As a founding member of the ground breaking Bauhaus, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Ash has distinguished himself in the world of contemporary music. He later went on to form Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets with members of Bauhaus.
After attending gigs in his teenage years, he made a promise to himself that no matter in what capacity; he would get up on that stage, even if he was only banging a tambourine. He started playing guitar at age 15, but later he confessed that he didn’t give it much effort, only learning three chords during his first three years. Driven by a love of Rock 'n Roll, Ash began playing in cover bands. The first gig he played was in the Glasgow Rangers Workman's Club. During this time, Ash started playing music with his Kindergarten mates David J and Kevin Haskins. With the addition of Peter Murphy, this lineup became Bauhaus.
Ash became friends with Peter Murphy during his teenage years. Ash went to art school and Murphy to work in a printing factory. They met up five years later and Daniel suggested forming a band. After rigging up a makeshift rehearsal space, Ash played an echo-laden 12-bar blues while Murphy sang a series of newspaper articles. Four weeks later they formed Bauhaus and recorded "Bela Lugosi's Dead".
That song, released in 1979, became the cornerstone of the gothic rock movement. From early on, Ash was intent on sounding original and often tried to “make the guitar not sound like a guitar.” His style is simplistic and visceral, frequently using an EBow or a guitar with a sustainer circuit.
Four years and as many albums later, Bauhaus broke up. Soon after, Ash put together Tones on Tail with Bauhaus drummer Kevin Haskins. In 1984, Tones on Tail was disbanded, and Ash founded the influential Love and Rockets in 1985 with Kevin Haskins and David J, also of Bauhaus.
Despite creating a unique guitar style seminal to several genres, he's often said that he's really not that interested in guitars. During the last ten years, he has been experimenting with electronic music, limiting the use of guitar as an extra element as opposed to the main focus. Since the last reformation of Bauhaus however, he's been returning to a more guitar based rock sound.
Blue Angel
Daniel Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like you wouldn't believe
Voice floats through the air
Like a real good dream
In your world of illusion
She's your angel in blue
Just under six feet tall now
Well, I never felt more like
Singing the blues
Well, I never felt more like
Singing the blues
Well, I never felt more like
Singing the blues
Well, I never felt more like
Singing the blues
She could dance
When she walked down the street
Seemed to float through the air
Like in a real good dream
And the loneliness she feel now
Now your on your knees
And I never felt more like
Singing the blues
And I never felt more like
Singing the blues
Well, I never felt more like
Singing the blues
Well, I never felt more like
Singing the blues
The lyrics of Daniel Ash's song Blue Angel speak of a woman who has a remarkable talent for singing the blues. Her voice is described as "floating through the air like a real good dream". In what seems to be a world of illusion, this woman is seen as a blue angel by those around her. She is tall and sings the blues like no one else.
The color blue has long been associated with sadness and melancholy, which is fitting for a song about singing the blues. It is also possible that the blue angel represents the hope and comfort that the woman's music brings to those who listen to her. The singer may be one of those people, expressing that he has never felt more like singing the blues himself.
The lyrics also touch on the woman's ability to dance, though the focus is primarily on her singing. There is a hint of loneliness and perhaps even a sense of loss in the final verse, as the woman is described as being on her knees. This adds depth to the song and suggests that while the woman may be talented, she is not immune to pain and suffering.
Line by Line Meaning
She can sing the blues
She has a great talent for singing music that expresses sadness and melancholy feelings
Just like you wouldn't believe
She can sing so well that it might be hard to believe if you haven't heard her sing before
Voice floats through the air
Her voice sounds light and ethereal, seeming to move effortlessly through the air
Like a real good dream
Her singing feels dreamlike, pleasant, and enjoyable
In your world of illusion
In the world where everything is not what it seems, her voice transcends illusions and is perceived as real and honest
She's your angel in blue
Her singing is so angelic that she becomes your savior from the troubles of life
Just under six feet tall now
Her height is just under six feet, which is a detail, possibly indicating how she could appear imposing or striking
And she can sing the blues
She is capable of singing blues music and is good at it
Well, I never felt more like Singing the blues
In this moment, the singer feels the urge to sing music expressing feelings of sadness and melancholy stronger than ever before
She could dance
She has a talent for dancing
When she walked down the street
When she would walk down the street
Seemed to float through the air
Her movements felt light and graceful, as if she was defying gravity
And the loneliness she feel now
Her feelings of loneliness and emptiness that she experiences presently
Now your on your knees
The singer is pleading or asking for help from a higher power to ease his/her loneliness
And I never felt more like Singing the blues
The singer is still feeling the urge to sing music expressing feelings of sadness and melancholy stronger than ever before
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL GASTON ASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind