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
Damage
David Sylvian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By the sound of your voice
So many things to say
But these are only words
Now I've only words
Once there was a choice
And I want to love
Did I give you much?
Well you gave me things
You gave me stars to hold
Songs to sing
I only want to be loved
And I hurt and I hurt
And the damage is done
You gave me songs to sing
Shadow and sun
Why didn't I stay?
Why couldn't I?
So many lives to cross
Well I just had to leave
There goes everything
Everything
Can I meet you there?
God knows the place
And I'll touch your hand
Kiss your face
We only want to be loved
We only want to be loved
And I want to be love
And I hurt and I hurt
And the damage is done
You gave me songs to sing
Shadow and sun
Earthbound, starblind
Tied to someone.
The song "Damage" by David Sylvian is a contemplative piece that reflects on the complexities of relationships and love. From the first line, "I found the way by the sound of your voice," the song takes on a wistful and introspective tone. The singer has learned to recognize their loved one's voice, but they may have taken the relationship for granted. The next lines, "So many things to say, but these are only words," express the frustration that often comes with trying to express strong feelings through language alone. Words can never fully capture the depth of emotion that a person feels, and thus the singer is left with "only words." The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the inadequacy of language to convey the singer's thoughts and emotions.
The song's chorus, "And I want to love / Did I give you much? / Well, you gave me things / You gave me stars to hold / Songs to sing," indicates a sense of regret and longing. The singer wants to give love but feels like they may not have done enough, especially in comparison to what their loved one has given them. Stars and songs represent the beautiful and transcendent elements of love and relationships, which the singer deeply appreciates. However, the line "I hurt and I hurt / And the damage is done" reveals a sense of sorrow and remorse. Perhaps the singer has hurt their loved one, and there is an understanding that it may be too late to fix the damage. The final lines of the song, "Earthbound, starblind / Tied to someone," suggest an acceptance of the limitations and difficulties of love. Even though love can elevate and inspire, it also keeps us grounded and can lead to feelings of blindness and entrapment.
Line by Line Meaning
I found the way
I discovered how to navigate my emotions
By the sound of your voice
Through the comfort I found in hearing you speak
So many things to say
There were countless thoughts and feelings bottled up inside me
But these are only words
Yet despite this, words are all I have to express myself
Now I've only words
And now that I've shared them, I feel empty
Once there was a choice
I used to have options, but now that choice has been taken away
And I want to love
I yearn to feel the warmth and comfort of love
Did I give you much?
I question if I was able to give you enough
Well you gave me things
You gave me memories and experiences I will cherish
You gave me stars to hold
You offered me hope and aspiration
Songs to sing
And the ability to express myself through music
And I hurt and I hurt
I feel the pain of loss and heartbreak
And the damage is done
The harm has been inflicted and cannot be undone
Shadow and sun
I've experienced highs and lows, good times and bad
Why didn't I stay?
I ruminate on the reasons why I did not remain in the relationship
Why couldn't I?
I question my own ability to commit and maintain a loving relationship
So many lives to cross
Perhaps there were other paths and people I needed to meet
Well I just had to leave
Despite the pain it caused, I made the decision to depart
There goes everything
But in doing so, I sacrificed so much
Can I meet you there?
I wonder if there is a chance for reconciliation and a second chance
God knows the place
But ultimately, the decision is not mine alone
And I'll touch your hand
If given the opportunity, I would yearn for physical contact
Kiss your face
And a chance to express my love for you through affection
We only want to be loved
Ultimately, our deepest desire is to feel love and acceptance from others
And I want to be love
And I'm no different, as I long to be loved in return
Earthbound, starblind
But I'm still relegated to the earthly, mundane realm despite my lofty aspirations
Tied to someone.
And perhaps the solution is finding that special someone to share all of life's ups and downs with
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: DAVID SYLVIAN, ROBERT FRIPP, TREY GUNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@neovega7
30:28 Damage
.... I found the way, by the sound of your voice
So many things to say
These are only words
Now I've only words
Once there was a choice
.... Did i gave you much
Well you gave me things! You gave me stars to hold! Songs to sing!
.... I only want to be loved!
And i hurt and i hurt
And the damage is done!
.... You gave me songs to sing
Shadow and sun
Earthbound starblind
Tied to someone....
.... Why didn't i stay?
Why couldn't i ?
So many lives to cross
Well i juat had to leave
There goes everything everything
.... Can i meet you there
God knows the place
And i'll touch your hand
Kiss your face
We only want to be loved!
We only want to be loved!
I only want to be loved..
.... And i hurt and i hurt
And the damage is done!
You gave me songs to sing
Shadow and sun
Earthbound starblind
Tied to someone....
@friesiamans1966
+riddlz - so nice, you honour your dad, so do i - i had a nice and very creative mother and i still have a nice dad, 90 years old now - both have always been very tolerant, which i almost can´t appreciate enough...
btw. i´m a proud dad myself of a nice 15 year old daughter, and i surely introduce many of my old heroes to her...
i sometimes hardly know where to begin, there are so, so many - anyway, when she listened to some young hiphoppers who used a sample of the "summertime blues" i grabbed the chance and started with eddie cochran´s original from 1959!
haha, at first she had to smirk about their stiff outfit and appearance, but then she became aware of the coolness of the groove and liked it - from there we jumped to my fave verson of when i was at her age: the who live in woodstock (although i had the "live at leeds" vinyl) - yeah, she was impressed by their raw power and snotty humour - from that we went to the hilarious, completely out of order version by the flying lizards from 1979 - boy what a laugh... :-)
then we listened to gong "camembert électrique" in the car - it´s quite freaky music, definitely not easy to listen to, when you don´t know it - her only comment: papa, can you turn a little louder?
yesssssss, in case you want to know gong, our hippie heroes in the 70s, try "angels egg" - an enchanting nicely floating album played by wicked musicians............
hey buddy, sorry for spamming you with words - in germany we say: "wes das herz voll ist, dem geht der mund über" = who has a full heart, will talk too much....
love and greetings
@GoodSneakers
The perfect unholy marriage of Japan and King Crimson. A recording to be thankful for.
@GovenorJerryBrown
David Sylvian is one of few "rock" stars that ever attempted to sing beautifully and it served him very well. I can not listen to other singers now, David has set the standard so high.
@sarasen8147
Bravo!
@rickdeckard1075
@@daveydudely9954 'adolescent sex' was pretty good.... and his singing here with fripp wasnt as annoying as his solo stuff
@philippelebec4756
I agree with you but made an exeption with a french band called OVERHEAD
@klaasbil8459
Are you referring to the vibrato at the end of every phrase? Indeed that's not so common in rock, but I for one don't particularly like it either
@234cheech
what a lot lot nonsense
@jbird4754
Omg his soul, his voice, lyrics, feel, delivery... I adore and admire Sylvain... Damage moves me to no end... it’s heavy, ethereal, soothing and thought provoking...
@ulfingvar1
What an album!!!!! Lovely, lovely... Will definitely buy..
@neovega7
30:28 Damage
.... I found the way, by the sound of your voice
So many things to say
These are only words
Now I've only words
Once there was a choice
.... Did i gave you much
Well you gave me things! You gave me stars to hold! Songs to sing!
.... I only want to be loved!
And i hurt and i hurt
And the damage is done!
.... You gave me songs to sing
Shadow and sun
Earthbound starblind
Tied to someone....
.... Why didn't i stay?
Why couldn't i ?
So many lives to cross
Well i juat had to leave
There goes everything everything
.... Can i meet you there
God knows the place
And i'll touch your hand
Kiss your face
We only want to be loved!
We only want to be loved!
I only want to be loved..
.... And i hurt and i hurt
And the damage is done!
You gave me songs to sing
Shadow and sun
Earthbound starblind
Tied to someone....