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
God Man
David Sylvian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The language of light
The energy's impulse
The loud, dark, iron
The purpose of history
The Eurasian Steppes
From threshold to threshold
Astonishment
You've misunderstood the place where you stand
God Man
From different maps
Dead bees on a cake
You're sweeping the forest
Man, it's getting late
The milkweed is growing
Through cotton grass
You borrowed the car
But you didn't ask
You've misunderstood the place where you stand
God Man
Then everything's dark
You're wrapped up
Born into brightness
You've misunderstood the place where you stand
The song "God Man" by David Sylvian is a beautifully written piece about misunderstanding one's place in the world. The opening lines "Welcome to Sun State, The language of light, The energy's impulse, The loud, dark, iron" refer to an ideal state of being, full of brightness and energy yet also with a dark, difficult side. This is contrasted with the mention of the Eurasian Steppes and history, suggesting that the forces of nature and time can create a sense of awe and confusion. The repetition of "threshold to threshold" reinforces the idea of a border between different worlds, while "astonishment" leaves the listener with a sense of wonder and mystery.
The next verse shifts focus to the individual, with "Dead bees on a cake, You're sweeping the forest, Man, it's getting late" referring to the mistakes and missteps we make in life. The metaphor of milkweed growing through cotton grass speaks of the resilience of nature, but also of the way things can grow and change unexpectedly. The final lines "You've misunderstood the place where you stand, God Man" bring back the theme of misunderstanding, leaving the listener to reflect on their own place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to Sun State
You have entered a state of enlightenment and clarity
The language of light
The communication here is through the illumination of ideas
The energy's impulse
The driving force here is the momentum of potent, positive energy
The loud, dark, iron
This represents the cacophony of a harsh, strong force
The purpose of history
The rationale behind past actions
The Eurasian Steppes
A vast plain that symbolizes the unboundedness of the world
From threshold to threshold
Going from one achievement to another, accomplishing milestones
Astonishment
Feeling of surprise, disbelief or wonder
You've misunderstood the place where you stand
You lack the understanding of your present environment
God Man
A person who is the epitome of brilliance and greatness
From different maps
Belonging to various terrains or landscapes
Dead bees on a cake
A scenario where failures are plainly visible, though disguised
You're sweeping the forest
You are trying to bring order among chaos
Man, it's getting late
An admonishing cry where time is of the essence
The milkweed is growing
Nature has its way of healing and nurturing despite external circumstances
Through cotton grass
A metaphor for hardships, struggle and obstacles that cannot be avoided
You borrowed the car
You have relied on something that doesn't truly belong to you
But you didn't ask
Lack of having due diligence in the process
Then everything's dark
Faced with the unknown, uncertain and unforeseeable future
You're wrapped up
Being protected, cocooned or isolated from the external world
Born into brightness
A new beginning, filled with optimism, positivity and hope
You've misunderstood the place where you stand
The lack of perception and comprehension of one's current situation
Contributed by Luke W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.