Moby plays keyboards, guitar and bass guitar. He took his performing name from the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, who is his great-great-granduncle. His work, while focused in general on various forms of electronic music, have explored many other styles.
Early years
Moby used to be in a punk rock band called the Vatican Commandos, which was formed in 1980. The group evolved away from punk in 1989 for electronic music. He realized his music tastes and growth were going in a different direction than his previous band's vibe, and he broke off on his own.
His first album "The Story So Far (aka Moby)" featured the single "Go", which gained popularity in many discos, and earned a spot on the UK charts. The song is so popular that Moby still plays "Go" regularly in his sets. "Go" is a progressive track using the string line from "Laura Palmer's Theme" from the TV drama Twin Peaks.
1994-1998
His first album for the UK based MUTE Records was Everything Is Wrong (which had US distribution via Elektra) , which earned early critical praise and minor commercial success. He followed that up with a hard rock/electronic album called Animal Rights in 1996. In 1997, he released I Like to Score, a collection of music included in movies. Among those tracks was an updated version of the James Bond theme used for the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. However, both Animal Rights and I Like to Score had only limited success and Moby and Elektra parted company however he remained signed to MUTE.
1999-2004
After a decade's worth of music, Moby's breakthrough album was 1999's Play. Mainstream reviewers raved about his talents on the album (released on V2 Records) though some early fans were let down. The album has 18 tracks and was the first album in history to have all of its tracks commercially licensed: "Porcelain," for instance, appeared on TV commercials for Bailey's Irish Cream, Hong Kong's PCCW and Nordstrom, and Volkswagen's MKIV Jetta; "Find My Baby" was on a commercial for American Express featuring golfer Tiger Woods. The album's tracks eventually were accepted in various radio formats, but because of Play's extensive licensing, the album could have been financially successful even without radio play. In addition to fame garnered through its licensing, Play is also notable for its extensive sampling of old blues recordings collected by Alan Lomax. In a 2005 posting on his web site, Moby theorized that his eagerness to license his music is a result of "growing up in poverty."
In 2001, Moby founded the Area:One Festival. It was a popular touring rock festival that featured an eclectic range of musical genres. A second tour was organized for the following year.
In 2001 Moby also earned the ire of Eminem after calling his music misogynistic and homophobic; Eminem later satirized Moby (among others) in "Without Me," calling him a "fag" and questioning his relevance with the claim "Nobody listens to techno." Moby replied that he hadn't played techno since 1992. The two were in a confrontation at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, though Moby expresses respect for Eminem as an artist.
In 2002, Moby briefly had a television show on MTV, Señor Moby's House of Music, which focused mostly on more obscure electronic music. Also in 2002, Moby released 18, an album that had 18 tracks. The most popular song on the album was "We Are All Made of Stars". Moby says he wrote "We Are All Made of Stars" because of the September 11th Terrorist Attacks, which happened on his birthday.
2005
In 2005 Moby released "Lift Me Up", a single from his album Hotel, which featured, in addition to numerous remixes, UK company Digimpro's software. The program allows users to remix the song - using any or all of the samples included—and save it as an MP3 file. Thus unlimited, personalized versions of the title track were possible. Digimpro had previously seen exposure with group Erasure's single "Breathe," allowing users the same ability. Instead of his usual usage of samples, all of the vocals and instruments on "Hotel" were performed live in the studio by Moby and vocalist Laura Dawn, who is the Cultural Director of MoveOn.org.
For certain dates on Moby's 2005 European tour, Liveherenow provided concert goers with CDs of the show 10 minutes after the show finished. Other Mute Records artists like Erasure and Client have previously used this company for similar reasons.
2006
Moby has recently scored the soundtrack for Richard Kelly's upcoming movie 'The Southland Tales'. Whilst he is generally against composing music for films, he was a huge fan of Kelly's previous film 'Donnie Darko' and could not resist the offer the director gave him.
ITV in the United Kingdom use Moby's song "Lift Me Up" for their coverage of Formula One racing by using the song as the intro. and also snippets to segues for interviews and advertisements.
Also, Moby had one of his older songs used in a Original HBO series, The Sopranos. This song, "When its Cold I'd like to Die" was used in the last scene in which Tony was in his dream state.
Besides music
Moby is a vegan, non-denominational Christian and self-proclaimed "simpleton" (for his often sincere and idealistic political assessments).
Moby lives in New York City. Until recently he co-owned a small restaurant and coffee shop called TeaNY, where he occasionally waited tables. He also organized the Little Idiot Collective, a group of artists that also includes cartoonist and musician James Kochalka. He's a huge fan of the TV series "The Simpsons".
Moby's official website is at moby.com.
Activism
Moby is a well known advocate for a variety of progressive causes, working with MoveOn.org, and PETA, among others. He created MoveOn Voter Fund's "Bush in 30 Seconds" contest along with singer Laura Dawn and MoveOn Executive Director Eli Pariser.
He also actively engages in nonpartisan activism. He has performed benefit concerts for the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, promoting music therapy. Moby also serves on the Board of Directors of Amend.org, a nonprofit that implements injury prevention programs in Africa.
He is an advocate of network neutrality and he testified before the US House committee debating the issue in 2006.
Southside
Moby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See the light come over now
See myself in the pouring rain
I watch hope come over me
Here we are now going to the east side
I pick up my friends and we start to ride
Ride all night we ride all day
Here we are in the pouring home
I watch the light man fall the comb
I watch a light move across the screen
I watch the light come over me
Here we are now going to the west side
Weapons in hand as we go for a ride
Some may come and some may stay
Watching out for a sunny day where there's
Love and darkness and my sidearm
Hey, elan
Here we are now going to the north side
I look at my friends as they start to ride
Ride at night we ride all day
Looking out for a sunny day
Here we are now going to the south side
I pick up my friends and we hope we won't die
Ride at night, ride through heaven and hell
Come back and feel so well
"Moby – Southside" is a song that features a unique mix of electronic beats and punk-style lyrics written by Richard Hall, popularly known as Moby. The song is a reflection of Moby's distinctive musical style, combining disparate genres, and influences, including punk, pop, and electronic music. The song is about hope and perseverance and features lyrics that reflect the tension and energy of different parts of New York City.
The verse "See myself in the pouring home, see the light come over now, see myself in the pouring rain, I watch hope come over me" portrays the artist's optimistic view. The lyrics reflect a hope that comes over an individual in times of distraught, or despair, symbolized through rain or the pouring home. In contrast, the chorus of the song reflects the energy of New York City and its different neighborhoods, from the east to the west to the north to the south, indicating the dynamic life and diversity of the city.
In conclusion, "Southside" is a song of hope, energy, and perseverance. The lyrics paint a picture of different parts of New York City, the challenges its inhabitants face, and the hope for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
See myself in the pouring home
I see my reflection in my surroundings
See the light come over now
I notice a change in my environment
See myself in the pouring rain
I watch myself in the midst of adversity
I watch hope come over me
I feel optimistic about the future
Here we are now going to the east side
We move towards a new area
I pick up my friends and we start to ride
I gather my companions to join me
Ride all night we ride all day
We journey endlessly
Some may come and some may stay
People may join or leave us along the way
Here we are in the pouring home
We are back to where we started
I watch the light man fall the comb
I observe a person performing a task
I watch a light move across the screen
I see a light illuminating a display
I watch the light come over me
I feel a positive change in my mood
Here we are now going to the west side
We move towards a new direction
Weapons in hand as we go for a ride
We prepare ourselves for any situation
Watching out for a sunny day where there's
We hope for a better future
Love and darkness and my sidearm
I am ready to face challenges
Hey, elan
An expression of confidence or excitement
Here we are now going to the north side
We venture to another area
I look at my friends as they start to ride
I observe my companions as they move forward
Looking out for a sunny day
We anticipate a brighter future
Here we are now going to the south side
We head towards a new destination
I pick up my friends and we hope we won't die
I gather my friends and we hope to make it through
Ride at night, ride through heaven and hell
We journey through all circumstances
Come back and feel so well
We return victorious and satisfied
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RICHARD MELVILLE HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jasonwallace6585
One of the tracks of a generation. Bedrock 13 in MATTER
@jordipous8484
Renaissance Desire - Dave Seaman
@tantabi2531
Still have this on vinyl used to play it out in my club gigs back in the day
@Bjaminny
This is such a great piece of electronic music. 3 words...... John. Digweed. Twilo. :)
@thomasantz6661
Still one of the greatest songs ever!
@c1h9o8b0i
Oh wow how time flies! How I wish it was 2000 all over again. Fantastic Remix! Was looking all over for it. Thanks a million!
@JurassicTrance
Infinitely better than the original
@andrejristic278
excellent remix by pete heller
@moviegirl5629
Love this version the best, always!
@chrisgti16v
Thanks for sharing in HD, takes me back this song... Hairs on the back of the neck job when I listened to that :)