There are at least three bands/musicians using this name:

(1) Cornel… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least three bands/musicians using this name:

(1) Cornelius (born Keigo Oyamada (小山田圭吾 Oyamada Keigo) 27 January 1969 in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese recording artist and producer. His name is a reference to the Planet of the Apes chimpanzee character of the same name played by Roddy MacDowall. Oyamada's first claim to fame was as a member of the pop duo, Flipper's Guitar, one of the key groups of the Tokyo Shibuya-kei scene. Following the disbandment of Flipper's Guitar in 1991, Oyamada donned the "Cornelius" moniker and embarked on a successful solo career, while also producing for Pizzicato Five.

Cornelius's musical style is often described as being similar to Beck's, whom he acknowledges influenced him along with The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Primal Scream, among others.

The music of Cornelius could be described as experimental and exploratory, and often incorporates dissonant elements alongside more familiar harmonically "pleasing" sounds. This tension, plus his practice of bringing in sounds and samples from mass culture, pure electronic tones, and sounds from nature (see his Point album) lead him to being sometimes categorized as an "acquired taste."

He chose his pseudonym in tribute to the character of the same name from the movie Planet of the Apes. He commissioned a song, about himself, on Momus's 1999 album Stars Forever.

Oyamada married fellow musician and collaborator Takako Minekawa in 2000. The couple later divorced in 2012.

(2) Cornelius is also an emotional/blackmetal/hardcore band from Mainz, Germany.

(3) Cornelius was also a mid-90's hardcore / emo band from North Carolina. They released a Discography, "Sounds Like Summer," on Assorted Porkchops. Recorded 1994-1996, .

Bird Watching at Inner Forest
Cornelius Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Scenery freeze
Play
Spins out
Exposure inside the head
Ties in the image

Sympathized sound
Elastic

Deep inside the ear
Resonance inside the heart
The image floats

(View point)

Clear eyes
Absorbs inside the heart
The damage disappears
The image, floats
Floats up and disappears

Image
Way out

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Cornelius's song Bird Watching at Inner Forest convey the experience of observing and immersing oneself in nature. The opening line "Scenery freeze" suggests a pause in time, as if frozen, allowing for deep observation and reflection. The following lines "Play / Spins out / Exposure inside the head / Ties in the image" convey the idea of the mind being stimulated by the beauty of nature and forming a strong mental image.

The second verse emphasizes the sensory experience of nature, with "Sympathized sound / Elastic / Deep inside the ear / Resonance inside the heart", indicating a profound emotional and physical response. The line "The image floats" suggests a meditative state where the mind is free to wander while absorbing the surroundings.

The chorus "Clear eyes / Absorbs inside the heart / The damage disappears / The image floats / Floats up and disappears / Image / Way out" then captures the feeling of peace and rejuvenation that can come from immersing oneself in nature. It suggests that nature has the power to heal and refresh, allowing for a release from the stress and damage of everyday life.

Line by Line Meaning

Scenery freeze
The surroundings become still and motionless

Play
Experience or engage in something without a specific purpose

Spins out
Unfold or develop in a certain way

Exposure inside the head
Being open to and impacted by one's surroundings mentally

Ties in the image
Connecting the mental image to the experience

Sympathized sound
Sound that resonates emotionally with the listener

Elastic
Capable of adapting and changing

Deep inside the ear
Affecting one on a deep, personal level

Resonance inside the heart
A sensory experience that deeply moves and impacts the listener

The image floats
The mental image hovers in the mind's eye

(View point)
The perspective from which the experience is being recounted