Popular during the mid 1980s in continental Europe, Matt Bianco epitomised the new jazz pop genre that they shared with Working Week, Sade, Everything but the Girl and The Style Council. The band name suggests that Matt Bianco is a personal name, but Matt is "a made up spy, a secret agent; we loved spy TV themes and film scores"
The Early Years
Formed by the late Kito Poncioni (bass), Mark Reilly (vocals), and Danny White (keyboards) in 1982 out of the shards of the abandoned art poppers Blue Rondo á la Turk, for their first album Whose Side Are You On?, they hired unknown Polish vocalist Basia Trzetrzelewska. Her vocal arrangements gave the album a jazzy dimension that Reilly and White could not anticipate but made good use of. Mixmaster Phil Harding applied what would become his signature style to the recordings. Hits like "Get Out of Your Lazy Bed" and "Half a Minute" (which Basia would feature live throughout her career) turned Matt Bianco into one of the biggest acts of Europe in 1984.
Basia and Danny White left the group after the first album to pursue a lucrative solo career with Sony under the name Basia on the Epic label. They maintained their working relationship with Phil Harding, who would continue to work with Matt Bianco as well. Mark Reilly, now without a musical partner, found ex-Wham keyboarder and session musician, Mark Fisher, and recorded the next (self-titled) Matt Bianco album.
The Reilly-Fisher Years
With Mark Fisher replacing White and Trzetrzelewska, the sound changed considerably. Fisher, a keyboardist, composer and studio wizard contributed a more contemporary sound, compared to that of the early Matt Bianco. The use of synthesizers increased notably: Yamaha's DX-7 can be heard providing the slap bass in most songs, but the choice of noted studio musicians remained consistent with Ronnie Ross being the most prominent example. After the first album, they took a 13 piece band on to a European tour that saw them perform in front of an audience of more than 250,000 attendees in total.
As Matt Bianco was a household name in Europe, Warner Brothers thought it was time to market them in the U.S.. They hired Gloria Estefan's husband and producer Emilio Estefan to produce a few songs and recorded the album Indigo, with the Estefan productions being chosen as singles. 1988's "Don't Blame it on That Girl" and "Good Times" only made a moderate impact apart from "Wap-Bam-Boogie", which did well on the dance charts. After another album with Warner Brothers - the fractured Samba in Your Casa (1991), Reilly and Fisher split from their record company and went freelance. From then on, they would record their albums in their own studios and then offer them to independent distributors worldwide.
Now they had total artistic freedom but commercial success was harder to achieve: They scored contracts with ZYX Music and Intercord in Europe, and Victor Entertainment in Asia but failed to sign on with another major label. The next albums did not sell that well in Europe, but they created a loyal fan base in Japan and the rest of Asia. The albums Another Time Another Place, Gran Via, World Go Round, A/Collection, Rico, and Echoes sold well enough for a comfortable lifestyle in the south east of England. After twenty years recording and touring, Mark Fisher started to crave a different lifestyle and the two split amicably.
Basia/MB Reunion
Initiated by a mutual friend, Basia and Danny White joined with Mark Reilly to reform the "original" Matt Bianco in 2003 signing to the Emarcy label. In 2004, Matt Bianco released the album Matt's Mood, which featured well-crafted adult-contemporary/jazz numbers in the spirit of their first album. This was accompanied by an extensive PR exercise, giving the album plenty of airtime. The following year, they embarked on a world tour, which included stops in the UK, Japan, and the U.S.
The Present
After the success of Matt's Mood, Basia and Danny White left Matt Bianco again to reinvigorate the Basia franchise. Mark Reilly and Mark Fisher were back as a duo and released Hi-Fi Bossanova in 2009. In November 2012 they will be releasing Hideaway, their 12th album.
Kaleidoscope
Matt Bianco Lyrics
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Kaleidoscope, dreamin'
I close my eyes I'm sleepin'
Driftin' subconscious sleep
I'm running into danger
Slow motion and I can't break free
Somebody's next to me
Her head is on my shoulder
I turn and then I'm falling
Into a dream
That is not what seems
When you're just
Out of reach
Kaleidoscope, dreamin'
Kaleidoscope, dreamin'
I see you in the distance
You're laughin' back at me
You're in a crowd of people
I get a deep anxiety
The more I try to reach you
You move away from me
I try to call your name but
No one can hear me calling
Into a dream
That is not what seems
When you're just
Out of reach
Kaleidoscope, dreamin'
Kaleidoscope, dreamin'
Kaleiiiiiiiiiiiiiiidoscope, dreeeeeeeeeeamin'
Kaleiiiiiiiiidoscope, dreamin'
Dreamin'
You've got me thinkin'
That I'm sleepin'
Always double dealin'
That I'm sneakin'
Oh, heavy breathin'
Runnin' and a screamin'
Kaleidoscope, dreamin') dreamin' (dreamin' dreamin')
Kaleidoscope, (kaleidoscope double dealin') dreamin' (oh, heavy breathin')
Kaleidoscope, (oh, double dealin') dreamin' (dreamin' dreamin')
Dreamin'
Dreamin'
Kaleidoscope, dreamin'
Kaleidoscope, dreamin'
Kaleidoscope, dreamin'
Kaleidoscope, dreamin'
The lyrics to Matt Bianco's song Kaleidoscope describe a dreamlike state where the singer is caught in a kaleidoscope of emotions and experiences. The kaleidoscope represents the fragmented and changing nature of dreams, as the singer finds himself unable to escape danger and unable to reach the people he cares about. The repetition of the phrase "Kaleidoscope, dreamin'" creates a sense of trance-like disorientation, which mirrors the feeling of being caught in a dream where nothing is as it seems.
The first verse describes the singer's struggle to escape danger, but he finds himself trapped in slow motion and unable to break free. He sees his own reflection and someone next to him, but when he turns around, he falls into a dream that is not what it seems. The second verse describes the singer's attempt to reach someone he cares about, but he is unable to communicate and feels deep anxiety. He tries to call their name, but no one can hear him calling.
Overall, the lyrics of Kaleidoscope evoke a sense of confusion, disorientation, and anxiety, which are typical of dreams. The repeated use of the phrase "Kaleidoscope, dreamin'" creates a hypnotic effect that reinforces the idea that the singer is caught in a dreamlike state.
Line by Line Meaning
Kaleidoscope, dreamin'
The singer is in a dream-like state, where their thoughts and perceptions are constantly shifting and changing.
I close my eyes I'm sleepin'
The singer is describing the physical act of closing their eyes and losing consciousness as they fall asleep.
Driftin' subconscious sleep
As the singer falls deeper into sleep, their mind begins to wander and their thoughts become less coherent and more abstract.
I'm running into danger
In the dream world, the artist is encountering situations that would be dangerous if they were real, but which are not actually harmful since they are just a product of their subconscious mind.
Slow motion and I can't break free
The artist is struggling to move or act in a normal way within the dream, which gives them a sense of helplessness or fear.
I see my own reflection
The singer is looking at themselves from a detached perspective, as if they are observing their own thoughts and feelings from outside their own body.
Somebody's next to me
The singer is not alone within the dream - there is another person there who is interacting with them in some way.
Her head is on my shoulder
The other person within the dream is physically close to the artist and is showing them some form of affection or intimacy.
I turn and then I'm falling
Something unexpected happens within the dream, causing the artist to lose their balance or sense of direction and start to fall or stumble.
Into a dream
That is not what seems
When you're just
Out of reach
The dream world is deceptive and constantly shifting, creating a sense of unreality and distance from the events that are taking place within it.
I see you in the distance
The other person within the dream is separating from the singer, becoming more distant and less accessible.
You're laughin' back at me
The other person within the dream is no longer showing the artist affection or intimacy, but instead is mocking or ridiculing them.
You're in a crowd of people
The other person is now surrounded by other people, which makes them even harder to reach or connect with for the singer.
I get a deep anxiety
The singer is feeling a sense of unease or fear as they try to reach the other person within the dream and are unable to do so.
The more I try to reach you
You move away from me
The harder the singer tries to connect with the other person, the more distant they become.
I try to call your name but
No one can hear me calling
The artist is losing their ability to communicate or be heard within the dream world, making them even more isolated and alone.
You've got me thinkin'
That I'm sleepin'
The artist is beginning to question whether they are still dreaming or if they have woken up and are experiencing reality.
Always double dealin'
That I'm sneakin'
Oh, heavy breathin'
Runnin' and a screamin'
The dream world is causing the singer to experience intense emotions, such as fear or excitement.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BASIA TRZETRZELEWSKA, DANIEL PHILLIP WHITE, MARK VINCENT REILLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind