Galás is known for being a fiercely confrontational avant-garde performer and is noted for her wailing, four-octave vocal range. Galás was the daughter of Greek Orthodox parents and her singing was roundly discouraged, although her prowess as a classical pianist was nurtured; ultimately, her strict upbringing resulted in a reckless, drug-fueled youth prior to her entrance into the University of California's music and visual arts program. Galás made her performing debut in 1979 at France's Festival d'Avignon, which led to an invitation to assume the lead role in composer Vinko Globokar's politically charged opera Un Jour Comme un Autre. In subsequent solo performance art pieces like Wild Women with Steak Knives and Tragouthia Apo to Aima Exon Fonos, Galás further honed her unique, shattering vocal style, inspired by the Schrei ("shriek") opera of German expressionism (a form employing a system of four microphones and a series of echoes and delays).
She worked with many avant-garde composers including Phillip Glass, Terry Riley, John Zorn, Iannis Xenakis and Vinko Globokar. She made her performance debut at the Festival d'Avignon in France as the lead in Globokar's opera, Un Jour Comme Une Autre which deals with the death by torture of a Turkish woman. The work was sponsored by Amnesty International. She also contributed her voice to Francis Ford Coppola's film Dracula (1992) and appeared on the film's soundtrack.
Her work first garnered widespread attention with the controversial 1991 live recording of the album "Plague Mass" in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York. With it, Galás attacked the Catholic Church for its indifference to AIDS using biblical texts. In the words of Terrorizor Magazine, "The church was made to burn with sound, not fire." Plague Mass was a live rendition of excerpts from her same-titled trilogy which began as a response/homage/indictment to the multitudinous effects of AIDS upon the silent class - of which her brother was a member. During the period of these recordings, Galás had "We are all HIV+" tattooed upon her knuckles; an artistic expression of disillusionment and disgust with the ignorance and apathy surrounding the AIDS epidemic. Her brother, who died during the trilogy's final production, reportedly appreciated her efforts.
Susan McClary (1991) writes that Galás, "heralds a new moment in the history of musical representation," after describing her thus: "Galás emerged within the post-modern performance art scene in the seventies...protesting...the treatment of victims of the junta, attitudes towards victims of AIDS...Her pieces are constructed from the ululation of traditional Mediterranean keening...whispers, shrieks, and moans."
In 1994, Galás collaborated with Led Zeppelin bass guitarist John Paul Jones. The resultant record, "The Sporting Life", while containing much of Galás's trademark vocal gymnastics, is probably the closest she has ever come to rock music.
Galás also performs as a blues artist interpreting a wide range of songs into her unique piano and vocal styles. This aspect of her work is perhaps best represented by her 1992 album, "The Singer" where she covered the likes of Willie Dixon, Roy Acuff, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins while accompaning herself on piano. For that album, she also recorded several traditional songs as well as the rarely heard Desmond Carter-penned version of Gloomy Sunday. Many of her selections both within and outside of blues repertoire have sometimes been categorized as 'homicidal love songs'. She also focuses on the death penalty. One program of songs, "Frenzy", has been dedicated to Aileen Wuornos and features the work of Phil Ochs and Hank Williams Sr.
Her latest song cycle is an interpretation of songs by Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich.
Official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/songsofexile
03. My world is empty without you
Diamanda Galás Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My world is empty without you, babe
And as I go my way alone
I find it hard for me to carry on
I need your strength
I need your tender touch
I need the love, my dear, I miss so much
My world is empty without you, babe
From this old world I try to hide my face
But from this loneliness there's no hiding place
Inside this cold and empty house I dwell
In darkness with memories I know so well
I need your love more than before
I can hardly carry on anymore
My world is empty without you, babe
Without you babe,without you babe
My mind and soul have felt like this
Since love between us no more exist
And each time that darkness falls
If finds me alone with these four walls
My world is empty without you, babe
My world is empty without you, babe
The lyrics to Diamanda Galás's cover of My World Is Empty Without You are simple yet poignant, conveying a deep sense of loss and longing. The song is a tribute to a significant other who has left, leaving the singer to navigate a world that feels empty without their presence. The repetition of the phrase "my world is empty without you" serves as a constant reminder of the pain and emptiness the singer feels, emphasizing the magnitude of their loss. The lyrics also touch on the idea of needing strength, tenderness, and love, showcasing how important this person was in the singer's life and how much they miss them.
The second verse of the song delves even further into the singer's sense of loneliness and despair. They try to hide from the world, but there is no escaping the emptiness they feel inside. The imagery of a cold and empty house creates a sense of desolation and isolation, mirroring the singer's emotional state. The memories they hold onto are bittersweet, bringing comfort but also amplifying the pain of their current situation. Ultimately, the song is a powerful representation of heartbreak and the raw emotions that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
My world is empty without you, babe
The absence of the person addressed in the song has left the singer feeling bereft and alone.
And as I go my way alone
The singer is now forced to navigate life without the person they miss.
I find it hard for me to carry on
The singer is struggling emotionally and finds it difficult to keep going without the person they love.
I need your strength
The singer wishes they had the support and resilience of the person they are missing.
I need your tender touch
The singer longs for the physical presence and affection of the person they miss.
I need the love, my dear, I miss so much
The singer laments the absence of the love they shared with the person they are now without.
From this old world I try to hide my face
The singer is attempting to shield themselves from the difficulties and harsh realities of the world they inhabit.
But from this loneliness there's no hiding place
The singer cannot avoid or escape the persistent feeling of isolation and loneliness they are experiencing.
Inside this cold and empty house I dwell
The physical space around the singer reflects the emptiness and despair they are feeling.
In darkness with memories I know so well
The singer is confronting their painful memories of the person they miss in a space that feels bleak and hopeless.
I need your love more than before
The singer's longing for the person they miss has only intensified over time.
I can hardly carry on anymore
The singer's emotional pain has become almost unbearable and they are struggling to cope.
Without you babe,without you babe
The repetition of this phrase emphasizes just how much the singer is missing the person addressed.
My mind and soul have felt like this
The singer's emotional pain is all-consuming and has affected their entire being.
Since love between us no more exist
Without the reciprocated love of the person addressed, the bond between them has been irrevocably broken.
And each time that darkness falls
The singer's feelings of loneliness and despair are most acute during moments of darkness and stillness.
If finds me alone with these four walls
The walls around the singer feel like a prison, compounding their sense of isolation and aloneness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Edward Jr. Holland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind