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)
One Kiss
Bryan Ferry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here is the place
Soon's the time to go
Seeing's believin'
So he thought once
Now he's not so sure
One kiss roughly expressing all that lips are for
Where do they come from?
Doesn't she speak?
Where can they go from here?
Forever or never
Or once in a while
Their situation's clear
One kiss, never too late to miss
One too many a broken-up affair like this
Spinning together
Drifting away
The song of love is strange
A never ending
See you soon
Too late, the music's changed
One kiss, what kind of end is this?
One more touching impression, one lost love, one kiss
Just as he's trying
To open the door
He fumbles with the key
Clumsily playing for time
Without words
Some things you can only feel
One kiss, lost in shade
One tear, ever so slowly falling left to fade
The lyrics of Bryan Ferry's One Kiss present a bittersweet story of wandering love. The song begins with the immediate present moment where the singer is standing in a particular place knowing that soon it will be time to move on. The singer then goes on to highlight the fact that seeing is believing, which he once thought was true, but now he's not so sure. These opening lines already set up the mood for the song, which is full of uncertainty and an underlying sadness.
The singer then goes on to introduce the concept of "one kiss," which is described as something that roughly expresses all that lips are for, however, it is unclear where these kisses come from and what their purpose is. The chorus goes on to highlight the melancholy of the song, stating that one kiss can express more than what words ever could - but it may be too late to miss the opportunity for a lost love.
The latter half of the song focuses on the singer's feelings of spinning and drifting away from his love interest. The song of love is strange and can end in a see you soon or an eternal goodbye. Finally, the song ends on a very poignant note where the singer is left with a single tear slowly falling, lost in thought.
Overall, the lyrics of One Kiss are heartfelt and carry with them a sense of melancholy and uncertainty. The singer is caught up in the whirlwind of love and does not know what the future holds for him and his lover.
Line by Line Meaning
Now is the moment
The present time is the opportune time for action.
Here is the place
This is the ideal location.
Soon's the time to go
Departure is inevitable in the near future.
Seeing's believin'
Perception can be trusted to confirm factual information.
So he thought once
Previously, he believed this to be true.
Now he's not so sure
Doubts have arisen in his mind.
One kiss, one for the road, what is more?
A single farewell kiss, what could be better?
One kiss roughly expressing all that lips are for
A passionate kiss that exemplifies the sensuality of the mouth.
Where do they come from?
What is the origin of these emotions?
Doesn't she speak?
Why is she remaining silent?
Where can they go from here?
What direction can these feelings take in the future?
Forever or never
Will this love be eternal or nonexistent?
Or once in a while
Perhaps this relationship will only happen occasionally.
Their situation's clear
Their circumstances are transparent.
One kiss, never too late to miss
A goodbye kiss that will be missed forever.
One too many a broken-up affair like this
One more failed romance like this one.
Spinning together
Standing close and in sync with each other.
Drifting away
Gradually moving apart from each other.
The song of love is strange
Love has a mysterious, unpredictable nature.
A never ending
This cannot conclude.
See you soon
Farewell for now, till the next time we meet.
Too late, the music's changed
At this point, the moment has passed for the relationship to be what it was.
One kiss, what kind of end is this?
This passionate kiss is a sad conclusion.
One more touching impression, one lost love, one kiss
One final kiss that leaves a significant impact on a relationship that has ended.
Just as he's trying
While he attempts.
To open the door
To unlock the entryway.
He fumbles with the key
He is struggling to insert the key into the keyhole.
Clumsily playing for time
Attempting to extend the allotted timeframe awkwardly.
Without words
Communication is nonverbal.
Some things you can only feel
Certain emotions cannot be articulated, only perceived.
One kiss, lost in shade
One kiss, which has been forgotten in the darkness.
One tear, ever so slowly falling left to fade
One tear that trickles down one's face, eventually disappearing.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bryan Ferry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind