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, Oisín (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.
Respected
Howard Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here in the shade, oh, the bright lights, they blind me
Yesterday is gone, time for moving on
Here's a brand new start, gonna base it on my heart
It's another day, I've got to find a better way
Won't you help me?
If you have to go
It's all up to me, I know
I just wanna change my world but from the inside
I just wanna live my life
And make this place, make this time
For all our lives to be respected
Here in the cold light of day, this vision
Paints a different world, a world of the heart
And I want to live there
I've been on the run from all the people I've become
I want to shed this skin and start it all again
I want to draw a line in the sand for one last time
Will you help me?
Failing that
If you have to go
It's all up to me, I know
I just wanna change my world but from the inside
I just wanna live my life
With some hope and to do what's right
I just wanna change this world
And make this place, make this time
For all our lives to be respected
I just wanna change my world
(Change my world, ooh)
I just wanna live my life and to do what's right
(I just wanna live my life and to do what's right)
I just wanna change this world
(I just wanna change this world from the inside)
I just wanna live my life
(Just wanna live my life)
The lyrics of Howard Jones's song Respected express a strong desire for change and growth. The singer is haunted by shadows and blinded by bright lights - perhaps symbolic of the distractions and pressures of the modern world. They recognize that yesterday is gone and it's time for moving on, and they long for a brand new start based on their heart. The singer is asking for help in finding a better way, but accepts that ultimately the responsibility for change is theirs alone.
The second verse introduces the idea of a "different world, a world of the heart" that the singer wants to live in. They've been on the run from the person they've become, but want to shed that skin and start over. They draw a line in the sand, asking for one last chance to create a better life. The repeated refrain of "I just wanna change my world" underscores the urgency and need for transformation.
Overall, the lyrics of Respected seem to be a plea for authenticity, connection, and a sense of purpose. The singer is tired of running from themselves and the world around them; instead, they want to make a real impact and live a life worth respecting.
Line by Line Meaning
Here in the dark, the shadows, they haunt me
The singer feels haunted by the shadows in their life and struggles to see through the darkness.
Here in the shade, oh, the bright lights, they blind me
Even when the singer tries to find comfort in the shade, the bright lights of the world blind them to reality.
Yesterday is gone, time for moving on
The singer acknowledges that the past is over and accepts that it's time to move on with their life.
Here's a brand new start, gonna base it on my heart
The artist is starting anew and making decisions based on what they feel is right instead of what society tells them.
It's another day, I've got to find a better way
Each day is a new opportunity for the artist to work towards a better life.
Won't you help me?
The singer is reaching out to others for support and guidance to achieve their goals.
Failing that
If you have to go
It's all up to me, I know
If nobody is willing to help the singer, they will take responsibility for their own fate and make decisions alone.
I just wanna change my world but from the inside
The artist wants to change their life and the world around them, but understands that the change must come from within.
I just wanna live my life
And make this place, make this time
For all our lives to be respected
The artist wants to live their life with respect for themselves and others and make the world a better place for everyone.
Here in the cold light of day, this vision
Paints a different world, a world of the heart
And I want to live there
The artist sees a world where people prioritize their hearts and emotions instead of logic and reason, and they want to live in that world.
I've been on the run from all the people I've become
I want to shed this skin and start it all again
I want to draw a line in the sand for one last time
Will you help me?
The singer has been running from their past and wants to start over with a clean slate. They are asking for support in doing so.
With some hope and to do what's right
The artist wants hope for the future and strives to make ethical decisions.
I just wanna change this world
(Change my world, ooh)
I just wanna live my life and to do what's right
(I just wanna live my life and to do what's right)
The singer wants to make a positive impact on the world and live a life with integrity.
I just wanna change this world
(I just wanna change this world from the inside)
I just wanna live my life
(Just wanna live my life)
The singer wants to change the world from within themselves and live their life on their own terms.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: HOWARD JONES, ROBBIE BRONNIMANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind