1) a Dutch progressive roc… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name.
1) a Dutch progressive rock band founded in 1969.
2) an American rapper and Hip-Hop producer.
3) Bigband from Valašska, Czech Republic.
4) a Hip-Hop artist from the Sunshine Coast in Australia.
1) Focus is a Dutch progressive rock band founded by classically trained organist/flautist Thijs van Leer in 1969, along with guitarist Jan Akkerman.
They are one of the most well-known and influential rock bands from the Netherlands. They successfully fuse inspired jazz, rock, and blues improvisation, classical musical structures, and accessible pop melodies into a powerful and instantly recognizable sound.
Akkerman's technical mastery of the guitar and the often unpredictable brilliance of his improvisations were the perfect counterpoint to Van Leer's extensive knowledge of musical styles and disciplined approach to composition. Van Leer's tongue-in-cheek musical references include the reworking of motifs from an early Monteverdi opera in the extended piece "Eruption" on the Moving Waves album, the contrapuntal passage in the middle section of "Carnival Fugue" on the Focus 3 album, the Renaissance-era harmonic progressions in "Anonymous II" (also on Focus 3), and the quote from the first chorale of J.S. Bach's oratorio St. Matthew's Passion in the track "Father Bach" on "Mother Focus".
Focus are possibly best known for their "Hocus Pocus", a top 40 hit from the Moving Waves LP, which included inspired bits of yodeling (believe it) and explosive guitar work.
The works of both composers display an impeccable melodic sense more often found in pop songs and Broadway showtunes than in progressive rock compositions. It is to the regret of many rock fans that Thijs van Leer and Jan Akkerman were unable to continue their collaboration, as together they were more than the sum of their formidable parts.
Akkerman's "House of the King" (from the "In and Out of Focus" album) is the title theme of 'Don't Ask Me', a science-based British TV show of the 1970s that made household names of Dr. Magnus Pyke and Professor David Bellamy. It is also the title theme of Steve Coogan's BBC2 sitcom Saxondale. It is often mistaken for a Jethro Tull song.
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2) There is also an American rapper and Hip-Hop producer called Focus. His civil name is Bernard Edwards Jr. He has produced tracks for The Game, Tony Yayo, Stat Quo, Bishop Lamont, Dr. Dre, Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé among others. In 2003, he founded the label
a.Fam Entertainment, Inc. See http://www.myspace.com/Icouldntthinkofabettername and http://www.myspace.com/noimaginationorcreativity.
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3) Focus is a big band (jazz ensemble) from Valašska, Czech Republic.
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4) Focus is also the name of an upcoming Hip-Hop artist from the Sunshine Coast in Australia. Check out http://www.myspace.com/alsocouldnotthinkofabettername for more.
Black Beauty
Focus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your eyes were shining bright
Oh black beauty, close in my heart
I was King Salomon who held his queen of Sheba tight
Oh black beauty, held in my arms
How we were told, love was not meant for us
Two different worlds stepped apart
But we knew where to find an opportunity
Far away where no one was near
We could meet there at night and we're impunity
Oh black beauty, love without fear
Our love was wonderful
So young and so pure
I held your trembling hands
I was so sure
Then when our lips met there was no returning
The fire was burning in our hearts
So we were told, love was not meant for us
Two different worlds stepped apart
Heart against heart
But we knew where to find an opportunity
Far away where no one was near
I was King Salomon who held his queen of Sheba tight
Oh black beauty, love without fear
The lyrics to Focus's song "Black Beauty" describe a forbidden love between two people from different worlds. The singer describes their lover's dark skin and shining eyes as the two embark on a secret romance. Despite being warned that love was not meant for them and that they came from "two different worlds", they knew where to find each other and would meet far away and out of sight to love "without fear". They compare their love to that of King Solomon and Queen Sheba, with the singer describing themselves as King Solomon holding their black beauty close.
The song highlights the struggles faced by two people trying to navigate a relationship in a society that encourages division and discrimination. The love between the two is portrayed as young and pure, with the singer holding their lover's trembling hands and feeling a deep sense of surety about their affection. The song's imagery of two people coming together despite societal pressure to stay apart is powerful, highlighting the way that love can transcend even the most complex of boundaries.
Line by Line Meaning
Night was dark, your skin was dark
The night was dark and you had dark skin.
Your eyes were shining bright
Your eyes were bright and shining in the dark.
Oh black beauty, close in my heart
You were my black beauty and I held you close to my heart.
I was King Salomon who held his queen of Sheba tight
I felt like King Solomon when I held you tightly, my queen of Sheba.
Oh black beauty, held in my arms
I held you, my black beauty, in my loving arms.
How we were told, love was not meant for us
We were told that our love was not meant to be.
Two different worlds stepped apart
Our worlds were different and we were separated.
Heart against heart
Our hearts were in conflict with each other.
But we knew where to find an opportunity
We knew where we could find a chance to be together.
Far away where no one was near
We would meet far away from where anyone could find us.
We could meet there at night and we're impunity
We could meet there at night without fear of being caught.
Oh black beauty, love without fear
With you, my black beauty, I could love without fear.
Our love was wonderful
Our love was amazing and full of wonder.
So young and so pure
We were young and pure in our love for each other.
I held your trembling hands
I held your hands when you trembled with emotion.
I was so sure
I was so certain of our love together.
Then when our lips met there was no returning
When we kissed, there was no going back.
The fire was burning in our hearts
Our love was passionate and intense.
But we knew where to find an opportunity
We knew where we could find a chance to be together.
Far away where no one was near
We would meet far away from where anyone could find us.
I was King Salomon who held his queen of Sheba tight
I felt like King Solomon when I held you tightly, my queen of Sheba.
Oh black beauty, love without fear
With you, my black beauty, I could love without fear.
Lyrics © THE MUSIC GOES ROUND
Written by: H. CLEUVER, T. VAN LEER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Neil Singh
Great band and a very nice song 🙂
Phil John
one of my favourite bands of all time ... I saw them in pontardawe wales back in 2007 and they played this song for me...awesome!
silvio napoli
great and underrated band
6lr6ak6
Always one of my very favourite bands.
The Hermit
Underrated as fuck and an amazing band, I love them, I remember smoking and going for a walk on my old city, great music
Monky
i feel like most of Focus' stuff is underated, anything that isn't Hocus Pocus is just overlooked
MeloLand
I love it.. great song!!
Pablo Malanca
Mi canción favorita
L¡ve4Sake
Love thisong!
tomislavKZ
Truly beautiful...