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
Ghosts
David Sylvian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The daylight almost gone
It seems there's something I should know
Well I ought to leave but the rain it never stops
And I've no particular place to go
Just when I think I'm winning
When I've broken every door
Just when I thought I could not be stopped
When my chance came to be king
The ghosts of my life blew wilder than the wind
Well I'm feeling nervous
Now I find myself alone
The simple life's no longer there
Once I was so sure
Now the doubt inside my mind
Comes and goes but leads nowhere
Just when I think I'm winning
When I've broken every door
The ghosts of my life blow wilder than before
Just when I thought I could not be stopped
When my chance came to be king
The ghosts of my life blew wilder than the wind
David Sylvian's song "Ghosts" talks about the haunting past of the singer. It portrays the feeling of uncertainty and inability to keep control of one's life. The song starts with a setting where the singer is in a quiet room, with the daylight almost gone. He realizes that there is something he must know but he feels unsure. Although he wants to leave the room, he can't go out because it's raining and he has nowhere specific to go. The situation adds to his sense of restlessness and unease with his life.
The chorus of the song describes a notable incident in the singer's life. He had been working hard and was close to his goal of success when, just as he thought he was unstoppable, he was confronted by the ghosts of his life. The experience made him feel everything he worked for was slipping from his grasp. The singer explains his anxiety over the uncertain direction of his life. He once had confidence and assurance in his life, but the doubt inside his mind now provides no relief - it comes and goes but leads nowhere.
Overall, the song portrays the haunting impact of past life events, which influences the present. We see that the singer cannot escape the ghosts of his past that make it challenging to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
When the room is quiet
When the atmosphere around me is calm
The daylight almost gone
As the sun starts to set
It seems there's something I should know
When my intuition tells me that there's something to be aware of
Well, I ought to leave but the rain it never stops
I feel that I should go but the weather, like my circumstances, just won't change
And I've no particular place to go
Without a clear destination in mind
Just when I think I'm winning
At a time when I feel like I'm succeeding
When I've broken every door
After overcoming every obstacle
The ghosts of my life blow wilder than before
My past mistakes and regrets come back stronger than ever to haunt me
Just when I thought I could not be stopped
At a point when I believed nothing could hinder my progress
When my chance came to be king
When I had the opportunity to lead and succeed
The ghosts of my life blew wilder than the wind
My past mistakes and regrets became even more unbearable and overwhelming
Well, I'm feeling nervous
I am experiencing anxiety and unease
Now I find myself alone
With no one else around
The simple life's no longer there
The easy, carefree lifestyle that I once enjoyed is gone
Once I was so sure
A time when I felt incredibly certain
Now the doubt inside my mind
But now, my own insecurities and uncertainties
Comes and goes but leads nowhere
Come and go without providing any answers or solutions
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: David Sylvian
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@oughtonoughton2634
This very handsome guy had a very special voice that had a sound no one else had , he was so unique ....His dress was very flamboyant x WOW X
@daverobinson1993
If this song was released today it still would be ahead of it's time.
@user-xx7pg3vw9k
Dave Robinson This was from an era when musicians were actually talented and had souls...rather than being a prefab loop track prostitute performer.
@daverobinson1993
@@user-xx7pg3vw9k I agree
@lt.ripley1590
How true.
@yorkshirethegreat
@Tommy Barlow Not necessarily so... There were many great pop/rock writers who heavily influenced the eighties bands. The new songs simply drew inspiration from the older rockers?
@AzimuthTao
If you were listening to Japan in 1982, congratulations for getting it.
There were a lot of great New Wave bands but Japan took that genre to the level of art.
The fact that this still sounds relevant in 2019 is a testament to the genius of this band.
@dazeyevans9093
I'm here because my daughter sent a link to me of David doing this song on his own and remembered Japan blasting through the house when she was little
@SuzanneCluderay
I was 12 in 82 and totally got this amazing band,still sound as epic as back then ❤
@yorkshirethegreat
@Tommy Barlow Or, Marvin Gaye, or Jimmy Hendrix, or The Beatles, or Pink Floyd, or the collective delta bluesmen (and women) who gave us the template for modern pop/rock?