscurity and anonymity

Oh let me down without a sound
I want to disappear quietly and without a fuss

You gonna miss me when I'm gone
You will regret not valuing me when I'm no longer around

Oh again, all my tears are gone
I've cried so much that I can't produce tears anymore

You're gonna miss me after all
You will eventually realize my worth and feel my absence

At midnight, when all your tears are gone
When you're alone and the pain has subsided