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.
Luna
Matt Bianco Lyrics
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Watch the river flowing
Its reflections
Shine into my eyes
I see clearer
When you hold the mirror
We can reach the stars up in the sky tonight
You're looking down
I know You're watching over me
La Luna is it a mild case of madness'
La Luna You take me out of the darkness
Move on I tried to
But I'm lost without you
You're my guide, my light
I'm there when you call
So hold me closer
'Till the dance is over
On a night like this
Don't ever let me go
All around the universe
You're looking down
I know You're taking care of me
La Luna is it a mild case of madness'
La Luna You take me out of the darkness
'Till the night is gone don't ever let me go
'Till the night is gone don't ever let me go
Don't let me go
Until the day is dawning let me dance
Until I can no more
The lyrics to Matt Bianco's song La Luna convey a sense of comfort and guidance. The soft glow of the moon and the flowing river serve as a reflection of the singer's inner thoughts and emotions. The moon acts as a symbol of guidance, watching over the singer and taking them out of the darkness. The singer speaks of their dependency on this guidance and how it helps them see more clearly. They express their desire to be held close and never let go, as if afraid of losing this source of light in the darkness.
The chorus repeats the idea that the moon is a mild form of madness, but it is also what brings the singer out of the darkness. This suggests that sometimes it takes a bit of madness or unconventional thinking to break through difficult situations. The references to the universe and the moon bring a sense of grandeur to the song, as if the singer is not just seeking guidance from a single source but from a greater cosmic power.
Overall, the lyrics of La Luna are about finding comfort and guidance in difficult times. The moon serves as a metaphor for this guidance and helps the singer navigate their way through the darkness with its glow.
Line by Line Meaning
Softly glowing
The moon is out and shining gently
Watch the river flowing
Looking at the river as it flows alongside
Its reflections
The river's reflection on the water
Shine into my eyes
The reflection is so strong, it's shining into the songwriter's eyes
I see clearer
The moon and reflection are clearing up the artist's vision
When you hold the mirror
The moon (like a mirror) clears up the songwriter's perspective on life
We can reach the stars up in the sky tonight
The moon and the writer are hopeful they can reach their goals tonight
All around the universe
The artist feels the presence of a higher power everywhere
You're looking down
They believe the higher power is watching over them
I know You're watching over me
The artist is confident that a higher power is watching over them
La Luna is it a mild case of madness'
The singer wonders if the moon has an effect on mental health
La Luna You take me out of the darkness
The moon has a positive effect on the songwriter's mood
Move on I tried to
The artist has attempted to move on from something or someone
But I'm lost without you
They find they can't go forward without some sort of guidance
You're my guide, my light
The higher power is their guiding light
I'm there when you call
The artist is always ready to communicate with the higher power
So hold me closer
They want to feel closer to the higher power
'Till the dance is over
The artist wants to keep the connection going even after tonight
On a night like this
The current night is the perfect time to feel this connection
Don't ever let me go
They want to maintain their connection with the higher power indefinitely
Until the day is dawning let me dance
The artist has a feeling of joy that they want to express and continue until sunrise
Until I can no more
They want to continue the feeling of joy until they are physically unable to
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID GRAEME D'ATH, JOHN WILLIAM HALVORSEN, NICHOLAS GRATTAN ROUGHAN, DAVID ALAN WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind