Jon Anderson, born John Roy Anderson on 25 October 1944, is an English musi… Read Full Bio ↴Jon Anderson, born John Roy Anderson on 25 October 1944, is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes. He is also an accomplished solo artist, and has collaborated with the Greek musician Vangelis, as part of the duo Jon & Vangelis.
Early life and childhood
Jon Anderson was born in the town of Accrington, Lancashire, England, in a family of Scottish and Irish ancestry, his parents being Albert and Kathleen Anderson. He was later to drop the "h" from his first name in 1971, as he had a dream where he was given the name "Jonathan". Thus, on The Yes Album he is still credited as "John", and on the next album Fragile, credited as "Jon".
He attended St. John's Infants School in Accrington, and made a tentative start to his musical career at an early age by playing the washboard in "Little John's Skiffle Group", which played songs by Lonnie Donegan among others. Anderson left school at the age of fifteen, and went through a series of jobs including working as a farm hand, lorry driver, and a milkman. He also tried to pursue a football career in the club he is still a fan of, Accrington Stanley F.C., but he was eventually turned down because of his frail constitution
Early career
In 1962, Anderson joined The Warriors (also known as The Electric Warriors), where he and his brother Tony shared the role of lead vocalist. He quit this band in 1967, released two solo singles in 1968 under the pseudonym Hans Christian Anderson, and then briefly sang for the bands The Gun and The Open Mind.
In the summer of 1968, Anderson met bassist Chris Squire and joined him in a group called Mabel Greer's Toyshop, which had previously included guitarist Peter Banks. Anderson fronted this band, but ended up leaving again before the summer was over. He remarks on his website that his time with the band consisted of "too many drugs, not enough fun!"
Yes
Anderson, Squire, and Banks went on to form Yes, with drummer Bill Bruford and keyboardist Tony Kaye. Their debut album was released in 1969. He stayed with the group until 1980, and this period is now known as the classic period of Yes. Jon was a major creative force and band leader throughout the period (describing himself as the 'team captain'; nicknamed by his bandmates "Napoleon" for his diminutive stature and leadership of the band)-- and is recognized as the main instigator of the series of epics produced by Yes at the time. His role in creating such complex pieces as Close to the Edge, Awaken, and especially The Gates of Delirium is central, despite his limited instrumental abilities
He rejoined a reformed Yes in 1983 which produced their most commercially successful album 90125 with newcomer Trevor Rabin, and departed again in 1988 over the band's continued pursuit of major commercial success and mainstream radio play. In 1989, Anderson and other former Yes members formed the group Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe (ABWH), augmented by bassist Tony Levin who had played with drummer Bill Bruford in King Crimson. After the successful first ABWH album, a bizarre series of business deals caused ABWH to reunite with the then-current members of Yes, who had been out of the public eye while searching for a new lead singer. The resulting eight-man band assumed the name Yes, and the album Union (1991) was assembled from various pieces of an in-progress second ABWH album as well as recordings that "Yes proper" had been working on, without Anderson. A successful tour followed, but the eight-man lineup of Yes never recorded a complete album together before splintering in 1992. Many more personnel changes followed, but Anderson has been with the band ever since. He appears on all Yes albums except their 1980 album Drama.
Anderson was fond of experimenting within the band, also adding to what were at times conflicted relationships within the band and with management. He originally wanted to record the album Tales from Topographic Oceans in the middle of the woods, and instead decided to put hay and animal cut-outs all over the recording studio, causing lice to infest one of Rick Wakeman's keyboards.[citation needed] In another incident, Anderson had tiles installed in the studio, to simulate the echo effect of one's vocals in a bathroom.
