After performing in a number of metal bands in high school, Townsend was discovered by a record label in 1993 and was asked to perform lead vocals on Steve Vai's album Sex & Religion. After recording and touring with Vai, Townsend was discouraged by what he found in the music industry, and vented his anger on a solo album released under the pseudonym Strapping Young Lad. He soon assembled a band under the name, and released the critically acclaimed City in 1997. Since then, he has released three more studio albums with Strapping Young Lad, along with solo material released under his own independent record label, HevyDevy Records. Townsend's solo albums, a diverse mix of hard rock and progressive metal, have featured a varying lineup of supporting musicians. In 2002 he formed The Devin Townsend Band, a dedicated lineup which recorded and toured for two of his solo releases.
In 2007, Townsend disbanded both Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Band, taking a break from touring to spend more time with his family. After a two-year hiatus, he began work on a four-album series called The Devin Townsend Project, with each album written in a different style. The first two entries in the series, Ki and Addicted, were released in 2009. Townsend scheduled tours throughout Australia and North America in 2010 in support of the albums, and released the next two, Deconstruction and Ghost, in 2011.
Townsend's trademark production style, featuring a heavily multitracked wall of sound, has been compared to the styles of Phil Spector and Frank Zappa. His versatile vocal delivery ranges from screaming to an opera-esque singing, and his songwriting is similarly diverse. Townsend's musical style is rooted in metal, and his albums are written to express different aspects of his personality.
Olives
Devin Townsend Lyrics
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Right this way...
Sit down...
Martini?
...stir your drink?
Olive?
The lyrics to Devin Townsend's song Olives are intriguing and open to interpretation, like most of his work. The song starts off with an invitation to someone, who is presumably the listener, to come in, sit down and have a drink. The questions about whether they would like a martini or whether they would like their drink stirred or not can be interpreted as an invitation to relax and unwind. The focus then shifts to the offer of an olive, which can be seen as a symbol of peace or an act of friendship. The repetition of the word "olive" throughout the song gives it a hypnotic and dreamy quality, as if the listener is being seduced by the idea of finding peace.
The song can also be interpreted as a metaphor for life. The invitation to come in and sit down can be seen as a call to live in the moment and appreciate the small things in life. The offer of the martini and the olive can be seen as an invitation to take pleasure in life's indulgences. The lyrics are ambiguous and can be interpreted in different ways, which is a hallmark of Devin Townsend's music.
Line by Line Meaning
Come in
Invitation for someone to enter a room or a situation.
Right this way...
Offering guidance or direction to someone to lead them to the desired location.
Sit down...
Request for someone to take a seat and relax or prepare for conversation.
Martini?
Offering to serve someone an alcoholic beverage typically composed of gin and vermouth, usually accompanied by olives.
...stir your drink?
Asking someone if they would like their drink to be stirred, or attempting to start a conversation with them by discussing the intricacies of drinking preferences.
Olive?
Asking if someone would like an olive in their martini, or simply making idle conversation about the olive garnish commonly used in the beverage.
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