Japan, which also included Mick Karn, Rob Dean, Richard Barbieri and Sylvian's brother Steve Jansen, started out as a confusing hybrid rock/sleaze outfit in the mould of David Bowie and The New York Dolls. Their music quickly evolved as, at least to begin with, they drew heavily on the influence of Roxy Music's art rock stylings. Their visual image developed in parallel and the band were (unwillingly) tagged as forerunners of the New Romantic movement.
Japan recorded five studio albums between March 1978 and November 1981. Their biggest hit single, the minimalist Ghosts, which reached the Top 5 in the UK charts in 1982, was a clear pointer to Sylvian's future direction. After a successful tour, the band split in late 1982, and Sylvian embarked upon a solo career.
Around the time of Sylvian's first solo album he collaborated with 坂本龍一 (Ryuichi Sakamoto) on the soundtrack music for the Nagisa Oshima film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), which produced a Top 20 hit single, Forbidden Colours.
Sylvian's debut solo album, the jazz and ambient-influenced Brilliant Trees (1984), met with critical acclaim and yielded the single Red Guitar, another Top 20 hit. Guest artists included Jon Hassell and Holger Czukay. His follow-up was an instrumental EP Alchemy which cemented his drift away from commercial pop
The EP was in turn followed by the double album Gone to Earth (1986), which flouted convention (and perhaps commercial wisdom) by featuring one record of songs (predominantly atmospheric ballads) and one consisting almost entirely of ambient instrumental tracks. Guest artists included guitarists Robert Fripp and Bill Nelson.
His third album, Secrets of the Beehive (1987), was more acoustic and oriented towards somber, emotive ballads laced with string arrangements by 坂本龍一 (Ryuichi Sakamoto). It yielded one of Sylvian's most well-received songs, Orpheus, and was supported by his first solo tour, 1988's "In Praise of Shamans". Sylvian's touring band included ex-Japan bandmates Jansen and Barbieri along with trumpeter Mark Isham, bassist Ian Maidman and guitarists David Torn and Robbie Aceto.
Never one to conform to commercial expectations, Sylvian then collaborated on several ambient music projects with artists including Holger Czukay and Russell Mills.
In 1991, a highly-anticipated Japan reunion (excluding Rob Dean) ended in acrimony. Sylvian insisted on calling the project and the album Rain Tree Crow, to the dismay of both his label Virgin Records (who were hoping for a hit "comeback" album) and his former bandmates. Guitarists Bill Nelson, Phil Palmer and Michael Brook augmented the quartet for the recording of the album.
In late 1991, Robert Fripp approached Sylvian and asked him to be part of a new King Crimson. Sylvian declined and instead suggested they work on a future collaboration resulting in the release of The First Day.
A period of relative musical inactivity followed, during which time Sylvian moved to the United States. Eventually in 1999, Sylvian released Dead Bees on a Cake. It showed the most eclectic influence of all his recordings, ranging from soul music to jazz fusion to Eastern spiritual chants, and most of the songs' lyrics reflecting Sylvian's inner peace with his marriage (to the wonderful poet/singer Ingrid Chavez), family and beliefs. Guest artists included longtime friend 坂本龍一 (Ryuichi Sakamoto), as well as Talvin Singh, Marc Ribot, Kenny Wheeler and Bill Frisell.
Sylvian parted ways with Virgin and launched his own independent label, Samadhi Sound. Sylvian experimented alone with treated sounds made from his guitar and computer. The results were recorded during February of 2003. A few months later, he released the album Blemish. The disc was stark in its sound and content. The lyrical subject matter dealt primarily with the impending dissolution of Sylvian's marriage. In 2005 The Good Son vs The Only Daughter was released, which was comprised of remixes of tracks from Blemish.
With the conclusion of "A Fire In The Forest Tour" in 2004, work resumed on a joint project between Sylvian and Jansen. Yet the course of the album took on a completely new tone after Sylvian decided to add keyboardist/vibraphonist/programmer Burnt Friedman to the proceedings and make him an equal partner in the collaboration. The band name of Nine Horses was adopted and the CD, titled Snow Borne Sorrow, was released in October of 2005. The sound was a return to more traditional avenues for Sylvian after the radical departure he took with Blemish. Elements of avant-garde jazz, pop, folk and electronic music were all blended together
Nine Horses' Money For All EP was released in 2006, which included new material as well as Burnt Friedman remixes of songs selected from their first disc.
News on Sylvian's website was released in March stating that "We're preparing for the release of David’s new album Manafon. It’s a powerfully bold, uncompromising work featuring contributions from Evan Parker, John Tilbury, Keith Rowe, Christian Fennesz, Otomo Yoshihide, and many more."
David Sylvian's official website: www.davidsylvian.com
Bamboo Music
David Sylvian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where children sing
Bamboo music
A song for life itself
Play to win
In bamboo music
We work - working harder still
From here to heaven
We fight - fighting harder still
Down where life begins
From here to heaven
Building bamboo houses by the million
Lighting fires that only burn inside
Singing bamboo music by the million
Fighting for our lives
I walk through open fields
Where children sing
Bamboo music
A glimpse of life itself
Of sun and steel
In bamboo music
We work - working harder still
Down where life begins
From here to heaven
We fight - fighting harder still
Down where life begins
From here to heaven
Building bamboo houses by the million
Lighting fires that only burn inside
Singing bamboo music by the million
Fighting for our lives
Building bamboo houses by the million
Lighting fires that only burn inside
Singing bamboo music by the million
Fighting for our lives
Building bamboo houses by the million
Lighting fires that only burn inside
Singing bamboo music by the million
Fighting for our lives
The song "Bamboo Music" by David Sylvian is a beautifully crafted piece of music that describes the simplicity and beauty of life through the metaphorical use of bamboo. The song begins with the singer wandering through open fields, where children sing the "Bamboo Music." This music is likened to "a song for life itself," encouraging the listener to play to win.
As the song progresses, we are taken through an exploration of life's struggles, from working harder, down where life begins, to fighting for our lives. Despite these challenges, the singer finds solace in the "Bamboo Music," which is described as a glimpse of life itself, of sun and steel, providing a sense of hope amidst the chaos.
The repeated lines of "Building bamboo houses by the million / Lighting fires that only burn inside / Singing bamboo music by the million / Fighting for our lives" emphasize the core message of the song - that life is worth living, and we must fight for it, always finding ways to harness the beauty and simplicity around us.
Line by Line Meaning
I walk through open fields
I stroll across the vast, spacious meadows
Where children sing
Where the joyful voices of little ones can be heard
Bamboo music
The melodious and rhythmic sounds made by bamboo instruments
A song for life itself
A mesmerizing tune that mirrors the essence of existence
Play to win
Compete and strive to achieve success
In bamboo music
While playing bamboo instruments
We work - working harder still
We labor - toiling even more diligently
Down where life begins
At the very roots of existence
From here to heaven
From the bottom to the very top
We fight - fighting harder still
We struggle - resisting with unwavering determination
Building bamboo houses by the million
Erecting countless abodes made of slender, wooden canes
Lighting fires that only burn inside
Igniting passions that blaze quietly within
Singing bamboo music by the million
Serenading with bamboo-made instruments in great numbers
Fighting for our lives
Striving and battling for survival
A glimpse of life itself
A fleeting peek at the essence of being alive
Of sun and steel
A blending of the fiery and unyielding qualities of life
Building bamboo houses by the million
Erecting countless abodes made of slender, wooden canes
Lighting fires that only burn inside
Igniting passions that blaze quietly within
Singing bamboo music by the million
Serenading with bamboo-made instruments in great numbers
Fighting for our lives
Striving and battling for survival
Building bamboo houses by the million
Erecting countless abodes made of slender, wooden canes
Lighting fires that only burn inside
Igniting passions that blaze quietly within
Singing bamboo music by the million
Serenading with bamboo-made instruments in great numbers
Fighting for our lives
Striving and battling for survival
Writer(s): Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Sylvian
Contributed by Gabriella Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.