Widely regarded as one of the most creative musicians of his generation, Ju… Read Full Bio ↴Widely regarded as one of the most creative musicians of his generation, Julian Lloyd Webber has collaborated with an extraordinary array of musicians from Yehudi Menuhin, Lorin Maazel, Neville Marriner, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Georg Solti to Stephane Grappelli, Elton John and Cleo Laine.

Julian has made many outstanding recordings including his Brit-Award winning Elgar Concerto conducted by Yehudi Menuhin (chosen as the finest ever version by BBC Music Magazine) the Dvorak Concerto with Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic, Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations with the London Symphony under Maxim Shostakovich and a coupling of Britten's Cello Symphony and Walton's Concerto with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, which was described by Gramophone magazine as "beyond any rival". Julian has also recorded several highly successful CD's of short pieces for Universal Classics including Made In England, Cello Moods, and Cradle Song: "It would be difficult to find better performances of this kind of repertoire anywhere on records of today or yesterday" - Gramophone.

Julian has given more than fifty works their premiere recordings and has inspired new compositions for cello from composers as diverse as Malcolm Arnold and Joaquin Rodrigo to James MacMillan and Philip Glass. Recent concert performances have included three further works composed for Julian - Michael Nyman's Double Concerto for Cello and Saxophone on BBC Television, Gavin Bryars' Concerto in Suntory Hall, Tokyo and Philip Glass's Concerto at the Beijing International Festival. Julian's recording of the Glass concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic conducted by Gerard Schwarz was released on the Orange Mountain label in September 2004.

Julian’s most recent recording, Phantasia, is based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera and features violinist, Sarah Chang. This is available on EMI and is the first of several planned recordings that Julian will be making for EMI Classics. His new EMI disc, Unexpected Songs, featuring 21 tracks, including collaborations with harpist Catrin Finch and singer Michael Ball will be released in June this year.
Julian Lloyd Webber plays the ‘Barjansky’ Stradivarius cello of c.1690.

www.julianlloydwebber.com

Starlight Express
Julian Lloyd Webber Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When your good nights have been said
And you are lying in bed
With the covers pulled up tight
And though you count every sheep
You get the feeling that sleep
Is gonna stay away tonight

That's when you hear it coming

That is when you hear the humming
Of the midnight train
Here again
Can't explain that midnight train
That midnight train

Starlight express, starlight express
Are you real? Yes or no?
Starlight express, answer me yes
I don't want you to go

Come try to take me away
But bring me back before day
Light and fill the time between
Take me to everywhere
But don't abandon me there
Just want to say I've been

I believe in you completely
Though I may be dreaming sweetly
Of the

Starlight express, starlight express
Are you real? Yes, or no?
Starlight express, answer me yes
I don't want you to go

And if your there
And if you know
Then show me which way
I should go

Starlight express, starlight express
Are you real? Yes, or no?
Starlight express, answer me yes
I don't want you to go

Starlight express, starlight express
Are you real? Yes, or no?

Starlight express, answer me yes
I need you to be here

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Julian Lloyd Webber's "Starlight Express" speak of a person lying in bed, unable to sleep while trying to count sheep. In the middle of the night, the person hears the sound of the midnight train coming. The train represents the idea of a magical journey that can take the person anywhere in the world. The lyrics further state that the person believes in the train and the journey it represents, even if they are only dreaming.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Starlight Express, are you real?" which is a question to the train, asking if it is truly possible to experience such an amazing journey. The person continues to express their desire to experience the magic that the train represents, but they also fear being abandoned in some unknown place.

Overall, the song is a dreamy and reflective one. It speaks to the human desire for adventure and magic, and how we sometimes struggle with the fear of the unknown.

Line by Line Meaning

When your good nights have been said
After you have said your final good nights

And you are lying in bed
While you are lying down in bed

With the covers pulled up tight
Underneath the covers wrapped up tightly

And though you count every sheep
Even if you try to sleep by counting sheep

You get the feeling that sleep
You have a sensation that your sleep

Is gonna stay away tonight
Won't come to you tonight

That's when you hear it coming
At that moment, you hear the sound

That is when you hear the humming
That is when you hear the low buzzing noise

Of the midnight train
Generated by the midnight train

Here again
The train has returned

Can't explain that midnight train
Can't describe that train which comes at midnight