Educated at Strode's College and Trinity College of Music. He started working with his father before leaving school. Their compositions for BBC children's television include Jimbo and the Jet Set, The Family Ness and Penny Crayon.
He conducted the scores for the films Gladiator and Pearl Harbor, both composed by Hans Zimmer. He also conducted lots of scores for Dreamworks such as Shrek, Antz, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Prince of Egypt, Chicken Run and The Road to El Dorado. In addition, he was commissioned by Disney to compose the score for their fireworks show IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth and a parade called Tapestry of Nations at Epcot. The resulting pieces of music from the fireworks show have been used by Disney since 1999. With the permission from Disney, who hold the full rights to the composition and the Hal Leonard corp. who hold the publishing rights, Reflections of Earth has now been arranged for the idiom full symphonic wind band and dedicated to the Pennsylvania Symphonic Winds and their musical director Phil Evans. The first performance of this arrangement was in Radnor PA on December 2nd 2012. For Tokyo DisneySea, he composed the score for "BraviSEAmo!", the pyrotechnics and water nightly show in 2004. He also conducted in Paul McCartney's oratorio Ecce Cor Meum. He has also provided music-only soundtracks to accompany VHS-releases such as The Everton Football Club Season Review 1988/89.
His music was heard during the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
Greenaway was one of the composers commissioned to write music for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012 in honour of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The piece, entitled The New Water Music, was inspired by the George Frederic Handel's Water Music and contained movements by several modern British composers working under the direction of Greenaway. After the pageant, Greenaway was critical of the BBC coverage of the pageant as the live broadcast did not feature the performance at all. In his personal blog, he expressed the view that the presenters had focused on interviewing celebrities and while ignoring the musicians completely.
The Battle
Gavin Greenaway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As the seasons change... remember how I used to be
Now I can't go on... I can't even start
I've got nothing left... just an empty heart.
I'm a soldier... wounded so I must give up the fight
There's nothing more for me... lead me away
Or leave me lying here
Sound the bugle now... tell them I don't care
There's not a road I know that leads to anywhere
Without a light, I fear that I will stumble in the dark
Lay right down and decide not to go on
Then from on high, somewhere in the distance There's a voice that calls,
"Remember who you are... if you lose yourself,
Your courage soon will follow,
So be strong tonight... remember who you are"
Yeah, your a soldier now,
Fighting in a battle,
To be free once more.
Yeah, that's worth fighting for
The song "The Battle" by Gavin Greenaway is a poignant tribute to the courage of soldiers who have been wounded in battle. It starts with the sound of the bugle, calling to remind the soldiers of their calling to fight for a cause they believe in. The singer urges the bugle player to play it just for him, indicating that he is feeling very low and has lost his motivation to go on fighting. As the seasons change, he remembers how he used to be and reflects on how he has been changed by the experience of war. He can't go on anymore - he's completely depleted and has nothing left except an empty heart.
In the next verse, the soldier decides to give up the fight, acknowledging that there's nothing more for him. He just wants to be led away or left lying there. He doesn't care anymore. He can't imagine a future without light and fears that he will stumble in the dark. Lying down, he decides not to move on anymore. But then, from on high, there's a voice calling out to him to remember who he is - a soldier who is fighting in the battle for freedom. The voice urges him to be strong tonight and not to lose himself. His courage will follow him if he just remembers who he is.
Overall, "The Battle" is a powerful song about the human experience of war and the loss of self that soldiers often experience. It speaks to the need for courage and resilience in the face of adversity, as well as the importance of remembering who we are and why we fight for what we believe in.
Line by Line Meaning
Sound the bugle now... play it just for me
Start the battle cry just for me
As the seasons change... remember how I used to be
As things change, recall the person I used to be
Now I can't go on... I can't even start
I can't keep going, can't even find the will to begin!
I've got nothing left... just an empty heart.
My heart is empty, I've given everything I had
I'm a soldier... wounded so I must give up the fight
I am a soldier and wounded, so I must surrender
There's nothing more for me... lead me away Or leave me lying here
There's no more here for me, take me away, or leave me be.
Sound the bugle now... tell them I don't care
Tell them I don't care and start the war cry now.
'There's not a road I know that leads to anywhere
There isn't a path that I know leads anywhere
Without a light, I fear that I will stumble in the dark
I am afraid of stumbling in the dark without a guiding light
Lay right down and decide not to go on
I just want to lie down and quit
Then from on high, somewhere in the distance There's a voice that calls, "Remember who you are... if you lose yourself,Your courage soon will follow,So be strong tonight... remember who you are"
From above, a voice calls reminding me who I am; if I forget myself, so will my bravery - so take strength tonight, and remember who you are.
Yeah, your a soldier now,Fighting in a battle,To be free once more.Yeah, that's worth fighting for
You are now a soldier, fighting for freedom once again; it's worth fighting for indeed.
Contributed by Liam A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.