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
The Banality of Evil
David Sylvian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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, 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
You've got it good
The banality of evil
Benevolent mother
Smother the child
The benefactors are in denial
Hey…..hello neighbour
Hey…..hello neighbour, right you are
There was a time
Not so long ago
I was master of everything I surveyed
Yes, there was a time
We did it my way
We'll do things my way
Benevolent mother
Smother the child
The perpetrators are in denial
The banality of evil
King of the castle
Room at the top
Off with their heads
Chop ‘em off
The banality of evil
Benevolent mother
Smother the child
The benefactors are in denial
The banality of evil
King of the castle
Room at the top
Off with their heads
Chop ‘em off
Hey…..hello neighbour
I don't believe in what you believe
You skin is filthy
And your gods don't look like god to me
But I want to touch you
Now that isn't right
No, that can't be right
But I want to touch you
You're leading me on I know it
Hey…
King of the castle
More room at the top
All sorts allowed
Now the gloves are off
Hey….hello neighbour
Benevolent mother
Smother the child
The benefactors are in denial
The banality of evil
King of the castle
Room at the top
Off with their heads
Chop ‘em off
The banality of evil
Benevolent mother
Smother the child
The perpetrators are in denial
The banality of evil
King of the castle
Room at the top
Off with their heads
Chop ‘em off
The banality of evil
The opening lines of "The Banality of Evil" by David Sylvian and Nine Horses refer to badges and the painting of a crest in yellow and blue. These lines seem to evoke images of authority, perhaps of a policeman or a soldier. The next line refers to an exclusive club that does not have a place for you, the listener. The use of the phrase "you are" in the chorus is repeated at various points throughout the song and seems to imply that the listener is being excluded from something or left behind in some way. The song, therefore, can be interpreted as a commentary on the way that power can be wielded to exclude and marginalize those who lack it.
The chorus seems to offer a commentary on the way that the banality of evil can be found in everyday acts of power, such as those exercised by mother figures who smother their children or by those who exclude others from their clubs. This theme is further developed in the verses of the song, which focus on the way that individual actions can be destructive without necessarily being recognized as such. The lyrics suggest that we are all complicit in some way in the harm that we inflict on others, whether we are aware of it or not.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got me a badge
I have an emblem or sign of authority
A bright shiny badge
The badge is new and visually appealing
I'm painting the crest in yellow and blue
I am decorating the symbol with vivid colors
I've got me a club
I am a member of an exclusive group
An exclusive club
The group I belong to is not open to everyone
It doesn't include a place for you
You are not welcome in this group or club
Hey…..hello neighbour
An expression used to acknowledge someone nearby
Hey…..hello neighbour, right you are
I agree with you
It's in the way that you walk
Your behavior is evident in your movement
All of the changes, all the mistakes
Your alterations and errors affect others
In the demands you constantly make
Your frequent requests are burdensome for others
It's in the way that you grieve
Your mourning behavior is indicative of your character
All of the loss
The pain and suffering you experience
You don't know when you're better off
You are unaware of your privileged situation
Or at what cost
You do not understand the negative consequences of your actions
You've got it good
You are in a favorable situation
The banality of evil
The evil is ordinary and mundane, but still harmful
Benevolent mother
A caring and generous mother figure
Smother the child
To prevent growth or freedom by overbearing protection
The benefactors are in denial
Those who offer aid or support are unaware of the harm they cause
There was a time
In the past, under different circumstances
Not so long ago
Recently, not too far in the past
I was master of everything I surveyed
I had complete control over my surroundings
Yes, there was a time
Indeed, there was a certain moment in my life
We did it my way
I had things done according to my own rules and preferences
Benevolent mother
A caring and generous mother figure
Smother the child
To prevent growth or freedom by overbearing protection
The perpetrators are in denial
The wrongdoers refuse to admit their harmful actions
King of the castle
The ruler or leader of a group or establishment
Room at the top
Opportunities for advancement and authority
Off with their heads
A command to execute or dismiss someone
Chop ‘em off
To cut or remove someone abruptly
I don't believe in what you believe
I do not share your beliefs or values
You skin is filthy
Your appearance or character is objectionable
And your gods don't look like god to me
The way you worship or behave is unacceptable to me
But I want to touch you
I desire closeness or connection despite our differences
Now that isn't right
That is inappropriate behavior
No, that can't be right
That action or feeling is not morally acceptable
You're leading me on I know it
You are intentionally provoking or deceiving me
More room at the top
Greater opportunities for success and control
All sorts allowed
Inclusion of all types of people, regardless of background or values
Now the gloves are off
The formalities or pretenses are gone, and I will reveal my true intentions
The perpetrators are in denial
The wrongdoers refuse to admit their harmful actions
The banality of evil
The evil is ordinary and mundane, but still harmful
Off with their heads
A command to execute or dismiss someone
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION , THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC.
Written by: BERNARD FRIEDMAN, DAVID SYLVIAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind