He is the eldest of three boys. His birthplace is Southampton, England, and he spent his early years in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, and attended the Royal Grammar School. He now lives with his family in Somerset, England.
When he was young, he used to give piano lessons. One of his clients was a girl named Jan Smith, who he later married. Whilst working with her, a vehicle crashed into their van, injuring Jan. She claimed compensation and used the money to buy Howard a synthesiser, a Moog Prodigy. The shop delivered two by mistake, and Howard liked the combination of the two so much that he paid for the extra one.
He hit the charts in 1983 with a song called "New Song," which made it into the UK top ten. Speaking with Songfacts, Jones explained the song is his manifesto, and why he wanted to get in the music business and write songs to begin with. Said Jones: "I was working in the factory at the time - I was doing the gigs at night and I was working in the factory. And I wanted to say to people, 'You can. It is possible to do what you really want to do if you've got enough guts and determination. You can do what you're really good at in this life if you set your mind to it.' And so really that's what that song's about. It's about letting go of fear and seeing both sides of an argument and throwing off the things that hold you back mentally."
Jones subsequently had three more hits over the next twelve months and a UK Number 1 album, Human's Lib. He acquired a hardcore fanbase made up of both starstruck teenagers and more mature music lovers, who saw the musicianship which went into the electronic sounds of his songs. His mother ran his fan club. Jones was a close temporal and stylistic contemporary of Nik Kershaw, and the two musicians were often conflated in the affections of the contemporary pop audience.
Howard was known as a respectable face of pop, combining innovative synthesiser music with strong feelings on animal rights and life's excesses. In his early days, he performed with a mime artist called Jed Hoile, who used to do improvised choreography while doused in white paint as Howard played behind him.
In the summer of 1984, he released a single called "Like To Get To Know You Well", which he said was 'dedicated to the original spirit of the Olympic Games'. Although it wasn't an official Olympic anthem for the Games in Los Angeles that summer, it caught on and was a huge worldwide hit. The sleeve featured the song title in ten different languages; while Howard sang the title line in French and German on the extended version. The song appeared in the film Better Off Dead.
Howard's second album was a ground breaking 'remix' album. It contained six songs, all but one of which had been previously released, but which appeared in elongated formats, including the multi-lingual version of "Like To Get To Know You Well". The album was called The 12 Inch Album and the sleeve featured a miniature Howard standing next to a 12-inch ruler.
When he released his second studio album, Dream Into Action, in 1985, he introduced his own backing band, including future Soul II Soul singer Caron Wheeler as one third of female backing vocal trio Afrodiziak. Playing bass guitar, meanwhile, was Howard's own brother Martin, who had to have an extra string added to his instrument to play some of Howard's bass lines, which were originally played on a keyboard without regard for the range of a real bass guitar. One of the singles released from this album, "No One Is To Blame", was later re-recorded and featured Phil Collins as drummer and producer.
In July 1985, Howard performed at Wembley Stadium as part of the Live Aid concert, singing his 1984 hit "Hide And Seek" while playing a piano belonging to Freddie Mercury.
Howard had his last UK Top 40 hit in 1986 and thereafter concentrated on production, songwriting and running a successful vegetarian restaurant, though he had Billboard Top 10 success in the States in the 1990s. His eldest son, OisÃn (pronounced Osheen), was born in 1985 and is now an actor.
In 2005, he competed on the American TV show Hit Me Baby One More Time, losing to Irene Cara. Although he lost the in-studio vote to Cara, he won the online poll vote.
There are other artists with the same name:
2. Howard Jones is the current lead singer of American metalcore bands Killswitch Engage and Blood Has Been Shed.
Jones resides in Connecticut. His first success was in Connecticut with the band Blood Has Been Shed. After the release of The Novella of Uriel, the band went on tour, but Jones was eventually approached for a bigger project. Howard Jones replaced the lead singer of Killswitch Engage, Jesse Leach, in July of 2002, shortly after the release of Alive or Just Breathing, Killswitch Engage's Roadrunner Records debut album.
Meanwhile, Blood Has Been Shed released their third album, Spirals in 2003. Critical reviews were mixed, with some saying the album was a bit stray from the music found on I Dwell and Novella, while fans found it to be the band's most sonically-challenging album yet.
The first time KSE fans heard Jones they were impressed by him. Later he would be heard on the song "When Darkness Falls", which was first released on the soundtrack for the movie Freddy vs. Jason. Finally, Killswitch Engage released their first album with Jones as the new singer, as well as Blood Has Been Shed drummer Justin Foley. The End of Heartache would spawn two successful singles, "Rose of Sharyn" and the Grammy-nominated title track, "The End of Heartache". There was a minor spot of controversy with some fans over the Grammy nomination, as the song that was picked was a remixed version that would eventually appear on the Resident Evil: Apocalypse soundtrack. The differences between the original recording and the remixed version are the fact that the song is sung in a traditional singing style rather than using the original scream track that appears on the album, and several sections of the song have been shortened for a more commercially dynamic vision.
In November 2006, Killswitch Engage released their fourth album (and second with Howard Jones) entitled As Daylight Dies. The album has spawned the singles "My Curse" and "Arms of Sorrow", and it has been cited by the band through numerous interviews that the album recalls influences from bands in the NOLA music scene, as well as metal bands like Pantera and Machine Head.
Despite his front man role in Killswitch Engage, Jones is still the lead singer for Blood Has Been Shed.
Aside from singing, Jones has also taken on the role of a manager to new and upcoming artists. Currently, he manages two bands, Twelve Tribes, Mikoto, and also the producer Zeuss.
He is also known for his vocal styles, which include deep, booming roars, a higher, raspier scream, and operatic clean vocals. The clean style is absent from most of his work with Blood Has Been Shed, however, with Killswitch Engage, he usually makes use of all of his vocal styles in almost every song, particularly in As Daylight Dies and Holy Diver.
3. Howard Jones is an English folk singer and musician. He was a member of The Electropathics and currently performs with Albireo and as a solo performer.
Let It Flow
Howard Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We didn't ask for this
Trying to be something different
We will fight the bigots
Fight them with our reason
Fight them with our constancy
[Chorus]
This is our lamp light
Let it glow
River, river, let it flow
This is our reason
Let it grow
Don't keep looking back
Living in the past
Never built a golden future. Have,
Have faith in the species
We've come to far to fail
I don't believe in our extinction
Everyone of us
Has got to take it on
Don't build a dam on evolution. There,
There are those who'd like us
To cling on to the past
Wallowing in their past glories
River, (don't)
Our river, (don't look back)
Let it flow (we might fall)
This is our lamp light
Let it glow (have faith in the future)
River, (don't)
River, (don't look back)
Let it flow (we might fall)
This is our reason
Let it grow
In Howard Jones's Let It Flow, the lyrics speak to the desire for rebellion against the status quo and the hope for progress as a species. The song speaks to the idea of fighting bigotry and moving towards a better future. The opening lines, "Where are the new rebels, we didn't ask for this, trying to be something different," alludes to the idea that the new generation of rebels is not born by choice but by necessity. These rebels are seeking to make a difference, to be something different, and to challenge the bigots and the prejudices of the past.
The chorus of the song, "River, our river, let it flow, this is our lamp light, let it glow, river, river, let it flow, this is our reason, let it grow," speaks to the idea that the progress and movement of humanity continue like a river, and it is up to us to allow it to flow and to grow. It is also up to us to shine a light on the right path to take and to have faith in the future. The line, "Don't keep looking back, living in the past, never built a golden future. Have faith in the species, we've come too far to fail," reminds us that dwelling in the past is not productive and that we should have confidence in our ability to shape the future.
Overall, Let It Flow is a powerful and insightful song that speaks to the hope for progress and the courage to challenge the status quo.
Line by Line Meaning
Where are the new rebels
Where are the individuals who are daring to challenge the status quo and push for something different?
We didn't ask for this
We did not request to live in a world filled with inequality and unrest, but we are determined to make a change.
Trying to be something different
We are striving to be unique and to bring innovation and positive change to the world.
We will fight the bigots
We will battle against those who discriminate and oppress others.
Fight them with our reason
We will combat ignorance and hatred with rational thought and evidence-based arguments.
Fight them with our constancy
We will be persistent and unwavering in our pursuit of justice and equality.
River, our river, let it flow
Let ideas and progress flow freely like a river.
This is our lamp light
This is our beacon of hope and inspiration.
Let it glow
Let it shine and illuminate the path toward a brighter future.
Don't keep looking back
Do not focus on the past and its mistakes, but learn from it and move forward.
Living in the past
Dwelling on past achievements or hardships hinders progress.
Never built a golden future. Have,
We cannot create a bright future if we are stuck in the present or past. We need to have a vision and work towards it.
Have faith in the species
Believe in humanity and our potential to create a better world.
We've come too far to fail
We have made significant progress, and it would be a tragedy to let it go to waste.
I don't believe in our extinction
I have hope that humanity will overcome its problems and continue to thrive.
Everyone of us
All individuals are responsible for shaping the future.
Has got to take it on
Each person must take on the duty of creating a brighter future for all.
Don't build a dam on evolution. There,
Do not obstruct progress or hinder the natural evolution of society.
There are those who'd like us
Some individuals would rather maintain the status quo or hold onto outdated ideals.
To cling on to the past
They wish to remain in a bygone era and resist change.
Wallowing in their past glories
They pride themselves on past achievements or accomplishments, while ignoring current challenges.
River, (don't)
Do not prevent progress or obstruct the flow of ideas.
Our river, (don't look back)
Our source of inspiration and hope should not be tied to past events or accomplishments.
Let it flow (we might fall)
Progress may not always be easy, but we must continue to move forward.
This is our reason
Our purpose for pushing for progress and change.
Let it grow
Allow our ideas and progress to develop and expand over time.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARK ADAMS, CARTER BRADLEY, TIMOTHY DOZIER, MARK HICKS, THOMAS LOCKETT, FLOYD MILLER, STEPHEN WASHINGTON, DANIEL WEBSTER, ORION WILHOITE, DENZIL FOSTER, THOMAS MCELROY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind