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.
The Prisoner
Howard Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have dreamed you, held in your security
Some people believe a photograph traps your mortal soul
Your eyes ARE the camera and you've TAKEN hold
And you captured me
I need you to take control
I am a prisoner of no confidence
You've entered me now make me whole
Every place I go I feel your lenses trained on me
This distant concentration takes away my energy
Your image burns it's negative
Behind my waking eyes
Then the night comes and you stalk your prize
And you captured me
I need you to take control
I am a prisoner of no confidence
You've entered me now make me whole
Some people believe a photograph traps your mortal soul
Your eyes were the camera and you've taken hold
And you captured me
I need you to take control
I am a prisoner of no confidence
You've entered me now make me whole
"The Prisoner" by Howard Jones is a song about the feeling of being watched and controlled by someone who has taken hold of you through their camera lenses. The lyrics suggest the idea of the camera as having the power to capture not only a person's appearance but also their soul, making them a prisoner to the photographer's gaze. The song's protagonist feels haunted by the presence of the anonymous photographer, who seems to be able to see into their innermost thoughts and feelings.
Through the lines "I need you to take control/I am a prisoner of no confidence/You've entered me now make me whole," Jones speaks about a desire for the photographer's control to make them feel complete. The singer is aware of their lack of self-confidence and looks to the photographer to fill the gap. The photographer's presence has become like a drug for Jones, adding meaning to existence and pushing them to desire more.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Prisoner" convey a sense of vulnerability, a desire for deeper meaning, and a search for validation through external sources.
Line by Line Meaning
You have watched me, safe in your anonymity
In secret, you have been observing me without my knowledge or consent.
I have dreamed you, held in your security
I have imagined you to be a safe and secure presence, despite not truly knowing who you are.
Some people believe a photograph traps your mortal soul
There is a superstition that a photograph can steal or imprison a person's soul.
Your eyes ARE the camera and you've TAKEN hold
You see the world through the lens of a camera and have taken ownership over what you capture.
And you captured me
You have figuratively captured me with your camera, possibly through a photograph or video recording.
I need you to take control
I desire for you to take charge and guide me, potentially in the context of a relationship or artistic collaboration.
I am a prisoner of no confidence
I am not confident in myself and feel trapped by my lack of self-assurance.
You've entered me now make me whole
You have become a significant presence in my life and I rely on you to complete me emotionally or artistically.
Every place I go I feel your lenses trained on me
I sense that you are observing me wherever I go, even if you are physically absent.
This distant concentration takes away my energy
The thought of your unwavering focus on me is exhausting and drains my mental and emotional energy.
Your image burns it's negative
The memory of you lingers in my mind, but it has a negative impact on my well-being and affects my perception of you.
Behind my waking eyes
Even when I am awake, I cannot escape the mental image of you watching me.
Then the night comes and you stalk your prize
Under the cover of darkness, you continue to track me and attempt to obtain what you desire from me.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: WILLIAM HARLIN JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@theodorebrooks7416
I listen to this song and close my eyes and I'm back to being 14 years old in the summer of 1989. Back when MTV and VH-1 dominated cable.
@lemmdus2119
When they played music!
@marcspector9188
I was also 14 in the summer of 1989 in between 8th and 9th grade. Great memories
@paulberthold932
What a shame that this doesn’t have more views. This is an 80s video at its best. And a good song.
@1hansety1
This song came out in ‘89 as a capstone to an incredible decade of music. This song, like many songs of the 80’s, is a time machine that instantly takes me back to specific moments and memories and the people I shared them with. I hope the teens of today will get to experience this with their music of youth, later on in life. I just don’t hear anything currently that seems to be in the realm of lifetime impact music, but I hope they experience it.
@superoctane
What happened to music videos? Is it a lost art? This one is fantastic.
@nancyocampo4347
Now this is music! 80s Forever!
@howardjones8366
Hello Thanks for your comment and supports, your comments and constant support has brought me this far. Keep Supporting ❤️
Please send me a mail via. Howardjones1100@gmail.com
@Sparkina
Awesome tune! Keep up the good work, Howard!
@denniswoodbury8599
A farewell swan song to 80's greatness. In 1989. big changes were on the horizon. Thank you, Howard, for one last hurrah.