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
Darkest Birds
David Sylvian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To burst the bubble
End of a perfect day
Head full of trouble
Here come the darkest birds
All tar and feathers
Why did none of them dream of trying
Those are the mimicking kind
They are, they are
I number myself among them
The furthest star
And this is the road I walked on
When I shot you down
All words of forgiveness useless
They won't help me now
And I should've been there for you
When you called my name
I promise to tread more lightly
Though what's gone is gone
It's such a shame
Here come the darkest birds
They've got their reasons
All their pretty colours are gone
Washed out of season
Those are the soaring kind
They are, they are
I number yourself among them
The brightest star
And this is the road I walked on
When I shot you down
All words of forgiveness useless
They won't serve me now
And I should've been there for you
When you called my name
I promise to tread more lightly
Though what's done is done
It's such a shame
The Banality Of Evil
I've got me a badge
A bright shiny badge
I'm painting the crest in yellow and blue
I've got me a club
An exclusive club
It doesn't include a place for you
Hey, hello neighbour
Hey, hello neighbour, right you are
It's in the way that you walk
All of the changes, all the mistakes
In the demands you constantly make
It's in the way that you grieve
All of the loss
You don't know when you're better off
Or at what cost
"Darkest Birds" is a song about regret, responsibility, and redemption. The "darkest birds" represent the mistakes or sins that come home to roost. The singer is aware of his or her wrongdoing and feels the weight of guilt, symbolized by a "head full of trouble." The chorus suggests that no one else stepped in to improve the situation, leaving the "mimicking" and "soaring" birds to take over. The singer acknowledges belonging to both types of birds, indicating that we are all capable of good and bad.
The second verse focuses on a specific incident of shooting someone down, metaphorically or literally. The singer recognizes that no amount of apologies or forgiveness will change what happened, but promises to be more careful and responsive in the future. The repeated line "it's such a shame" highlights the tragedy of irreversible actions.
The song's final section introduces new imagery and ideas. The "Banality of Evil" may refer to Hannah Arendt's theory about how everyday people can become complicit in atrocities through bureaucratic or societal roles. The singer has a badge and a club, suggesting a sense of power or authority. The exclusion of others and the way they walk, change and grieve reflect a judgmental and self-righteous attitude. The lines "you don't know when you're better off/ Or at what cost" imply a lack of empathy and perspective.
Overall, "Darkest Birds" is a melancholic and introspective song that encourages listeners to reflect on their own actions and motives. It emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for our mistakes, seeking forgiveness and learning from our failures. It also warns against arrogance, indifference, and cruelty, which can lead to a hollow existence and harm to others.
Line by Line Meaning
Here come the darkest birds
The most negative thoughts and feelings are approaching
To burst the bubble
To shatter the illusion of a perfect life
End of a perfect day
The end of a happy time
Head full of trouble
Feeling worried, stressed, or anxious
All tar and feathers
All negatives and no positives
Why did none of them dream of trying
To make things better?
Wondering why nobody tried to improve a situation
Those are the mimicking kind
They are, they are
I number myself among them
The furthest star
Referring to feeling like a copycat and being disconnected from others
And this is the road I walked on
When I shot you down
All words of forgiveness useless
They won't help me now
And I should've been there for you
When you called my name
I promise to tread more lightly
Though what's gone is gone
It's such a shame
Reflecting on past mistakes and wishing things could have been different
They've got their reasons
All their pretty colours are gone
Washed out of season
Others may have good reasons to be negative, but it can drain them of positivity
Those are the soaring kind
They are, they are
I number yourself among them
The brightest star
Referring to feeling like a visionary who sees the best in things
The Banality Of Evil
I've got me a badge
A bright shiny badge
I'm painting the crest in yellow and blue
I've got me a club
An exclusive club
It doesn't include a place for you
Hey, hello neighbour
Hey, hello neighbour, right you are
Criticism of the way people form groups and become exclusive, where good people can be left out for arbitrary reasons
It's in the way that you walk
All of the changes, all the mistakes
In the demands you constantly make
Noticing the way that people can be stubborn and resistant to change
It's in the way that you grieve
All of the loss
You don't know when you're better off
Or at what cost
Reflecting on how people can sometimes be blind to the positives in life and unable to move forward
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind