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 World Is Everything
David Sylvian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The world is everything
And I move close
And you move closer
And out of the spring
And into the summer
Into the blessing of others
The table of goods
The bright board of lightning
And she loved him there once
But she's still not through fighting
And you can't swallow it
But you can't spit it out
Is there inner hell
It's coming out of her eyes
To taste her is bitter
But the world is alive
And the world is everything
The world is everything
The world is everything
The world is everything
The lyrics of David Sylvian's song, The World Is Everything, have a deeply emotional and introspective tone. The repeated line "The world is everything" is a profound statement on the interconnectedness of all things and beings in the universe. As the singer moves closer to someone else, they transition from spring into summer, from darkness into "the blessing of others." This juxtaposes the concept of loneliness and isolation in the first stanza with a feeling of connection and renewal in the second.
The mention of the "table of goods" and "bright board of lightning" evoke a sense of materialism and constant stimulation, while also hinting at the destructive power of nature. The line "And she loved him there once but she's still not through fighting" suggests a struggle to let go of the past, to reconcile feelings of love and pain. The following lines "You can't swallow it, but you can't spit it out" convey a feeling of being stuck in a difficult situation, unsure of how to move forward.
The final lines of the song bring everything together. "To taste her is bitter, but the world is alive." Here, the “her” mentioned previously suggests a person, a place or a feeling that has been difficult to deal with. But despite the bitterness, the world is still full of life and possibilities. This ending leaves the listener with a sense of hope and the knowledge that everything is connected.
Line by Line Meaning
The world is everything
The universe, planet and all that exists is of great significance
The world is everything
The universe, planet and all that exists should be valued greatly
And I move close
I am approaching something intensely
And you move closer
You are coming closer to me
And out of the spring
Moving forwards from an era of rebirth and renewal
And into the summer
Moving forwards into a season of growth and warmth
And out of the dark
Emerging from a period of despair and lack of hope
Into the blessing of others
Finding joy in serving and receiving love from others
The table of goods
An abundance of material possessions and wealth
The bright board of lightning
A dazzling display of powerful electricity
And she loved him there once
There was a time when she had strong positive emotions for him in that place
But she's still not through fighting
She is still overwhelmed by struggles and conflict
And you can't swallow it
One cannot handle or accept the current situation
But you can't spit it out
One cannot get rid of the current situation
Is there inner hell
Is there immense mental suffering inside?
It's coming out of her eyes
The pain is being expressed through her tears
To taste her is bitter
The experience of being with or relating to her is unpleasant
But the world is alive
Despite human struggles, the universe continues to thrive
And the world is everything
The universe, planet and all that exists is of great significance
The world is everything
The universe, planet and all that exists should be valued greatly
The world is everything
The universe, planet and all that exists is of great significance
The world is everything
The universe, planet and all that exists should be valued greatly
Contributed by Katherine F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
sono innocente
Come il pavone si vanta della sua Bellezza
sono innocente
Se esiste un commento a questi colori .sono un Dio