Browne was born in Heidelberg, Germany, where American serviceman father was stationed. Browne moved to the Highland Park district of Los Angeles, California at an early age and soon began singing folk music locally. In 1966, his major career began as a part of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Often mixing catchy melodies with reflective, moody, and sometimes melancholic lyrics, some of his most popular hit singles include "Doctor My Eyes", "Running on Empty", and "Somebody's Baby". Considered a precociously-talented songwriter by many peers, Browne's solo career got its legs when he signed a publishing contract with Nina Music. His work have been performed by several artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, Larry Norman, Linda Ronstadt, Nico, and Tom Rush, among many others.
After moving to Greenwich Village, New York, Browne worked, for a brief period, in Tim Buckley's back-up band and on Nico's Chelsea Girl. This album includes two of Jackson's songs and the pair were reputedly lovers for awhile. After leaving New York City, Browne formed a folk band with Ned Doheny and Jack Wilce.
In 1971, Browne signed with Asylum Records and released Jackson Browne (1972), which included "Doctor My Eyes", a major hit and later coverec by the Jackson Five . He didn't sustain pop success, though, and his next album, For Everyman (1973), while considered of high quality, was a commercial failure.
Late for the Sky (1974) established a significant audience for Browne, and fans and critics often consider this Browne's best album. Highlights include the searching title song, the elegiac "For a Dancer" and apocalyptic "Before the Deluge", the pure arrangements featuring David Lindley's evocative violin and guitar playing, and the Magritte-inspired cover. The title track was also featured in Martin Scorsese's film, Taxi Driver.
Browne released his breakthrough album, The Pretender (1976) soon after the suicide of his wife, Phyllis. Featuring livelier production by Jon Landau, the title song is a vividly described account of trying to maintain one's ideals in the struggle against the realities of day-to-day life.
During this time, Browne produced and played on Warren Zevon's first two Asylum albums.
Browne began recording his next LP while on tour, and Running on Empty (1977) became his biggest commercial success. Breaking the usual conventions for a live album, it was truly made on the road, including tracks recorded on buses and in hotel rooms, with none of the songs having appeared on any of his prior albums. Running on Empty contains many renowned songs, such as the propulsive title track (Browne's biggest hit single), "The Road", "Rosie", and "The Load-Out/Stay" (Browne's affectionate and knowing send-off to his concert audiences).
In 1979, Browne was a founding member of Musicians United for Safe Energy.
Browne achieved less critical acclaim with Hold Out (1980), although it was commercially successful--his only number 1 record, and with his hit single "Somebody's Baby" from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack. Lawyers in Love followed in 1983 and contained hints of a more political focus, especially in the mysteriously satirical title track.
Political protest came out full force in Lives in the Balance (1986), an overt condemnation of Reaganism and American policy in Central America. Flavored with new instrumental textures, it was a huge success with Browne fans, though not with mainstream audiences. World in Motion (1989) was even more politically-oriented and polarizing. Browne frequently played for causes he believed in, including Amnesty International (making several appearances on the 1986 A Conspiracy of Hope Tour), Farm Aid, and the Christic Institute.
After four years of silence and a break-up with his girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah, Browne returned with I'm Alive, a critically acclaimed album with a more personal perspective that sold respectably, the title track being a modest radio hit. Looking East (1996) was released soon after, but was not as successful critically or commercially. The Naked Ride Home was released in 2002. On 11 May 2003, Jackson Browne made a celebrity guest star debut on the FOX series The Simpsons.
As a whole, Browne's work is marked by compelling melodies, simple, honest, and insightful lyrics, and a flair for composition rarely seen in the world of rock and roll. He is often referred to as "a thinking man's rock star."
Browne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. He also participated in the Vote for Change tour in October 2004, playing a series of concerts in American swing states. These concerts were organized by MoveOn.org with the general goal of mobilizing people to vote in that year's Presidential campaign. Browne's appearances were joint performances with Bonnie Raitt and Keb' Mo', and in one instance with Bruce Springsteen. Three of Browne's albums were selected by Rolling Stone magazine as among its choices for the 500 best albums of all time.
Browne released "Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1"in 2005 and "Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2" in 2008, both on Inside Recordings. The "Vol. 1" album consists of live recordings of eleven previously released tracks and "The Birds of St. Marks," a song that does not appear on any of Browne's studio albums. The "Vol. 2" album contains roughly the same mix of twelve songs (popular hits vs. deep cuts). Interestingly, both albums also contain separately tracked "intros" to some songs, giving a brief glimpse of the intimacy between artist and audience at the shows where the songs were recorded.
"No one gives a shit but Jackson Browne." - Randy Newman in "A Piece Of The Pie"
Website: www.jacksonbrowne.com
Black and White
Jackson Browne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were going to burn this city down
Tired of the fashions and the dances
Tired of the people standing around
Ticking like a bomb in the night
And you knew you were right
Black and white
Blame it on the ones who slowed you down
Blame it on the kind of friends you knew here
Blame it on the sickness going 'round
Going round and round in the night
With your heart out of sight
With your world burning bright
Like a moth 'round a light
Black and white
The pictures of a life in flames
Black and white
The picture of a life remains
And the search you half remember
Setting out on at the start
Is burning like an ember in your heart
Time running out time running out
For the fool still asking what his life is about
Time running out time running out
Time running out time running out
Yeah, beyond a shadow of a doubt
Time running out time running out
Tell them that you've gone to find a person
Someone you lost track of long ago
Tell them that it's someone you need worse than
Anybody else you'll ever know
Ticking like a bomb in the night
You were strong, you were light
You were fast, you were bright
Then you were gone in the light
Black and white
The pictures of a life in flames
Black and white
The picture of a life remains
And the high ideals and the promise
You once dressed the future in
Are dancing in the embers with the wind
Time running out time running out
For the fool still asking what his life is about
Time running out time running out
Time running out time running out
Yeah, beyond a shadow of a doubt, time
The song Black and White by Jackson Browne is a poignant depiction of a person's inner struggle and desire to leave their past behind in search of something more meaningful. The lyrics describe a person who is fed up with the status quo, tired of the people and the places that hold them back. They feel like a ticking time bomb, burning bright, and ready to explode to set their life in flames, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for leaving their old life behind and starting anew.
The song lyrics go on to show that the person blames their slow departure from their old life to the people who slowed them down and the friends they once knew. They are convinced that they are right and burning like an ember in their heart is a desire to find a person, someone they'd lost track of, long ago. The song is full of vivid imagery, like a moth around a light, and with the wind dancing in the embers of what was once a significant part of their life.
In essence, Jackson Browne's Black and White portrays a person's burning desire to leave behind the monotony of everyday life, the burden of the past, and change their life's colors to create something new and meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
Long before you ever saw your chances
Before you even realized your potential
You were going to burn this city down
You were determined to make your mark, to leave your imprint on this city
Tired of the fashions and the dances
You were fed up of the trends and social norms around you
Tired of the people standing around
You felt alone in a sea of people who didn't understand you
Ticking like a bomb in the night
You were full of restless energy, ready to explode at any moment
And you knew you were right
You had a strong conviction in your beliefs, despite what others may have thought
Blame it on the time it took to leave here
You had to bide your time before you could finally leave this place behind
Blame it on the ones who slowed you down
You felt held back and hindered by those around you
Blame it on the kind of friends you knew here
Your social circle may have contributed to your feelings of disillusionment
Blame it on the sickness going 'round
Perhaps the general state of the world or society was to blame for your dissatisfaction
Going round and round in the night
You felt stuck in a cycle of frustration and uncertainty
With your heart out of sight
You were lost and unsure of yourself, unable to connect to your own emotions
With your world burning bright
Despite your inner turmoil, you were still full of passion and determination
Like a moth 'round a light
You were drawn to something that was simultaneously beautiful and destructive
The pictures of a life in flames
Your memories of life up until this point were tinged with turmoil and uncertainty
And the search you half remember
Your quest for meaning and purpose had been ongoing, but you weren't fully aware of it at the time
Setting out on at the start
You were beginning to embark on a new chapter in your life
Is burning like an ember in your heart
You still carry a flame for this journey, even now
Time running out time running out
You feel a sense of urgency to find your place in the world before it's too late
For the fool still asking what his life is about
You feel foolish for still searching for answers about your path in life
Tell them that you've gone to find a person
You're setting out on your own journey to find yourself and your purpose
Someone you lost track of long ago
You feel as though you've lost a part of yourself that you need to rediscover
Tell them that it's someone you need worse than
You believe that finding this lost part of yourself is crucial for your well-being and happiness
Anybody else you'll ever know
You feel that nothing else in your life will matter until you find this missing piece
You were strong, you were light
You had a sense of strength and clarity about yourself and your journey
You were fast, you were bright
Your path forward seemed clear and unimpeded
Then you were gone in the light
Somehow, you got sidetracked or waylaid along the way
And the high ideals and the promise
Your previous hopes and dreams for yourself are still present, if a bit buried
You once dressed the future in
You used to envision a bright future for yourself, full of potential and success
Are dancing in the embers with the wind
Those hopes and dreams are still present, but they're not as clear or focused as they used to be
Yeah, beyond a shadow of a doubt
You feel certain that time is running out for you to find your place in the world
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JACKSON BROWNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@glennward5898
In magic; Black is the will to do good.
White is the will not to do wrong.
Yet hard to distinguish between the two
For a writer; Black is the word on the page.
White is the blank page.
The difference is glaring
To the artist; Black is all the colours combined
White is the absence of any colour.
Yet between the two there is a thin red line were the two meet.
Now you have the answer. What are you waiting for?
The search is over. Go Home. Go get the girl. Go make peace with your father.
The call to adventure begs you. Time is running out.
@KATHIESHOES
How is it that every Jackson Browne song makes you feel he’s written it just for your life??? Wonderfully amazing talent!!!
@timmckenna9089
I couldn't have said it any better than what you just said!!
@jacksonbrowne5398
Hi 🌺
Thanks for your love and support, for liking and commenting on my page and I want you to know I have all my fans in heart and that includes you.
Jacksonbrowne98@gmail.com🎸🎸
@gregoryeng-hong1809
@Jackson Browne Doctor, my eyes, my ears, and your songs sing to the spirit of the Woodstock generation. I am grateful you speak to the hearts of many of us, "Sixty's" year olds!!
@DanielinLaTuna
He works really hard to craft a song. He’s passed on some time-constrained appearances because he wasn’t sure he could deliver a well written song in time
@Gershmaven
Yup, the soundtrack of my life. Coming of age in So Cal in the 70's. I've been a fan since the early days, decades. Wonderful poet and artist. Loved the shows at the Santa Monica Civic, Loyola College, UCSB ... everywhere. The words and music speak to me like nothing else. Even today at 66!
@JohnnyCardinale
How does this guy have SO MANY underrated songs? Incredible
@loveit7484
I LOVE THIS SONG! All his music hits truth hidden in our hearts. His music stands the test of time. Timeless!
@beverlyhouse9345
A true poet
@rebekahlafever333
... 💚