1. Genesis formed in 1967 in Go… Read Full Bio ↴There are three bands named Genesis.
1. Genesis formed in 1967 in Godalming, Surrey (United Kingdom) and was one of the most popular progressive rock bands in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. During the 1970s, Peter Gabriel was the lead singer until his departure, when drummer Phil Collins stepped up to the mic and replaced him.
Starting as an amalgam of two bands formed by schoolboys attending Charterhouse School in Godalming, England, the original lineup consisted of Peter Gabriel, Anthony Phillips, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Chris Stewart, though Stewart was soon replaced as drummer by John Silver and then John Mayhew. By the end of 1970, Phillips and Mayhew had left the band, with Collins joining as drummer, and by early 1971, guitarist Steve Hackett had filled the gap left by Phillips. The lineup of Gabriel, Banks, Hackett, Rutherford, and Collins remained in place until Gabriel's departure in 1975.
During the period of 1970-1975, the band produced some of the most widely-acclaimed albums of the progressive rock era, including "Nursery Cryme", "Foxtrot" (featuring the side-long epic "Supper's Ready") and the seminal album "Selling England by the Pound", which generated Genesis' first foray into the charts with "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)". This lineup culminated with the band's magnum opus "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" in 1974. Following the tour promoting the album, frontman Peter Gabriel left the group in mid 1975.
Genesis decided to continue on as a four-piece, producing two albums, "A Trick of the Tail" and "Wind & Wuthering", which found the band proving to themselves and to the world that they could move on after Gabriel's departure. Collins stepped up to fill the role of lead vocalist after countless auditions for a new singer proved fruitless by the completion of recording for "A Trick of the Tail". Hackett quietly departed after the "Wind & Wuthering" tour in 1977, feeling that his creative input for the band was being repressed.
In 1978, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford contributed music to a British movie called "The Shout" based on a short story by Robert Graves, directed by Jerzy Skomilowski and produced by Jeremy Thomas. (More credits and info here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078259/combined)
Genesis then became a trio which began to move away from the dying embers of progressive rock. They established themselves as a more commercially-friendly outfit with the release of their 1978 album "...And Then There Were Three...", finding their first US hit with the single "Follow You Follow Me".
Banks, Rutherford, and Collins became more adept at writing radio-friendly songs in the 1980s. This reached a peak with the release of 1986's "Invisible Touch", in which more than half of the album's eight songs made it to the singles chart, including the title track, "Land of Confusion" and "In Too Deep". All three band members produced solo albums during Genesis' downtime in the 80s and 90s - most notably Collins' increasingly successful solo work, and Rutherford's sideline group "Mike and the Mechanics" which found moderate success - with evolving styles reflected both when going solo and when recording together as Genesis.
Collins left the group in 1996, and was replaced vocally by Ray Wilson, the former lead singer of Scottish band "Stiltskin". Israeli born drummer Nir Zidkyahu and "Spock's Beard" drummer Nick D'Virgilio stepped in to fill the drumming role. Their 1997 album "Calling All Stations" was unable to find worldwide success, and despite scoring a minor U.K. hit with "Congo", the group slowly faded out of public consciousness. In 1998, after the "Calling All Stations" tour (the US leg of which was cut short due to poor album sales), Wilson was released from the band, and Zidkyahu and D'Virgilio, having never been "official" band members, went their separate ways. The band, now down to only Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, took a break from performing and recording.
In 1999 Banks, Rutherford, Collins, Gabriel, and Hackett collaborated to re-record "The Carpet Crawlers" for greatest hits compilation "Turn It on Again: The Hits".
During the latter part of 2005, rumors spread that the band would reform again in its most famous five-man configuration. Genesis management stated that there were no current plans at that time, and that nothing would change in the following twelve months. Phil Collins then said in a radio interview in April 2006 that the classic Genesis line-up was considering a new live-staging of "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", but it was not to be. On 7th November 2006, Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford announced they would be doing a twenty-date tour of Europe in the summer of 2007, with a North American tour to follow.
A Live DVD of the final European concert in Rome, where the band performed free for 500,000 fans, was released May 26th 2008: "When In Rome - Live 2007".
In April of 2011, Phil Collins, after completing a reunion tour with Genesis, said in a newspaper interview that he has no plans to tour or make another album, effectively retiring after over 40 years in the music business.
Official website: www.genesis-music.com
2. In 1967-8, there was an American band that was also named Genesis. It was a psychedelic rock group based in Los Angeles which released one album In the Beginning in 1968. The name conflict was known to the record label of UK Genesis, which is why their debut album From Genesis to Revelation coyly omitted the band's name except in the album title. While both bands suffered poor sales for their debuts, the US band broke up in late 1968 not long after one of their members was drafted into the army. This more or less ended any significant confusion except in situations like Last.fm or lazy Googling.
3. A Colombian group called Génesis also exists. If you are scrobbling songs by that group and have ended up on this page, please fix your tags to Génesis with the first "e" accented.
Happy the Man
Genesis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He doesn?t have much - it doesn?t worry him
Where you go - where?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, nowhere
Like a nun with a gun - I?m wonderful fun
Laughing all through - just watching you
Seems a very stupid game...
Happy the man - he doesn?t buzz around
Nothing he wants - any more than anything
Where you go - where?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, nowhere
Like a fool in the pool - I?m incredibly cool
With a grin on my chin - I?m certain to win
Someone says he?s jesus christ - but I don?t care
He is a good man...
The lyrics to Genesis's song Happy The Man speak to the idea of living a simple life and finding happiness in the absence of material possessions. The first stanza sets the tone for this idea - that the man who lives simply and without worry is the happiest. The second and third stanzas use playful metaphors to further drive home the point. The line "like a nun with a gun - I'm wonderful fun" speaks to the idea that sometimes the most unexpected things can bring joy. The comparison between "a fool in the pool" and "incredibly cool" shows that there is no right or wrong way to live, and that it's all about perception. The final stanza, which says "Someone says he's jesus christ - but I don't care" reinforces the idea that external forces (in this case, the idea of someone being a holy figure) don't matter if one is truly happy with their own way of life.
Overall, the song seems to suggest that happiness is a state of mind, and that it can be achieved regardless of one's circumstances or possessions. The lyrics are quirky and whimsical, which adds to the playful tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Happy the man - he lives a simple life
The man is content with a simple life and finds joy in it
He doesn?t have much - it doesn?t worry him
The man doesn't have many material possessions, but he isn't worried about it
Where you go - where?
The singer is questioning the direction or purpose of the listener
Yeah, yeah, yeah, nowhere
The destination or purpose is perceived to be pointless or non-existent
Like a nun with a gun - I?m wonderful fun
The artist is a playful contradiction or unpredictable in their behavior
Laughing all through - just watching you
The singer is amused or entertained by the actions of the person they are observing
Seems a very stupid game...
The situation or activity seems pointless or foolish
But I don?t care
The artist is indifferent or unaffected by the situation
Happy the man - he doesn?t buzz around
The man doesn't feel the need to constantly busy or occupy himself
Nothing he wants - any more than anything
The man doesn't have any specific desires or wants that are greater than what he already has
Like a fool in the pool - I?m incredibly cool
The singer is taking risks or engaging in foolish behavior, but is confident and unafraid
With a grin on my chin - I?m certain to win
The artist is self-assured and confident in their abilities to succeed
Someone says he?s jesus christ - but I don?t care
The singer is indifferent to the claims or opinions of others
He is a good man...
The overall tone of the song is positive, praising the contentment and unbothered nature of the man being sung about
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBERT JAMES SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dozo
It's amazing how much Peter Gabriel's voice sounds like Cat Stevens on this one. May have been a Cat influence here indeed, as Peter played the flute on his 1970 recording "Katmandu".
Cat Stevens would later release a song, "Jzero", with a similar lyrical theme to this one.
chris myers
I don't eat a lot I do work for nothing, so if you got a job I can fill the gap!
Patrick Morgan
its being showdowed and double track downwards by Phils.
Alain Levy
Right❗❗i always thought that without knowing that song...
Ray Charles is a great influence too🎵🎶😉❗❤
Manuel Pérez Dávalos
Beatifull, great song
Jon Cousins
Seriously - how can anyone not like this?
tim pea
I agree, I smile every time I hear it :)
Tim Bullington
I like the song never heard it before and I have 21 Genesis album
Warren Lovell
It was a 1972 7 inch single but failed to make the charts
mrmajikjr
Was never on an album