Recent work has been as part of John Foxx and The Maths and he has had a number of collaborations including John Foxx & Steve D'Agostino, John Foxx and The Belbury Circle, John Foxx and Jori Hulkkonen, John Foxx & Robin Guthrie, John Foxx & Louis Gordon.
A New Kind Of Man
John Foxx Lyrics
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Brushed off the dust and walked away
The touch of a hand was fading from him
A different scene began
A voice-over through scenes of sunrise
"It feels like someone's using my eyes"
Tinsel wind and curtains blowing
He looked down at his hands
He was a new kind of man
He was a new kind of man
He was a new kind, a new kind of man
He feels the rain upon his face
He's young again, nineteen again
Blue hills on a distant skyline
Someone took his hand
An underwater kind of silence
Humming of electric pylons
"Don't forget me" fades in static
Another scene began
(Chorus)
Transparent faces from the old school
No-one to project them onto
He drives by 1958
And someone says his name
He waved out of the film again
He turned and he flickered and he walked away
He felt a distant kind of longing
Another scene began
(Chorus)
The lyrics of John Foxx's song "A New Kind Of Man" paint a picture of a man who seems to have stepped out of a film and into a new scene, experiencing a different reality altogether. The man is said to have "brushed off the dust and walked away," and his touch of a hand is slowly fading away. As he experiences a new scene, a voice-over guides the audience through his visual impressions of a sunrise and an underwater silence. In this new reality, the man feels the rain on his face and is suddenly "young again, nineteen again."
The song's lyrics are open to interpretation but could be taken to represent a range of emotional experiences such as feelings of detachment, disillusionment, nostalgia, and a desire to reconnect with the past. The lyrics convey that the man doesn't completely understand what's happening around him, especially when he interacts with figures of the past, and feels a sense of longing that he cannot place. Overall, the lyrics give a haunting, dream-like quality to the song, and the descriptions of the scenes can be seen as a metaphor for the changing experiences of life, and how momentary encounters can converge to shape and mold the self.
Line by Line Meaning
He stepped out of the film again
He came back to reality from a state of being consumed by art again
Brushed off the dust and walked away
He ignored and left behind the previous work he was engrossed in and moved on
The touch of a hand was fading from him
He was losing touch with the source of emotional connections and inspiration
A different scene began
He moved on to a new experience or project
A voice-over through scenes of sunrise
An auditory commentary over visual scenes of new beginnings
"It feels like someone's using my eyes"
He is experiencing the sensation of being used or being a vessel for a greater force or inspiration
Tinsel wind and curtains blowing, He looked down at his hands
He observes his surroundings while reflecting on his own abilities and limitations
Chorus: He was a new kind of man He was a new kind of man He was a new kind, a new kind of man
Reinforcement of the idea that he has experienced a significant personal transformation
He feels the rain upon his face, He's young again, nineteen again
He is refreshed and revitalized, feeling like he has been reborn or rejuvenated in spirit and body
Blue hills on a distant skyline, Someone took his hand
He is greeted by new beginnings and a guiding force
An underwater kind of silence, Humming of electric pylons
A mysterious or peculiar mood within the atmosphere
"Don't forget me" fades in static, Another scene began
A haunting memory or message fades away as new experiences come to the forefront
Chorus
Reinforcement of the idea that he has experienced a significant personal transformation
Transparent faces from the old school, No-one to project them onto
Memories and images of the past are vivid and resemble ghosts or apparitions, but have lost their meaning or purpose
He drives by 1958, And someone says his name
A nostalgic return to a previous era or point in time, where someone still recognizes him
He waved out of the film again, He turned and he flickered and he walked away
He leaves behind another production, and moves on to new and exciting ventures
He felt a distant kind of longing, Another scene began
He feels a longing for past experiences or opportunities not yet fulfilled, and begins a new chapter
Chorus
Reinforcement of the idea that he has experienced a significant personal transformation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DENNIS LEIGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind