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)
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Bryan Ferry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My true love was true
I, I of course replied
Something here inside
Cannot be denied
Oh no
They said, some day you'll find
Oh, oh
When your heart's on fire
You must realize
Smoke gets in your eyes
So I chaffed them then, then I gaily laughed
To think they could doubt my love
Yet today
My love has flown away
I am without my love
Now laughing friends deride
Tears I cannot hide, hide
Ooh-ooh, so I smile and say
When a lovely flame dies
Smoke gets in your eyes
The song "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by Bryan Ferry is a cover of the 1933 song by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach, and it talks about the effects of love and how it can sometimes leave people in disbelief. In the opening verse, Ferry is asked how he knows his true love is true, and he replied by saying that something inside him cannot be denied. This suggests a deep and personal connection that he feels with his partner.
The chorus then goes on to suggest that when love is passionate and intense, it can blind people to certain realities. The metaphor of smoke in the eyes is used to describe how love can cloud our judgment and make us unable to see clearly. Despite this, the singer acknowledges that his love is real and true, even if others doubt it. However, in the last verse, the tone shifts as he realizes that his love has left him, and he is now without it. The once laughing friends now mock him for his tears, but he puts on a brave face and says that the smoke in his eyes is just a side effect of his once lovely flame dying out.
Line by Line Meaning
They asked me how I knew
I was asked how I was so sure of my true love
My true love was true
That my love for someone was genuine and real
I, I of course replied
I responded without hesitation
Something here inside
A feeling inside of me
Cannot be denied
That I couldn't deny what I was feeling
Oh no
An expression of surprise and disbelief
They said, some day you'll find
People told me that eventually I would realize
All who love are blind
That love can sometimes make people overlook flaws in their significant other
Oh, oh
An expression of realization
When your heart's on fire
When you're in love and passionate about someone
You must realize
You need to recognize
Smoke gets in your eyes
That sometimes love can cause you to overlook red flags
So I chaffed them then, then I gaily laughed
I laughed at their doubt of my love
To think they could doubt my love
That someone could doubt the authenticity of my love
Yet today
Nevertheless, now
My love has flown away
My love has left me
I am without my love
I am alone and without my significant other
Now laughing friends deride
People who used to laugh with me now mock me
Tears I cannot hide, hide
I can't help but cry and am unable to conceal my emotions
Ooh-ooh, so I smile and say
I pretend to be okay and put on a happy face while saying
When a lovely flame dies
When love ends
Smoke gets in your eyes
It can be hard to see the negatives in a person you love
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind