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, .

God Only Knows
Cornelius Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Silently at night it fell
From that snow last night
I was the only one in the world
The only one who caught a cold

God only knows

On March 1997

I was the only one in the world
Humming a song called
"Just Like Honey"

God only knows

They said nothing on the news
I don't even know who it was
He was counting down the days
To the moment the world ends

God only knows

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Cornelius's song "God Only Knows" present a feeling of isolation, as the singer describes being the only one in the world who has caught a cold after a snowfall. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, which is the singer's reflection on their own mortality and the fragility of life. The repeated refrain of "God only knows" emphasizes the uncertainty and unknowability of what lies ahead.

The second verse introduces a specific moment in time, March 1997, when the singer was the only one in the world humming a song called "Just Like Honey." This detail provides a sense of nostalgia, as the singer remembers a time when they had a singular experience that was not shared by anyone else in the world. The third verse introduces an apocalyptic element, as the singer describes a countdown to the end of the world. But the singer still emphasizes that even in the face of impending doom, it is impossible to know what the future holds.

Overall, "God Only Knows" is a contemplative and introspective song that addresses universal themes of mortality and the incomprehensibility of the future.

Line by Line Meaning

Silently at night it fell
The snow fell quietly during the night

From that snow last night
Referring to the snow that fell the previous night

I was the only one in the world
Feeling isolated and alone in the world

The only one who caught a cold
The only person affected negatively by the snow

God only knows
Expressing uncertainty and acknowledging that only God knows the true answer

On March 1997
Referring to a specific time in the past

I was the only one in the world
Feeling isolated and alone in the world (again)

Humming a song called "Just Like Honey"
Singing a particular song

God only knows
Expressing uncertainty and acknowledging that only God knows the true answer (again)

They said nothing on the news
Referring to a lack of information provided by news sources

I don't even know who it was
Feeling unsure about the identity of a person or group being referred to