After moving from Chicago to California at the age of ten, he was involved in various high school bands playing guitars and keyboards, playing baseball in his spare time. He studied music in college and started a progressive rock band named after himself, but he soon discovered the music of Kitaro and was heavily influenced by it. Arkenstone was influenced by writers such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Ian Fleming, and grew up listening to bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Deep Purple, and Yes, as well as listening to classical music.
Arkenstone went solo and found his own sound in New Age music. He says that has been greatly aided by technology: "Technology has produced some wonderful tools for making music. The computer allows me to fully orchestrate my pieces and really fine tune them". His music is primarily instrumental. His albums, typically fantasy themed, often come packaged with literature and art. He worked with fantasy novel writer Mercedes Lackey on a few of his albums. Arkenstone and his ex-wife, Diane, created their own record label called Neo Pacifica. In addition to releasing their own music on the label, they have included other bands such as Earth Trybe, Enaid, and the Marquis Ensemble.
He has also composed music for television; channels such as the History Channel, the Discovery Channel and NBC Sports include his music. He has also written music for trailers and film soundtracks, including the independent film PRISM, as well as computer game soundtracks such as World of Warcraft, Lands of Lore 2 and 3, Earth and Beyond, and Emperor: Battle for Dune; and Starlight Inception. He also features on 20 Years of Narada Piano.
Arkenstone has earned four Grammy nominations for his work: In the Wake of the Wind in 1992, Citizen of the World in 2000, and Atlantis in 2004. 'Fairy Dreams in 2020.
Arkenstone has learned to play a variety of musical instruments, including bouzouki, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar, harp, cello, flute, electronic keyboards, piano, Turkish saz, pennywhistle, melodica, and pan pipes. He also plays drums and percussion and has performed some vocalizations on his albums.
Arkenstone is also involved in the band Troika; their sound is similar to his solo work. The band members like to remain anonymous, although the compositions are credited to Arkenstone.
His theme "The Journey Begins/Kyla's Ride" was used for the FIFA World Cup France '98 broadcastings intro by the Mexican television network Azteca.
His song "Papillon (On the Wings of the Butterfly)" is used as background music in Future World at Epcot in Walt Disney World. His song "The Palace" was once used as background music in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom as well. "The Palace" also used to play in Tokyo Disneyland's Tomorrowland, and another one of his songs, "Valley in the Clouds" was also used.
He signed with Domo Records and re-released the album Echoes of Light and Shadow in 2010.
Arkenstone was a member of the composing team who developed the music for Blizzard Activision's World of Warcraft videogame's Cataclysm expansion. Along with Arkenstone, the team consists of Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, and Neal Acree.
Far Far Away
David Arkenstone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lost in a dream.
The snows have fallen
The sky is full of winter
The wind is calling me from far far away
The days grow colder
There is no sun to hear
I touch the night the darkness will surround me
I watch the clouds as they disappear above me
I dream of the Moon I reach for the sun
Awaken to the Light.
I am lost in a dream far away
Lost in a dream
The dawn is here
The sky is full of wonder
A song of spring grows near
From far far away
From far far away
Far far away
Far far away...
The song “Far Far Away” by David Arkenstone takes the listener through an evocative journey of emotions that can be interpreted in a number of different ways. The repeated phrase, “I am lost in a dream far away,” serves as the anchor throughout the song, providing a sense of disorientation and a desire to escape from reality. The melancholy instrumentals and soothing tones in Arkenstone's voice highlight a sense of loneliness and distance, which leads to feelings of isolation from the rest of the world.
The imagery in the lyrics reflects the time of year, where snow has fallen and the sky is full of winter. This visual prototype is portrayed as a reflection of life, which suggests periods of time where one may feel cold, isolated or directions-less. Meanwhile, the line “I touch the night and the darkness will surround me” likely indicates a sense of being surrounded by fear, uncertainty, and doubt. The following lines, “I dream of the Moon I reach for the sun/ Awaken to the Light,” suggests that, despite the sense of hopelessness, there may be a distant glimmer of hope that provides the motivation to keep going.
Line by Line Meaning
I am lost in a dream far away
I am not present and completely engrossed in a distant dream.
Lost in a dream.
I am unable to distinguish between the dream and reality.
The snows have fallen
The ground is covered with a blanket of snow.
The sky is full of winter
It is the grip of winter and the sky reflects it.
The wind is calling me from far far away
The wind is trying to lure me towards a faraway place.
The days grow colder
The temperature is dropping and the days are gradually becoming cooler.
There is no sun to hear
The sun is absent and its warmth can't be felt.
The light turns into shadow far far away.
The light gradually fades away and darkness takes over from afar.
I touch the night the darkness will surround me
As I embrace the darkness, it will envelope and consume me.
I watch the clouds as they disappear above me
I observe the clouds vanish overhead.
I dream of the Moon I reach for the sun
My desires and aspirations go beyond the moon, and I strive towards the sun.
Awaken to the Light.
I am being called back to reality and the light has appeared to guide me.
The dawn is here
A new day has dawned.
The sky is full of wonder
The sky is full of amazement and astonishment.
A song of spring grows near
The signs of spring approaching are becoming more evident.
From far far away
All these changes are occurring from a remote location.
From far far away
The source of these changes is incredibly distant.
Far far away
The distance between where I am presently and where these events take place is unfathomable.
Far far away...
A never-ending expanse separates me from what is ahead.
Writer(s): DAVID ARKENSTONE
Contributed by Taylor V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.