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
Manafon
David Sylvian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who doesn't speak in his own tongue
He bears a grudge against the English
The tune to which his songs are sung
There's a man down in the valley
Who is moving back in time
It's a physical ascension
The farmer's wives are at their windows
They've seen him wind his way for hours
They tell the kids to lower their voices
And pretend that they are out
There's a man down in the valley
Trying to stop time in its tracks
His boots lie heavy on the grasses
But it keeps on pushing back
And his wife she was a painter
But now she stains the altar black
He's out bird watching on the islands
And she wishes he'd come back
There's a man down in the valley
And he dreams of moving west
Of battles raged against the furies
That might see him at his best
There's a man down in the valley
Don't know his right foot from his left
Don't know his right foot from his left
The lyrics of David Sylvian’s song “Manafon” paints a picture of a man who is out of place in his own community. The first stanza describes the man as someone who does not speak the same language as his neighbors, and this causes a rift between him and the English-speaking community. Despite this, his songs are still sung in the same tune as everyone else’s. The second stanza creates a more surreal image of the man physically ascending through time. The farmer's wives watch him laboriously climb the hill for hours, and they must keep their voices down as if to not disturb his dangerous mission.
The third stanza reveals some of the man’s internal struggles. He yearns to stop time in its tracks, but the earth keeps pushing back, continuing its natural cycles. His wife is an artist who has found solace in blackening the altar, which may symbolize feelings of hopelessness or rejection of traditional religion. She waits for her husband to come back from his bird-watching trip, but he is dreaming of going west to find something that could bring meaning to his life. The final line of the song, “Don't know his right foot from his left,” indicates that the man is completely lost and has no idea how to navigate his life.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a man down in the valley
Describing a man who lives in an isolated place
Who doesn't speak in his own tongue
He doesn't speak the same language as the people around him
He bears a grudge against the English
He dislikes the English people for some reason
The tune to which his songs are sung
The songs he sings are in a different tune than the people around him.
Who is moving back in time
He is trying to live in the past
It's a physical ascension
The process of moving back in time is a physical process
You can watch him as he climbs
His process can be noticed by people around him
The farmer's wives are at their windows
The women around him notice his presence
They've seen him wind his way for hours
They have observed him moving
They tell the kids to lower their voices
They ask children to be quiet so he doesn't notice their presence
And pretend that they are out
They pretend that they are not there at all
Trying to stop time in its tracks
He is trying to live in the past
His boots lie heavy on the grasses
His presence has a significant impact on the environment around him
But it keeps on pushing back
The environment resists his attempts to live in the past
And his wife she was a painter
He used to have a wife who was an artist
But now she stains the altar black
She has now turned to dark and negative things
He's out bird watching on the islands
He's out in nature enjoying himself
And she wishes he'd come back
His wife desires his presence in the house
And he dreams of moving west
He has dreams and hopes of moving away
Of battles raged against the furies
He faced many challenges with adversaries and challenges
That might see him at his best
Facing challenges could bring out the best of him
Don't know his right foot from his left
He is not good at determining directions
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Red Brick Music Publishing
Written by: CHRISTIAN FENNESZ, KEITH ROWE, WERNER DAFELDECKER, MICHAEL MOSER, DAVID SYLVAIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Susan Fogarty
i listened to this several years ago, didn't really engage with it then. Now that I know more about the poet/priest it resonates on a deeper level.
Simeon Banner
I think this is really excellent work by David Sylvian and musicians. You really get a sense of the character he is describing in the narrative.
immerriesling
Perfect song for a dark winter's night. Cold. Dark - and madness is creeping around the house...
Dante Merle
Perfect!
Again and again!
laurence bousson
"la petite biche est au aboie, dans le bois se cache le loup ...mais le brave chevalier passa, il prit la biche dans ses bras ; la petite biche se sera toi si tu veux, le loup on s'en fiche contre lui nous serons deux ... oh le jolie conte que voilà , la biche en femme se changea.. " (Henri Salvador/ le loup,la biche et le chevalier) Extract from a fench song that suit for this album. Against those who mock "Manafon" : the music and the drawing 's Atsushi Fukui on the sleeve!
laurence bousson
Thank you gutalex. Manafon is a embroidery musical with many sound and very confidential words . What do you think about this tissue of creation ?
John Jones
I was brought up in Manafon probably less than 100 in village. R S Thomas was vicar there for a few years but thought it was becoming to anglicised. Manafon pronounced man-a -Vaughn, single f always pronounced v in Welsh
Pongpat P
Feel connected.
Nina Kain
Must be about the Welsh poet R S Thomas
John Jones
Just add Man means place and afon means river- place on the river