Greg Lake was born in Poole, Dorset, and first learned to play guitar aged 12. He came to prominence as a founding member of King Crimson. He was a school friend of guitarist Robert Fripp, who invited Lake to join the new band and take on the tasks of lead singer and bass player. Lake was primarily a guitarist, but agreed to switch to bass at Fripp's request. Lake had some involvement in writing the lyrics for King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, although Peter Sinfield was the primary lyricist. Aside from being the lead singer and bass player, Lake also ended up producing the album after their contracted producer, Tony Clarke, walked away from the project.
"In the Court of the Crimson King", released in 1969, made King Crimson far more successful than any of Fripp and Lake's earlier projects (such as the Shy Limbs or Giles, Giles and Fripp), and became a key influence and landmark in the emerging progressive rock genre. Lake's vocals, which ranged from serene and soothing to acerbic and distorted, were a striking element of the album. However, Lake stayed with King Crimson for only about a year, leaving soon after their debut album to start the rock trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Though at Fripp's request, Lake provided the vocals for King Crimson's second album, In the Wake of Poseidon.
King Crimson played a couple of venues with The Nice, during which Lake struck up a friendship with The Nice's precocious keyboardist Keith Emerson. Lake and Emerson eventually teamed up and brought in the drummer from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Atomic Rooster, Carl Palmer—forming the progressive rock 'supergroup' Emerson Lake & Palmer (ELP). Lake contributed acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, lyrics, vocals and production work to the band. The trio did not make use of external producers for any of their albums in the 1970s, nor did they employ session players for studio work or live performances. During concerts, Lake would play acoustic guitar, electric guitar or bass as required. Beginning with the 1973 album Brain Salad Surgery, Lake did collaborate with Peter Sinfield to write lyrics.
ELP sold more than 30 million albums in the 1970s, and made a significant musical contribution to the evolution of progressive rock. Lake co-wrote many of ELP's songs but was known for his guitar-oriented, soulful ballads. On their debut album (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Lake included an acoustic song (with a keyboard outro hastily recorded by Emerson) called "Lucky Man", based on a poem he had written at the age of 12. In determining the direction of the band, Lake's focus on ballads, radio-friendly material and "down-to-earth" compositions contrasted sharply with Emerson's desire to create rock symphonies and polyphonic, poly-rhythmic suites. Their collaboration led to ELP creating albums with an eclectic mixture of classical pieces, ballads, hard rock songs and epic-length suites.
In 1975, while still a member of ELP, Lake achieved solo chart success when his single, "I Believe in Father Christmas", reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. It has become a Yuletide perennial.
Lake subsequently joined Asia, briefly replacing fellow King Crimson alumnus John Wetton, and then co-formed Emerson, Lake & Powell.
In 2005, Lake toured Germany and the United Kingdom with his "Greg Lake Band" which included David Arch, Florian Opahle, Trevor Barry on bass, and Brett Morgan.
Lake performed "Karn Evil 9" with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at several shows. He was a special guest on the album Night Castle (2009).
In 2010, he toured with Keith Emerson, from which came the live album Live from Manticore Hall. In 2012, Lake toured England, The United States and Italy with the "Songs Of A Lifetime" show. He played a career retrospective, along with select covers, for small audiences.
On 25 July 2010, Lake joined Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer for what was to be the final live concert by Emerson, Lake and Palmer, at the High Voltage rock festival, in Victoria Park, London. The entire concert was later released as the double-CD live album, High Voltage.
In late June 2013 Lake was invited to star at Genoa's International Poetry Festival where he performed a reading of "Pirates", a drama piece in music he wrote with Peter Sinfield, then performed some of his classic songs.
On 9 January 2016 he was awarded an honorary degree in music and lyrics composition by Conservatorio Nicolini in Piacenza, Italy, the first degree awarded by the conservatory.
Lake died following a lengthy battle with cancer on 7 December 2016 at the age of 69.
Discography
Solo
Greg Lake with Gary Moore (1981) US #62; UK No. 62
Manoeuvres with Gary Moore (1983) US No. 209
Ride the Tiger with Geoff Downes (2015)
Live albums
King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Greg Lake in Concert (aka Nuclear Attack/Live/In Concert) with Gary Moore (1995)
Greg Lake (2007)
Songs of a Lifetime (2013)
Live from Manticore Hall with Keith Emerson (2014)
Compilations
The Greg Lake Retrospective: From The Beginning (1997)
From The Underground: The Official Bootleg (1998)
From The Underground 2 : Deeper Into The Mine : An Official Greg Lake Bootleg (2003)
Singles
I Believe in Father Christmas (1975)
C'est La Vie (1977)
Watching Over You (1977)
Love You Too Much (1981)
Let Me Love You Once (1981)
It Hurts/Retribution Drive (1982)
Famous Last Words (1983)
DVDs
Greg Lake: Live In Concert (2006)
Welcome Backstage (2006)
with the Shame
singles
Don't Go Away Little Girl/Dreams Don't Bother Me (1967)
with Shy Limbs
singles
Reputation/Love (1968; side B only)
with King Crimson
In the Court of the Crimson King (October 1969); US No. 28 UK No. 5
In the Wake of Poseidon (May 1970); US No. 31 UK No. 4
Epitaph (1997)
with Emerson, Lake and Palmer
The discography of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, an English progressive rock band, includes 9 studio albums, 17 live albums, 13 compilation albums, and 13 singles.
with Asia
Enso Kai (2001), Recorded live at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, on 6 December 1983.
with Emerson, Lake and Powell
Emerson, Lake & Powell (1986)
The Sprocket Sessions (2003(An Official Bootleg), 2010(Reissue))
Live in Concert (2003(An Official Bootleg), 2010(Reissue))
Live in Concert & More... (2012), 2CDs Contains 2 previously released official bootlegs, Live in Concert and The Sprocket Sessions
C
Greg Lake Lyrics
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Have your leaves all turned to brown
Will you scatter them around you
C'est la vie
Do you love
And then how am I to know
If you dont let your love show for me
C'est la vie
Oh c'est la vie
Oh c'est la vie
Who knows, who cares, for me
C'est la vie
In the night
Do you light a lover's fire
Do the ashes of desire for you remain
Like the sea
There's a love to deep to show
Took a storm before my love
Flowed for you
C'est la vie
Oh c'est la vie
Oh c'est la vie
Who knows, who cares, for me
C'est la vie
Like a song
Out of tune and out of time
All I needed was a rhyme for you
C'est la vie
Do you give
Do you live from day to day
Is there no song I can play for you
C'est la vie
Oh c'est la vie
Oh c'est la vie
Who knows, who cares, for me
C'est la vie
Greg Lake's song C'est la vie speaks about the endless cycle of love and life, and the eventual acceptance that one must have for both. The opening line, "Have your leaves all turned to brown, will you scatter them around you," symbolizes the end of a season, or the end of a relationship. This metaphor shows that everything has a beginning and an end, and just like how the leaves fall off the tree, people can fall out of love.
As the song progresses, Lake asks if his partner loves him, questioning whether he is truly loved since there are no clear signs. He mentions that "There's a love too deep to show," implying that sometimes, love cannot be expressed in words, but it is still present. Lake then concludes that regardless of the answers to these questions, it is all "C'est la vie", meaning "such is life" in French. He recognizes that life continues to move forward, and everything happens for a reason.
The chorus, "Oh c'est la vie, who knows, who cares, for me, c'est la vie," highlights the idea of acceptance and letting go of control. Lake is acknowledging that no matter what happens, life will go on, and it's up to the individual to decide how they will handle it.
Line by Line Meaning
C'est la vie
That's life
Have your leaves all turned to brown
Has the beauty in your life faded away?
Will you scatter them around you
Will you let go and move on from the past?
Do you love
Are you truly capable of love?
And then how am I to know
If you don't show me your love, how can I be sure?
If you dont let your love show for me
If you don't express your love to me, how can I feel it?
Oh c'est la vie
Oh well, that's life
Who knows, who cares, for me
No one knows or cares about my struggles
In the night
During the dark hours
Do you light a lover's fire
Do you ignite passion in your romantic relationships?
Do the ashes of desire for you remain
Do you hold onto the memories of past love?
Like the sea
Endless and full of mysteries
There's a love to deep to show
My love for you runs so deep that I struggle to express it
Took a storm before my love
It took a difficult time for my love to be fully realized
Flowed for you
Became fully present and open for you
Like a song
Like a melody
Out of tune and out of time
Not fitting in with the current situation or environment
All I needed was a rhyme for you
All I needed was to find the right words or gestures for you
Do you give
Do you give your love freely?
Do you live from day to day
Do you live in the moment?
Is there no song I can play for you
Is there nothing I can do to make you feel my love?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EDWARD R WHITE, MAXWELL A WOLFSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind