Daniel Ash (born 31 July 1957, in Northampton, England) is an innovative, t… Read Full Bio ↴Daniel Ash (born 31 July 1957, in Northampton, England) is an innovative, textural guitarist for Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets & solo projects.

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.

Closer to You
Daniel Ash Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ohh, ohh, I just don't know why
That I can live without your smile
And maybe that's the reason
Why I'm feeling so blue
And maybe that's the reason
I can't get closer to you

'Cause when you walk both sides of town

You can always find around
Someone to lean on
To ease your troubled mind

And maybe that's the reason
Why I'm feeling so blue

And maybe that's the reason
I can't get closer to you

Overall Meaning

The song "Closer to You" by Daniel Ash explores the melancholic feeling of not being able to get closer to a loved one. The song begins with the singer expressing their confusion over why they are unable to live without their loved one's smile. This suggests that their significant other brings them great joy and happiness. However, the singer is unable to feel this way currently and is feeling blue. The singer then goes on to question why they are feeling this way, which leads to the realization that maybe the reason they cannot get closer to their loved one is that the loved one always has someone to lean on and ease their troubled mind. This puts a barrier between the singer and their loved one, causing them to be unable to connect on a deeper level.

The song explores themes of love, distance, and longing. The lyrics are simple yet powerful and convey a deep sense of emotion. The repetition of the line "And maybe that's the reason why I'm feeling so blue" adds to the melancholic feeling of the song, highlighting the singer's confusion and sadness.

Line by Line Meaning

Ohh, ohh, I just don't know why
I am puzzled and unsure as to why

That I can live without your smile
I am able to go on with life despite not seeing your smile

And maybe that's the reason
There is a possibility that this is the cause

Why I'm feeling so blue
This may be the explanation for why I am sad

And maybe that's the reason
There is a possibility that this is the cause

I can't get closer to you
I am unable to become physically closer to you

'Cause when you walk both sides of town
Since you frequent many different areas of town

You can always find around
You are always able to locate

Someone to lean on
Someone to rely on for support

To ease your troubled mind
To alleviate the worry and stress you may feel

And maybe that's the reason
There is a possibility that this is the cause