Anderson last performed with Yes in 2004. A tour planned for summer 2008 with Anderson was cancelled when he suffered acute respiratory failure. The band have since announced a tour without him and he has been replaced by Benoît David[4], singer in a Yes tribute act Close to the Edge.[5]
Vocal and lyrical style
It is a commonly held misconception that Jon Anderson sings falsetto, a vocal technique which artificially produces high, airy notes by using only the ligamentous edges of the vocal cords; however, Jon Anderson does not sing falsetto. His normal singing (and speaking) voice is naturally above the tenor range. In a 2008 interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jon stated, "I'm an alto tenor and I can sing certain high notes, but I could never sing falsetto, so I go and hit them high."[6]
Anderson is also responsible for most of the mystically-themed lyrics and concepts which are part of many Yes releases. These elements are crucial components of the classic Yes sound, but have occasionally alienated some members of the band (most notably Bruford and Rick Wakeman), contributing to their leaving the group. The lyrics are frequently inspired by various books Anderson has enjoyed, from Tolstoy's War and Peace to Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. A footnote in Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi inspired an entire double album Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973). Recurring themes include environmentalism, pacifism and sun-worship.
Beyond Yes
In 1970, Anderson sang as a session singer on King Crimson's Lizard album, on the track "Prince Rupert Awakes", as it was outside the range of the then Crimson vocalist, Gordon Haskell.
In September 1975, Anderson guested on the Vangelis album Heaven and Hell.
When Anderson and Wakeman left Yes early 1980, Anderson started recording again with Vangelis and by summer 1980 Jon & Vangelis had released Short Stories, followed in November by Jon's solo album Song of Seven and a major UK tour with The New Life Band.
Guested on Rick Wakeman's 1981 concept album 1984.
In 1983, Jon worked as vocalist for Mike Oldfield's release of "In High Places" from the album Crises, and the song "Shine". He has also guested with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.
The song "Cage Of Freedom" was also featured on the 1984 soundtrack for the re-release of the classic black and white movie Metropolis.
In 1985, Anderson's song "This Time it Was Really Right" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie St. Elmo's Fire. He also sang "Silver Train" and "Christie" on the film soundtrack Scream for Help.
Also in 1985, along with Tangerine Dream he recorded the song "Loved by the Sun" for the film Legend directed by Ridley Scott.
The 1986 film Biggles: Adventures in Time features a song sung by Jon.
In 1987, Jon Anderson guest vocals on "Moonlight Desires" on Gowan's album Great Dirty World.
In 1988, Jon Anderson has a vocal appearance on "Stop Loving You" on Toto's album The Seventh One.
On the 1992 album Dream by Kitarō, Jon adds lyrics and vocals to the songs "Lady of Dreams", "Island of Life" and "Agreement".
In 1994 Jon Anderson sang on the 7th Level children's video game Tuneland.
In 1999 while 4Him was recording the song "The Only Thing I Need" for the special multi-group album "Streams", Jon Anderson offerd his assistance as vocalist for the main chorus.
In 2004, Anderson appeared with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra of Cleveland. The concert was recorded and released for the orchestra members, but was never publicly released, to the dismay of many concert attendees.
In 2006, Animation was finally released on CD but was sourced from a worn vinyl record. The mastering was also poorly done and was overly loud and distorted. The second pressing used a better source although the sound quality still leaves a lot to be desired. Voiceprint denies any differences between pressings.
In a 2006 tour, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (East Coast Troupe) got Anderson to appear in 2 concerts on December 16 in Philadelphia, PA to play "Roundabout".
In 2007, Anderson toured with The Paul Green School of Rock Music, finishing the tour with two sold out shows at B. B. King's Bar and Grill in New York City.
He also contributed vocals to the new album from American Progressive rock group Glass Hammer "Culture of Ascent".
Currently Jon is on tour for a second time with The Paul Green School of Rock Music
Jon appears on the new Dream Theater album Systematic Chaos, as part of a vocal ensemble on the fifth track "Repentance". The album was released on June 5th, 2007.
On the 2008 album Namah by Peter Machajdik, Jon adds lyric and vocal to the song "Sadness of Flowing".
Jon also contributed lyrics, musical collaboration and vocals in 2008 on the remaster of the former Blue Oyster Cult keyboardist Tommy Zvoncheck's CD, titled "ZKG."
Family
Jon Anderson's children include daughter Deborah Anderson (who has done work singing for the French electronica band Télépopmusik on the album Angel Milk, released in summer 2005), Jade Anderson (who has released a solo album in Japan) and Damion Anderson (also a musician).
