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
Blackwater
David Sylvian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A sea of silence
On the borderline of truth
Open violence
I see no sign
I see no place I've loved
Depending on the signs
To find the road
Blackwater take me with you
To the place that I have spoken
Come lead me through the darkness
To the light that I long to see again
I walk with you
But sleep beside her
The summer came and went
It passes us over
I see her cry
I see the face I have loved
Depending on the blind
To find the road
Blackwater take me with you
To the place that I have spoken
Come lead me through the morning
For the land that I long to see again
The opening lines of "Blackwater" paint a picture of holding someone close in a sea of silence, symbolic of a relationship that has seemingly ceased communication and is strained. There is a sense of uncertainty and ambiguity in these lyrics, as the singer is on the "borderline of truth," which suggests a feeling of being lost in the relationship and unable to make sense of what is happening. This sense of confusion is further emphasised by the reference to "open violence," which could be interpreted as either physical or emotional violence that has caused the relationship to deteriorate.
The chorus of the song brings in the theme of searching for something meaningful and significant, as the singer asks Blackwater to lead them to a place they have spoken of. This place is symbolic of a better, brighter future that they long to see again and perhaps to escape the darkness that they currently find themselves in. The final verse portrays a sense of loss and regret, as the singer walks with someone but sleeps beside another. The passing of summer signifies the fleeting nature of time and the impermanence of relationships. The line "It passes us over" can be interpreted as a reminder that time waits for no one and that relationships must be nurtured and cherished to sustain them. Overall, the lyrics display a sense of longing for something better and a hope for salvation through Blackwater.
Line by Line Meaning
I hold you in
I keep memories of you in my heart
A sea of silence
I have a vastness of emptiness in my heart instead of your presence
On the borderline of truth
I am at a point where I'm not sure if what I believe is real or not
Open violence
Violence in the world is clearly visible and palpable
I see no sign
I cannot easily see any indication of hope or direction
I see no place I've loved
I can't find a place that exudes the same feel or gives me the same memories
Depending on the signs
I rely on signs to figure out my way
To find the road
To figure out what path I must take
Blackwater take me with you
I'm begging blackwater to give me direction
To the place that I have spoken
To a place I remember and have already talked about or longed for
Come lead me through the darkness
Show me the way even when all seems dark
To the light that I long to see again
To the hope that I wish to experience once more
I walk with you
I go through life with you
But sleep beside her
However, I'm still hung up on someone else
The summer came and went
Time has passed and things have changed quickly
It passes us over
It just happens and leaves us behind
I see her cry
I see the person I've been fixated on cry
I see the face I have loved
I see the memories and emotions of the person I long for
Depending on the blind
Trusting in things I can't see or know for certain
To find the road
To figure out the path I need to take
Blackwater take me with you
Blackwater please show me a sign or give me direction
To the place that I have spoken
To the place I've already talked about or reminisced about
Come lead me through the morning
Show me the path to take for the new day
For the land that I long to see again
For a place that I used to know or have fond memories of, that I hope to find again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: RICHARD BARBIERI, STEVEN JANSEN, MICK KARN, DAVID SYLVIAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Dutch-Jess
Heerlijk nummer om bij weg te dromen.
Blackwater take me with you
To the place that I have spoken
Come lead me through the darkness
To the light that I long to see again.
Blackwater take me with you
To the place that I have spoken
Come lead me through the morning
For the land that I long to see again
@philipgolding3672
This is Sylvain at his finest! Ice cool vocals , with beautiful percussion drums barbieri synth and Karns fretless bass . Legendary stuff!!!
@vv247
I've been here since 79 , Japan had great music. Its amazing to see what David has achieved largely under the radar. This song is very powerful.
@Teow_of_Meow
Top 5 ❤
@mr.personal-ity
Gosh, I'm embarrassed to say this but listening to this kind of music makes me want to cry. Beautiful and meaningful music.
@TheTesemeau
I remembered this song having not heard it for many years and is more wonderful now, December 2019, than ever. Once heard, never forgotten.
@amylou7991
Masterpiece
@bridgeofangels1559
Pure Genius song writing, musicality and delivery. This is the song you would drift off to the next world.
@beeceedeecee
This is probably in my top 10 songs of all time .
@stranamavera
My first lovesong in my life.
@andreasg7834
Wonderful Song ....