As a 17 year old out of high school, Keaton started thinking about college. He decided on The Evergreen State College, located in Olympia, Washington. The area, which has become known as a fertile breeding ground for music and art, proved perfect to set in motion his initiation into the immense world of music. It was there that Keaton started writing songs. He dove in headfirst, taking on courses ranging from 20th century classical composition to Indonesian gamelan music to jazz and quite a lot in between. Keaton's years at Evergreen not only introduced him to diverse global music but also taught him to incorporate everything into his own sensibilities. Major record labels have accused Keaton of being too diverse to contain.
After an early graduation, it was back to Los Angeles, playing music with old friends like Tre Hardson (of The Pharcyde) and new ones like singer N'Dea Davenport (of the Brand New Heavies), Kim Hill (of the Black Eyed Peas), underground hip-hop legend Medusa and appearing on Jay Leno's TONIGHT SHOW with hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg.
Before Keaton was 21 years old he was asked to compose music for the motion picture Mercy Streets. Labels began to investigate and eventually he landed a deal with Maverick Records. Keaton released a five-song EP with Maverick entitled "Currently". The EP displays a taste of bluesy, rootsy, guitar-driven songs & ballads, with stylish arrangements that showcase his rich, often spooky melodies. Indeed, the disc's delicate, down-home title track is in rotation at radio stations around America. Recently reaching ..1 on the charts of Tucson, AZ's KWMT 92.9 The Mountain.
One of the first to play Keaton's music was influential LA public radio station KCRW, which afforded him the opportunity in early 2005 to play the Universal Amphitheatre supporting Coldplay. Keaton's music has also been featured on LA's ..1 mid-day radio show, KLSX 97.1, "Heidi, Frosty and Frank". Here is where leaks have started of some of the tracks on Keaton's album that were produced by well known producing team, The Matrix. The timing for Keaton's meeting (through a mutual friend) with the Matrix really worked for both. Keaton's songs were thought of as being too alternatively structured to be radio friendly, though many agreed there was something there. The Matrix, just off Avril Lavigne's COMPLICATED, were seeking something to ground them, and reveal the soul in their pop music. The team loved every second of working together, and ended up with an album that was completed just in time for the record label to conclude changes that made releasing such a "big album" impossible. Hence, a move to the beautiful freedom and diversity of CD Baby.
Keaton participated in the 2005 Sundance Film Festival as a part of BMI's annual showcase. Sharing the bill with Vanessa Carlton, Minnie Driver, Joe Firstman and Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service). Keaton is no stranger to the world of film and television. It's kind of the family business. Keaton's little stepsister, Emma Roberts, costars with JoJo in the just completed AQUAMARINE. Emma has an album coming out, featuring songs from her television series UNFABULOUS. Keaton's sister, Morgan Simons, is a culinary artist who tries to feed actresses healthfully enough such that they will not need to name their babies after food!
Keaton's grandfather, Don Garrett, has been publicist to such world renowned sensations as everything from The Supremes to "The Flintstones". Another of Keaton's grandfathers, screenwriter David Rayfiel, wrote such loved films as "Three Days of the Condor" & "Round Midnight", to name a few. Keaton's grandmother, Lila Garrett (whom Keaton immortalized in the song "Joseph" on which Keaton took the opportunity to play all the instruments including drums, bass, piano, guitar and vocals) has credits and Emmy awards as writer/ producer/ director on pretty much every situation comedy from the 1960s to the 2000s. Keaton and his father, Jimmy Simons, had a chance recently to work together when Keaton appeared on Fox Televisions' MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, which Jimmy produces and sometimes directs. Keaton was cast by his episode's director, Bryan Cranston, who also plays "Hal" on the series. Keaton's mother, Eliza Roberts, has made a name for herself as a Hollywood Jane of all trades. From actress to casting director, manager to writer. In her early 20s she became producer of the pre-MTV phenomenon "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert". With baby Keaton in tow, Eliza's show hosted live performances from such acts as Chuck Berry, James Brown, The Brothers Johnson, Donna Summers, Abba, Natalie Cole, and featured early comedy by David Letterman, Andy Kaufman, Michael Keaton and almost Robin Williams - but no one could quite figure out what his act was.
Beyond MALCOLM, like many musicians today, Keaton has crossed over into the world of acting, having performed a heart-stopping rendition of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" on NBC's acclaimed "American Dreams". Keaton will also be seen starring in Henry Jaglom's upcoming feature film, "Hollywood Dreams" (Lots of "dreams" needed to sort through some of the harsh realities of our world these days, it would seem). Keaton's earliest work features his mother, Eliza (Garrett), three months pregnant with him, when she appeared as "Brunella, at the desk" in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE.
Brilliant Blue
Keaton Simons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This page I've yet to fill
With words describing thoughts
That dread
To leave my head
You leave me, dear, un-led
You are an ocean song
I can sing it all night long
In sound balloons
Then you feed me the moon
With a spoon
Overwhelm me
Show and tell me
Let me breathe the brilliant blues again
Up in arms
Don't see the harm
So let me dream a scene from life back then
I want to sleep on a train
Let the whistle blow my brain
And I would dream of blurring trees
And twisted greed
That brings me to my knees
I want to move like a snake
Every bleeding red heart I'll break
I'll slither through the dim lit night
I'll curl up tight
And shake before I strike
Overwhelm me
Show and tell me
Let me breathe the brilliant blues again
Up in arms
Don't see the harm
So let me dream a scene from life back then
The song "Brilliant Blue" by Keaton Simons is a melancholic expression of the artist's feelings of being stuck, unable to put his thoughts into words that would make sense to others. In the opening verse, he likens his thoughts to something that "dreads to leave my head," highlighting his inability to express himself to his dear one who seems to have left him alone. The central theme of the song revolves around his pain and longing to feel something again, symbolized by the overwhelming blues of the ocean or the strong emotions he once felt.
As the song progresses, he describes his desire to escape from his current state of mind and go back to a simpler, more romantic time in his life. He wants to sleep on a train and let the whistle "blow his brain," indicating his need for a mental reset. He craves the beauty of nature, the twisted trees, and the view from his memories. He longs to feel alive again, to move like a snake, and break every heart of those who hurt him.
The repeated refrain of the song, "Overwhelm me, show and tell me, let me breathe the brilliant blues again," is the yearning that underlines the whole song. He wants to feel too much, to become overwhelmed by the world's beauty and be drowned in its colors like an ocean, to be able to express his emotions freely. The melancholic tune, coupled with the stripped-back instruments of the song, enhances the somber feel of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I am standing still
I am in a stationary position
This page I've yet to fill
I have not filled this page with words yet
With words describing thoughts
The words that are needed to describe thoughts
That dread
That cause fear or worry
To leave my head
To be expressed or shared with others
You leave me, dear, un-led
You are not leading me
You are an ocean song
You are a song that invokes the ocean
I can sing it all night long
I can sing your song all night long
I see the tune march through the room
I see the melody moving through the room
In sound balloons
It feels like sound is like balloons floating in the room
Then you feed me the moon
You inspire me with a sense of wonderment
With a spoon
You gently give it to me
Overwhelm me
Let me be consumed by the experience
Show and tell me
Show me, let me be included in the experience
Let me breathe the brilliant blues again
Let me experience the good times again
Up in arms
I am upset, angry, or defensive
Don't see the harm
I cannot see the negative impacts or consequences
So let me dream a scene from life back then
Allow me to remember what life was like before
I want to sleep on a train
I want to sleep while traveling on a train
Let the whistle blow my brain
Let the sound of the train whistle captivate my mind
And I would dream of blurring trees
My dreams will be filled with the imagery of trees passing by
And twisted greed
And the corrupting influence of money
That brings me to my knees
That overwhelms me with emotion
I want to move like a snake
I want to dance with the same energy and fluidity as a snake
Every bleeding red heart I'll break
I will break hearts along the way
I'll slither through the dim lit night
I will move through the dark night with ease
I'll curl up tight
I will coil up for rest
And shake before I strike
I will be ready to strike after I shudder
Contributed by Evelyn T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Drake Ardian
Have you got the full version of the song?