Health and spirituality
Anderson was a smoker in the 1960s and 70s but now prides himself on a much healthier lifestyle. In the mid 70s, Anderson became a vegetarian, as did most members of Yes; however in a recent interview he states, "I was a veggie for a while, but again I grew out of that. But I do eat very healthy." [7] In an 16 August 2006 interview on The Howard Stern Show Jon said he eats meat, mostly fish on occasion. In the interview, he also stated he had a spiritual adviser that "helped him see into the fourth dimension". To this day, before live performances he often meditates in a tent with crystals and dreamcatchers, a practise he started in the 1980s. He considers himself to be part of the "elf culture" and this revelation occurred during a trip on mushrooms, which he experimented with once a year until recent years. Jon attributes certain abilities, including being able to play the piano, to a back injury. Anderson now refers to the reason for Yes's breakup(s) to be from over-touring. His current projects include a rock fantasy camp. Anderson's religious beliefs are syncretic and varied, including respect for the Divine Mother Audrey Kitagawa.[8] He has worked with the Contemporary Christian music band 4HIM: in 1999, his vocal was featured on the song "The Only Thing I Need", which appeared on a various artists CD entitled Streams.
One of Anderson's passions is his painting and uses his art as yet another channel for his creativity and self expression. His artwork is available to view on his official website.
On May 13, 2008, Anderson suffered a severe asthma attack which required a stay in the hospital. According to Yes' website, he is "currently at home and resting comfortably."[9] Yes' planned summer 2008 tour was subsequently cancelled, with the press release saying, "Jon Anderson was admitted to the hospital last month after suffering a severe asthma attack. He has now been diagnosed with acute respiratory failure and was told by doctors this weekend that he needs to rest and not work for a period of at least six months or suffer further health complications."[10] In September 2008 John wrote that he's "so much better...so grateful and so blessed...I look forward to 2009 for the “Great Work” to come."
Posted January 2, 2010:
Since 2007, Jon has been collaborating with Alimar. Their repertoire includes orchestration of Jon's drafts by Alimar, brain-storming, and bringing to fruition new ideas and joint musical compositions, and the addition of Jon's vocals included on Alimar's songs.
Discography
With Yes:
Yes (1969)
Time and a Word (1970)
The Yes Album (1971)
Fragile (1971)
Close to the Edge (1972)
Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973)
Relayer (1974)
Going for the One (1977)
Tormato (1978)
90125 (1983)
Big Generator (1987)
Union (1991)
Talk (1994)
Keys to Ascension (1996)
Keys to Ascension 2 (1997)
Open Your Eyes (1997)
The Ladder (1999)
Magnification (2001)
With Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe:
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (1989)
An Evening of Yes Music Plus (1993)
Solo:
Olias of Sunhillow (1976)
Song of Seven (1980)
Animation (1982)
3 Ships (1985)
In The City of Angels (1988)
The Best of South America (1994)
Deseo (1994)
Change We Must (1994)
Angels Embrace (1995)
Toltec (1996)
Lost Tapes of Opio (1996)
The Promise Ring (1997)
Earth Mother Earth (1997)
The More You Know (1998)
Animation (Re-Release on CD) (2006)
The Lost Tapes (20 CD Box) (2006-2007)
With Kitaro:
Dream (a.k.a. Lady of Dreams) (1992)
With Mike Oldfield:
Crises (1983)
"Shine" (1986)
With Tangerine Dream:
Legend (1986)
With King Crimson:
Lizard (1970)
With Vangelis:
Heaven and Hell (1975) - Vangelis album with Anderson vocals on one track
See You Later (1980)
Jon & Vangelis:
Short Stories (1980)
The Friends of Mr. Cairo (1981)
Private Collection (1983)
The Best of Jon & Vangelis (1984)
Page of Life (1991)
Chronicles (1994)
Page Of Life (1998) - alternate version not approved by Vangelis
With The Fellowship
In Elven Lands (2006)
Early life and childhood
Jon Anderson was born in the town of Accrington, Lancashire, England, in a family of Scottish and Irish ancestry, his parents being Albert and Kathleen Anderson. He was later to drop the "h" from his first name in 1971, as he had a dream where he was given the name "Jonathan". Thus, on The Yes Album he is still credited as "John", and on the next album Fragile, credited as "Jon".
He attended St. John's Infants School in Accrington, and made a tentative start to his musical career at an early age by playing the washboard in "Little John's Skiffle Group", which played songs by Lonnie Donegan among others. Anderson left school at the age of fifteen, and went through a series of jobs including working as a farm hand, lorry driver, and a milkman. He also tried to pursue a football career in the club he is still a fan of, Accrington Stanley F.C., but he was eventually turned down because of his frail constitution
Early career
In 1962, Anderson joined The Warriors (also known as The Electric Warriors), where he and his brother Tony shared the role of lead vocalist. He quit this band in 1967, released two solo singles in 1968 under the pseudonym Hans Christian Anderson, and then briefly sang for the bands The Gun and The Open Mind.
In the summer of 1968, Anderson met bassist Chris Squire and joined him in a group called Mabel Greer's Toyshop, which had previously included guitarist Peter Banks. Anderson fronted this band, but ended up leaving again before the summer was over. He remarks on his website that his time with the band consisted of "too many drugs, not enough fun!"
Yes
Anderson, Squire, and Banks went on to form Yes, with drummer Bill Bruford and keyboardist Tony Kaye. Their debut album was released in 1969. He stayed with the group until 1980, and this period is now known as the classic period of Yes. Jon was a major creative force and band leader throughout the period (describing himself as the 'team captain'; nicknamed by his bandmates "Napoleon" for his diminutive stature and leadership of the band)-- and is recognized as the main instigator of the series of epics produced by Yes at the time. His role in creating such complex pieces as Close to the Edge, Awaken, and especially The Gates of Delirium is central, despite his limited instrumental abilities
He rejoined a reformed Yes in 1983 which produced their most commercially successful album 90125 with newcomer Trevor Rabin, and departed again in 1988 over the band's continued pursuit of major commercial success and mainstream radio play. In 1989, Anderson and other former Yes members formed the group Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe (ABWH), augmented by bassist Tony Levin who had played with drummer Bill Bruford in King Crimson. After the successful first ABWH album, a bizarre series of business deals caused ABWH to reunite with the then-current members of Yes, who had been out of the public eye while searching for a new lead singer. The resulting eight-man band assumed the name Yes, and the album Union (1991) was assembled from various pieces of an in-progress second ABWH album as well as recordings that "Yes proper" had been working on, without Anderson. A successful tour followed, but the eight-man lineup of Yes never recorded a complete album together before splintering in 1992. Many more personnel changes followed, but Anderson has been with the band ever since. He appears on all Yes albums except their 1980 album Drama.
Anderson was fond of experimenting within the band, also adding to what were at times conflicted relationships within the band and with management. He originally wanted to record the album Tales from Topographic Oceans in the middle of the woods, and instead decided to put hay and animal cut-outs all over the recording studio, causing lice to infest one of Rick Wakeman's keyboards.[citation needed] In another incident, Anderson had tiles installed in the studio, to simulate the echo effect of one's vocals in a bathroom.
Anderson last performed with Yes in 2004. A tour planned for summer 2008 with Anderson was cancelled when he suffered acute respiratory failure. The band have since announced a tour without him and he has been replaced by Benoît David[4], singer in a Yes tribute act Close to the Edge.[5]
Vocal and lyrical style
It is a commonly held misconception that Jon Anderson sings falsetto, a vocal technique which artificially produces high, airy notes by using only the ligamentous edges of the vocal cords; however, Jon Anderson does not sing falsetto. His normal singing (and speaking) voice is naturally above the tenor range. In a 2008 interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jon stated, "I'm an alto tenor and I can sing certain high notes, but I could never sing falsetto, so I go and hit them high."[6]
Anderson is also responsible for most of the mystically-themed lyrics and concepts which are part of many Yes releases. These elements are crucial components of the classic Yes sound, but have occasionally alienated some members of the band (most notably Bruford and Rick Wakeman), contributing to their leaving the group. The lyrics are frequently inspired by various books Anderson has enjoyed, from Tolstoy's War and Peace to Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. A footnote in Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi inspired an entire double album Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973). Recurring themes include environmentalism, pacifism and sun-worship.
Beyond Yes
In 1970, Anderson sang as a session singer on King Crimson's Lizard album, on the track "Prince Rupert Awakes", as it was outside the range of the then Crimson vocalist, Gordon Haskell.
In September 1975, Anderson guested on the Vangelis album Heaven and Hell.
When Anderson and Wakeman left Yes early 1980, Anderson started recording again with Vangelis and by summer 1980 Jon & Vangelis had released Short Stories, followed in November by Jon's solo album Song of Seven and a major UK tour with The New Life Band.
Guested on Rick Wakeman's 1981 concept album 1984.
In 1983, Jon worked as vocalist for Mike Oldfield's release of "In High Places" from the album Crises, and the song "Shine". He has also guested with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.
The song "Cage Of Freedom" was also featured on the 1984 soundtrack for the re-release of the classic black and white movie Metropolis.
In 1985, Anderson's song "This Time it Was Really Right" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie St. Elmo's Fire. He also sang "Silver Train" and "Christie" on the film soundtrack Scream for Help.
Also in 1985, along with Tangerine Dream he recorded the song "Loved by the Sun" for the film Legend directed by Ridley Scott.
The 1986 film Biggles: Adventures in Time features a song sung by Jon.
In 1987, Jon Anderson guest vocals on "Moonlight Desires" on Gowan's album Great Dirty World.
In 1988, Jon Anderson has a vocal appearance on "Stop Loving You" on Toto's album The Seventh One.
On the 1992 album Dream by Kitarō, Jon adds lyrics and vocals to the songs "Lady of Dreams", "Island of Life" and "Agreement".
In 1994 Jon Anderson sang on the 7th Level children's video game Tuneland.
In 1999 while 4Him was recording the song "The Only Thing I Need" for the special multi-group album "Streams", Jon Anderson offerd his assistance as vocalist for the main chorus.
In 2004, Anderson appeared with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra of Cleveland. The concert was recorded and released for the orchestra members, but was never publicly released, to the dismay of many concert attendees.
In 2006, Animation was finally released on CD but was sourced from a worn vinyl record. The mastering was also poorly done and was overly loud and distorted. The second pressing used a better source although the sound quality still leaves a lot to be desired. Voiceprint denies any differences between pressings.
In a 2006 tour, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (East Coast Troupe) got Anderson to appear in 2 concerts on December 16 in Philadelphia, PA to play "Roundabout".
In 2007, Anderson toured with The Paul Green School of Rock Music, finishing the tour with two sold out shows at B. B. King's Bar and Grill in New York City.
He also contributed vocals to the new album from American Progressive rock group Glass Hammer "Culture of Ascent".
Currently Jon is on tour for a second time with The Paul Green School of Rock Music
Jon appears on the new Dream Theater album Systematic Chaos, as part of a vocal ensemble on the fifth track "Repentance". The album was released on June 5th, 2007.
On the 2008 album Namah by Peter Machajdik, Jon adds lyric and vocal to the song "Sadness of Flowing".
Jon also contributed lyrics, musical collaboration and vocals in 2008 on the remaster of the former Blue Oyster Cult keyboardist Tommy Zvoncheck's CD, titled "ZKG."
Family
Jon Anderson's children include daughter Deborah Anderson (who has done work singing for the French electronica band Télépopmusik on the album Angel Milk, released in summer 2005), Jade Anderson (who has released a solo album in Japan) and Damion Anderson (also a musician).
Health and spirituality
Anderson was a smoker in the 1960s and 70s but now prides himself on a much healthier lifestyle. In the mid 70s, Anderson became a vegetarian, as did most members of Yes; however in a recent interview he states, "I was a veggie for a while, but again I grew out of that. But I do eat very healthy." [7] In an 16 August 2006 interview on The Howard Stern Show Jon said he eats meat, mostly fish on occasion. In the interview, he also stated he had a spiritual adviser that "helped him see into the fourth dimension". To this day, before live performances he often meditates in a tent with crystals and dreamcatchers, a practise he started in the 1980s. He considers himself to be part of the "elf culture" and this revelation occurred during a trip on mushrooms, which he experimented with once a year until recent years. Jon attributes certain abilities, including being able to play the piano, to a back injury. Anderson now refers to the reason for Yes's breakup(s) to be from over-touring. His current projects include a rock fantasy camp. Anderson's religious beliefs are syncretic and varied, including respect for the Divine Mother Audrey Kitagawa.[8] He has worked with the Contemporary Christian music band 4HIM: in 1999, his vocal was featured on the song "The Only Thing I Need", which appeared on a various artists CD entitled Streams.
One of Anderson's passions is his painting and uses his art as yet another channel for his creativity and self expression. His artwork is available to view on his official website.
On May 13, 2008, Anderson suffered a severe asthma attack which required a stay in the hospital. According to Yes' website, he is "currently at home and resting comfortably."[9] Yes' planned summer 2008 tour was subsequently cancelled, with the press release saying, "Jon Anderson was admitted to the hospital last month after suffering a severe asthma attack. He has now been diagnosed with acute respiratory failure and was told by doctors this weekend that he needs to rest and not work for a period of at least six months or suffer further health complications."[10] In September 2008 John wrote that he's "so much better...so grateful and so blessed...I look forward to 2009 for the “Great Work” to come."
Posted January 2, 2010:
Since 2007, Jon has been collaborating with Alimar. Their repertoire includes orchestration of Jon's drafts by Alimar, brain-storming, and bringing to fruition new ideas and joint musical compositions, and the addition of Jon's vocals included on Alimar's songs.
Discography
With Yes:
Yes (1969)
Time and a Word (1970)
The Yes Album (1971)
Fragile (1971)
Close to the Edge (1972)
Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973)
Relayer (1974)
Going for the One (1977)
Tormato (1978)
90125 (1983)
Big Generator (1987)
Union (1991)
Talk (1994)
Keys to Ascension (1996)
Keys to Ascension 2 (1997)
Open Your Eyes (1997)
The Ladder (1999)
Magnification (2001)
With Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe:
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (1989)
An Evening of Yes Music Plus (1993)
Solo:
Olias of Sunhillow (1976)
Song of Seven (1980)
Animation (1982)
3 Ships (1985)
In The City of Angels (1988)
The Best of South America (1994)
Deseo (1994)
Change We Must (1994)
Angels Embrace (1995)
Toltec (1996)
Lost Tapes of Opio (1996)
The Promise Ring (1997)
Earth Mother Earth (1997)
The More You Know (1998)
Animation (Re-Release on CD) (2006)
The Lost Tapes (20 CD Box) (2006-2007)
With Kitaro:
Dream (a.k.a. Lady of Dreams) (1992)
With Mike Oldfield:
Crises (1983)
"Shine" (1986)
With Tangerine Dream:
Legend (1986)
With King Crimson:
Lizard (1970)
With Vangelis:
Heaven and Hell (1975) - Vangelis album with Anderson vocals on one track
See You Later (1980)
Jon & Vangelis:
Short Stories (1980)
The Friends of Mr. Cairo (1981)
Private Collection (1983)
The Best of Jon & Vangelis (1984)
Page of Life (1991)
Chronicles (1994)
Page Of Life (1998) - alternate version not approved by Vangelis
With The Fellowship
In Elven Lands (2006)
Meeting
Jon Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Surely I could tell when I sleep tonight
A dream will call and raise it's head in majesty
Dividing all my energy
To the meeting of Your love
Where from whence it came
Like a singer searching for a song
I try to reach where You belong
As I will be the song for You
I will be Your servant child
No, oh no
I cannot be deceived
No, oh no
There's something that I feel
There's something that I feel inside
Surely I could tell
If you ask me, Lord
To board the train
My life, my love would be the same
As I could be the one for You
In the meeting of Your love
In the meeting of Your love
A dream will call and raise it's head in majesty
Dividing all my energy
To the meeting of Your love
Where from whence it came
Like a singer searching for a song
I try to reach where You belong
I will be Your servant child
No, oh no
I cannot be deceived
No, oh no
There's something that I feel
There's something that I feel inside
Surely I could tell
If you ask me, Lord
To board the train
My life, my love would be the same
As I could be the one for You
In the meeting of Your love
In the meeting of Your love
The lyrics of Jon Anderson & Rick Wakeman's song 'The Meeting' can be interpreted as a spiritual and emotional exploration. The title 'The Meeting' refers to the meeting of one's self with a higher power or 'Your love'. The first lines of the song reveal the uncertainty of the singer: 'Surely I could tell when I sleep tonight/A dream will call and raise it's head in majesty'. The dream may represent a spiritual awakening, a call to embrace a greater meaning in life.
The second verse finds the singer searching for their place in the world, seeking to connect with something beyond themselves: 'Like a singer searching for a song/I try to reach where You belong/As I will be the song for You/I will be Your servant child'. The idea of being a 'servant child' suggests a willingness to submit to a higher power and to serve a greater purpose.
The final lines of the song express the singer's conviction that they are on the right path: 'No, oh no/I cannot be deceived/No, oh no/There's something that I feel/There's something that I feel inside'. This may represent the singer's faith or intuition, or both.
Overall, 'The Meeting' is a song about spiritual exploration and the search for greater meaning and purpose in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Surely I could tell when I sleep tonight
I am certain that in my sleep tonight, I will have a dream that will reveal something important to me
A dream will call and raise it's head in majesty
A significant dream will occur and seem grand
Dividing all my energy
The dream will consume all of my mental and emotional power
To the meeting of Your love
This dream will pertain to an encounter with divine love
Where from whence it came
The source of this love may be ambiguous or unknown
Like a singer searching for a song
In my pursuit of this love, I am like a musician looking for their perfect melody
I try to reach where You belong
I attempt to connect with where this love originates
As I will be the song for You
I am willing to be a vessel for expressing and embodying this love
I will be Your servant child
I am humbly offering myself to be of service in the name of this love
No, oh no
I am emphatically declaring something negative
I cannot be deceived
I am confident that I cannot be misled or fooled
There's something that I feel
I have a strong sensation or intuition about something
There's something that I feel inside
This sensation is deep within me and not easily articulated
Surely I could tell
I am convinced that I will be able to recognize the truth of the matter
If you ask me, Lord
If prompted by a higher power or authority
To board the train
To embark on a new journey forward
My life, my love would be the same
Regardless of the path I take, my existence and affection would remain constant
As I could be the one for You
I may have the potential to fulfill a meaningful role in relation to this love
In the meeting of Your love
In an encounter with this love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIAM SCOTT BRUFORD, RICK WAKEMAN, JON ANDERSON, STEVE JAMES HOWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@Mary_Not_Contrary
Surely I could tell
When I sleep tonight
A dream will call
And raise it's head in majesty
Dividing all my energy
To the meeting of your love
Where from whence it came
Like a singer searching for a song
I try to reach where you belong
As I will be the song for you
I will be your servant child
No, oh no
I cannot be deceived
No, oh no
There's something
That I feel
There's something that I feel inside
Surely I could tell
If you ask me Lord
To board the train
My life my love would be the same
As I will be the one for you
In the meeting of your love
In the meeting of your love 🤍🕊
@Jagermeister058
In a million years we will still listen to this.
@jan-martinulvag1953
No dreams are not reality, neither is fantasy. Every morning when Jon wakes up he does not feel good about life. At all. Then he slowly makes his way into his fantasy/unreality. Why did he stop working with Vangelis? Vangelis is a very sad old man. Only people that dont understand can please these two men. And not very long. Silence is the enemy of Jon. He Has to talk all the time. (lie)
@patrickmurphy1803
GROW UP
@ActivateMission2ThisTimeline
When I pass on this song will be played to honor my wife.
@patrickcostello4146
Such
a beautiful thought! This song remind me of angels.
@leonardopinto3021
A dear friend of mine, many years ago said that the music of YES was sublime,he was right,now he is with the angels listening to this wonderful music.Greeting from ITALY.
@trepichejr
i hear this song since i was a child in 1989, is beautiful, is very important to me, thanks Anderson, thanks Wakeman, this album abwh is wonderful
@MamaEof4
We used this song when we got married in 1991 when I walked down the Isle! It still brings me to tears still!
@overtimefreak2685
Thousands of pianists on this planet, but only one is able to play such fantastic music: Rick Wakeman, Anderson sings like a god....so many memories when I hear his voice! So much records he did make better!
@anatoliyzhalnin8393
Banks and Moraz can