DJ Shadow spent his teenage years in Davis, California and was a DJ at the community radio station KDVS. During his time as a radio disc jockey, DJ Shadow was significant in developing the experimental instrumental hip-hop style associated with the California-based Solesides record label. His early singles for the label, including In/Flux and Lost and Found (S.F.L.), were genre-bending works of art merging elements of funk, rock, hip-hop, ambient, jazz, soul, and used-bin found records. DJ Shadow is often cited as a leading creator of trip-hop, though this is a label he strongly contests.
Although he previously released a couple of original works (during 1991-1992 for Hollywood Records) by the time Mo' Wax's James Lavelle contacted him about releasing In/Flux on the fledgling imprint, it wasn't until his distribution association with Mo' Wax that his sound began to mature and cohere.
Shadow's first full-length work, Endtroducing....., was released in late 1996 to immense critical acclaim. Following the success of this album, he acted as a shadow producer for Rage Against The Machine for their album, Evil Empire. It is said he influenced the solo on their song "Bulls On Parade". Endtroducing... made the Guinness World Records book for "First Completely Sampled Album" in 2001. Preemptive Strike, a compilation of early singles, followed in early 1998. Later that year, Shadow produced tracks for Psyence Fiction, the debut album by U.N.K.L.E., a long-time Mo' Wax production team that gained superstar guests including Thom Yorke (of Radiohead), Richard Ashcroft (of The Verve), Mike D (of the Beastie Boys) and others. His next project came in 1999, with the transformation of Solesides into a new label, Quannum Projects. Nearly six years after his debut production album, his second album, The Private Press, was released in June 2002. In the same year, the movie "Scratch" (2001, Doug Pray) was released to DVD with DJ Shadow appearing several times throughout the movie.
The documentary films "Dark Days" and "Wisconsin Death Trip" feature music of DJ Shadow while "Scratch" features an interview and more music.
DJ Shadow has also collaborated with fellow artist Cut Chemist. Together they have made two CDs entitled Brainfreeze and Product Placement. These albums fuse jazz, funk, and soul in the framework of a cohesive concept. The second of these (Product Placement) followed a very similar pattern to the first, but using remixes/other versions of the songs in roughly the same order.
In the year 2004, Shadow released his feature length DVD, In Tune and On Time. The DVD features a live performance in London, emphasizing intricate visuals.
In 2005, Shadow released a Deluxe Edition of his first album, Endtroducing.... and a new album, titled "The Outsider" in 2006.
While Shadow's earlier works, especially 'Endtroducing.....', are known for their innovation in genres such as hip-hop, ambient, and trip-hop, his fourth full length album, The Outsider, had several tracks dedicated to Hyphy. This decision has been controversial, leaving many fans feeling alienated. DJ Shadow addressed this point in an August, 2006 interview, in which stated, "Repeat Endtroducing over and over again? That was never, ever in the game plan. Fuck that. So I think it's time for certain fans to decide if they are fans of the album, or the artist."
Also in 2005, Brian Udelhofen began work on the Shadow Percussion Project, an attempt to adapt some of the tracks from Endtroducing... for a live performance group. The result was largely successful and well-received by DJ Shadow himself.
In 2007 DJ Shadow was contacted by the Hollywood Bowl to do a show featuring Freeze with Cut Chemist. However, not wanting to repeat old material DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist came up with a whole new routine entitled The Hard Sell. In 2007 and 2008 they went on The Hard Sell tour and were accompanied on stage by two large video screens with visuals created for the tour.
Discography
Solo Albums
* 1996 - Endtroducing.....
* 1998 - Preemptive Strike
* 2000 - Dark Days
* 2002 - The Private Press
* 2003 - The Private Repress (Japanese Remix Album)
* 2004 - In Tune and On Time
* 2005 - Endtroducing... (2xCD Deluxe Edition)
* 2006 - The Outsider
* 2007 - The 4-Track Era Vol.1 Best of the KMEL Mixes
* 2007 - The 4-Track Era Vol.2 Best of the Remixes and Megamixes (1990-1992)
* 2011 - The Less You Know, the Better
with Q Bert
* 1997 - Camel Bobsled Race (Q-Bert Mega Mix) CD-EP
with UNKLE
* 1998 - Psyence Fiction
with Cut Chemist
* 1999 - Brainfreeze
* 2001 - Product Placement
* 2004 - Product Placement on Tour
* 2005 - Freeze
* 2008 - The Hard Sell
with Dan The Automator
* 1998 - Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars and Sitars
Lonely Soul
DJ Shadow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
God knows you're lonely souls
God knows you're lonely souls
Yeah, yeah
I believe there's a time and a place
To let your mind drift and get out of this place
I believe there's a day and a place
There's no secret to living (There's no secret to living)
Just keep on walking
There's no secret to dying (There's no secret to dying)
Just keep on flying.
I'm gonna die in a place that don't know my name
I'm gonna die in a space that don't hold my fame.
God knows you're lonely souls
God knows you're lonely souls.
I believe there's a time when the cord of life
Should be cut, my friends (Cut the cord, my friend)
I believe there's a time when the cord can be cut
And this vision ends (Let this vision end).
But I'm gonna die in a place that don't know my name
And I'm gonna cry in a space that don't hold my fame.
Walking in the cold
Just keep on flying
There'll be a searchlight
On the mountain high
God knows you're lonely souls
God knows you're lonely souls
God knows you're lonely souls
God knows you're lonely souls
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
I'm a lonely soul.
I'm gonna die in a place that don't know my name
I'm gonna die in a place that don't know my name.
God knows you are lonely souls
Lonely souls
Lonely souls
Lonely souls
I'm a lonely soul.
So long, little chapel
Pack up your light
Pack up your light
Say goodbye to the holy water life
Oh
Ah
"Lonely Soul" by DJ Shadow is a poignant song with introspective lyrics that delve into the human need for connection and the fear of dying alone. The recurring line "God knows you're lonely souls" is a reminder that despite feeling isolated, one is not truly alone in their struggles. The line is repeated multiple times throughout the song, emphasizing the universal nature of loneliness and the importance of acknowledging it.
The lyrics also touch on the theme of time and how we spend it. The song suggests that there is a time and a place for everything, including drifting away from the mundane day-to-day and sharing experiences with others. The idea of a "cord of life" being cut and the vision ending suggest a peaceful acceptance of death as a part of life, but also the longing for some sort of legacy or remembrance. The line "I'm gonna die in a space that don't hold my fame" indicates that the desire for recognition and validation is innate, but perhaps ultimately unfulfilling.
The song's music video features a puppet show with the lyrics and imagery depicting the struggles of everyday life and the isolation that can be felt by even seemingly content characters. The use of puppets adds a layer of detachment and surrealism to the visuals, further emphasizing the universal nature of the song's message.
Line by Line Meaning
God knows you're lonely souls
Acknowledging the pain and solitude that people are feeling in their core
I believe there's a time and a place
To let your mind drift and get out of this place
I believe there's a day and a place
That we will go to, and I know you want to share.
Having faith in a better future where loneliness doesn't exist anymore and hoping that people will be able to experience it together
There's no secret to living (There's no secret to living)
Just keep on walking
There's no secret to dying (There's no secret to dying)
Just keep on flying.
Life and death are just two different stages of existence that need to be accepted and embraced with a sense of detachment
I'm gonna die in a place that don't know my name
I'm gonna die in a space that don't hold my fame.
God knows you're lonely souls
God knows you're lonely souls.
Feeling like an insignificant and anonymous entity in a vast universe, with a sense of connection to others who feel the same
I believe there's a time when the cord of life
Should be cut, my friends (Cut the cord, my friend)
I believe there's a time when the cord can be cut
And this vision ends (Let this vision end).
Having a fatalistic view of life, where death is seen as a natural ending to a cycle, with a desire to let go of life's illusions and attachments
But I'm gonna die in a place that don't know my name
And I'm gonna cry in a space that don't hold my fame.
Feeling like personal identity and achievements are meaningless in the face of death, and that all that really matters is an emotional connection with the universe
Walking in the cold
Just keep on flying
There'll be a searchlight
On the mountain high
Going through tough times and feeling lost, but still trying to move forward, with a hope that there will be some kind of illumination and guidance along the way
I'm a lonely soul.
Identifying with the feeling of loneliness and separation from others, as a fundamental aspect of one's existence
So long, little chapel
Pack up your light
Pack up your light
Say goodbye to the holy water life
Oh
Ah
Closing a chapter in life that was filled with religious symbolism and dogma, and expressing a sense of liberation from past illusions and limitations
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOSH DAVIS, RICHARD ASHCROFT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind