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.
In The Beginning
Genesis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Squirming around and up and down
Pushing together
Scattering mountains all around you
That is the sound of a new born world
And a light from a curious sky
It has begun
You're in the hands of destiny
Thrashing with violence
Hurling its lava up and down
Furnace of frenzy
Burning with power uncontrolled
That is the sound of a new born world
And the light from a curious sky
It has begun
You're in the hands of destiny
Is that the chariot with stallions gold
Is that a prince of heaven on the ground
Is that the roar of a thunderflash
This is my world and it's waiting to be crowned
Father, son, looks down with happiness, life is on its way
Ocean of motion
Squirming around and up and down
Pushing together
Scattering mountains all around you
That is the sound of a new born world
And a light from a curious sky
It has begun
You're in the hands of destiny
Is that the chariot with stallions gold
Is that a prince of heaven on the ground
Is that the roar of a thunderflash
This is my world and it's waiting to be crowned
Father, son, looks down with happiness, life is on its way
The song "In The Beginning" by Genesis paints a picture of the creation of the world. The opening lines of the song refer to an "ocean of motion" which symbolizes the state of chaos before the creation of the world. The lines imply that something is about to be born, squirming and pushing, giving birth to new mountains and landscapes. The phrase "light from a curious sky" can be interpreted as the initial spark of creation that lights up the yet-to-be-born world.
The next verse uses more aggressive language to describe the birth process of the world. The words "thrashing with violence" and "hurling its lava up and down" suggests a tumultuous birth, as if the world is in labor pains. The phrase "furnace of frenzy" further emphasizes the dramatic nature of creation with burning power uncontrolled. The final line of the verse ends with "you're in the hands of destiny" which could be interpreted as the idea that once you are part of the world, you are at the mercy of the forces that breathe life into it.
The final stanza uses more mythical language. The song references a chariot with stallions of gold and a prince of heaven on the ground. The verse concludes with the line, "This is my world, and it's waiting to be crowned." This line could be interpreted as humankind's role in creating and shaping the world, as well as the idea that the world has infinite potential and awaits its fate from humanity or a higher power. The song ends with the line "Father, son, looks down with happiness, life is on its way," which could refer to the belief that God or a higher power is pleased with the creation of the world.
Overall, "In The Beginning" is a poetic interpretation of the creation of the world. It uses a mixture of aggressive, mythical, and awe-inspiring language to describe the birth of the world and the potential it holds for humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Ocean of motion
The whole world is undergoing change and movement
Squirming around and up and down
The world is constantly writhing, turning, and moving in all directions
Pushing together
The forces of the world are colliding and coming together
Scattering mountains all around you
The world is shaping itself, with mountains being formed and spread out
That is the sound of a new born world
All of this movement and change is part of the emergence of a new world
And a light from a curious sky
There is a new light in the sky, perhaps a sign of celestial approval of the new world
It has begun
The new world is being created as we speak
You're in the hands of destiny
The future of the world is not in our hands, it is determined by fate
Thrashing with violence
The world is not being born peacefully, but with great chaos and turmoil
Hurling its lava up and down
The earth is volcanically active, with hot magma spewing out in all directions
Furnace of frenzy
The world is being created in a state of frenzied activity and heat
Burning with power uncontrolled
The world is being born with a raw, uncontrolled energy that cannot be tamed
Is that the chariot with stallions gold
The world is being watched over and guided by powerful, divine forces
Is that a prince of heaven on the ground
Perhaps an angel or god has descended to take part in the creation of the new world
Is that the roar of a thunderflash
The world is being created with a great noise, like the sound of thunder
This is my world and it's waiting to be crowned
The creator of the world is proud of what they have made and is eager to see it thrive
Father, son, looks down with happiness, life is on its way
The father and son, presumably god and jesus, are pleased with the new world and eagerly awaiting the arrival of life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANTHONY BANKS, ANTHONY EDWIN PHILLIPS, MICHAEL RUTHERFORD, PETER GABRIEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Darts Incidents and Moments
This song is half a century old! Still a classic.
Susan Reed
@Darts Incidents and Moments
I'll be half a century old this November. We can talk old stuff if you wish.
My dad was born in March of 1920. This band didn't exist then.
I grew up with songs like "Pennsylvania 6 5000", "Mairzy Doats", and "Your Feet's Too Big"
I shared those song with my husband. He said "Your dad was a funny guy".
Sharing this story. I feel twice as old as what you originally commented.
It's all good.
Have a blessed day. 😊
Marcus Antonius
A fabulous early song from the very early Genesis here!! They really did have some great stuff on their 1st album "From Genesis To Revelation".
Screwdriver Jiver
Fantastic; one of the best but overlooked tracks from Genesis.
Alberto E. Muñoz
Una obra para escuchar de por vida.
Maria Cristina Piccinno
La sentivo ogni sera in radio nel programma supersonic ! Meraviglioso pezzo ...Genesis ..unici!
Gigi Tavani
La ascoltavo dal juke box del bar sotto casa, che tempi...oggi i ragazzi non sanno neanche cos'è...
Steve Jauncey
Awoke with this song in my head 😊
Had their first album 😎
Luis Santiago
Man, Mike was a powerful bass player as a teenager too, wasn't he? No bass pedals here.
Maria Cristina Piccinno
Ero una bambina ..non avrei potuto ascoltare niente di meglio a quell'età e la riascolto volentieri ...sono rimasta abbastanza coerente ai miei gusti musicali!