Naked City was an avant-garde music group from New York City, New York, Uni… Read Full Bio ↴Naked City was an avant-garde music group from New York City, New York, United States led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn, performed from 1988 to 1993. The ensemble was notable for remaining unconfined to any musical category, juxtaposing unrelated styles of music often within individual compositions at breakneck speed. Its music incorporated recognizable elements of jazz, grindcore, surf, classical, thrash, country music, punk rock and other genres. Carl Stalling has been cited as an influence on Zorn and the work of Naked City.
An embryonic version of Naked City appeared on Rubaiyat: Elektra's 40th Anniversary (1990). Zorn was joined by singer Yamatsuka Eye, guitarist Robert Quine, bass guitarist Bill Laswell and drummer Ted Epstein, for a spastic, caterwauling version of The Stooges' "T.V. Eye".
In Naked City's characteristic early style, songs were often performed at astonishingly fast tempos, drawing heavily on thrash metal and hardcore punk's emphasis on extreme speed. Many songs were quite brief, and typically switched musical genres every few measures, perhaps comparable to spinning a radio dial at random and hearing the same band performing on every station. One critic described Naked City's music as "jump-cutting micro-collages of hardcore, country, sleazy jazz, covers of John Barry and Ornette Coleman, brief abstract tussles — a whole city crammed into two or three minute bursts." This fast-change tendency was inspired in part by Carl Stalling — a Zorn favorite — who wrote music for many Warner Brothers cartoons (featuring Road Runner, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and others); music that featured frequent shifts in tempo, theme and style.
Naked City's eponymous first album was distributed by Elektra Nonesuch and featured a famous Weegee photograph (taken 1943) of a dead gangster on its cover along with macabre illustrations by Maruo Suehiro. There was disagreement between Zorn and the label over cover art on subsequent albums. Zorn wanted to use explicit S&M pictures, images from 19th century medical archives, and execution photographs, most notoriously of a Leng Tch'e victim; Elektra Nonesuch refused. Zorn ended his relationship with Elektra, releasing subsequent Naked City albums on Shimmy Disc and his own Avant and Tzadik labels.
Naked City varied their stylistic approach on later releases. The cover repertoire was expanded to include pieces from various modern classical composers such as Alexander Scriabin, Claude Debussy, Charles Ives and Olivier Messiaen, whose works are featured on the album Grand Guignol. The album Leng T'che featured a single piece, over 31 minutes in length, of gruelingly slow heavy metal. Torture Garden was made up of several "hardcore miniatures," and Absinthe was ambient and noise textures.
Naked City found perhaps their greatest following among the fans of the many death metal, metal and grindcore bands with which they performed, such as Blind Idiot God, Napalm Death, Carcass and Live Skull. The appearance of "Osaka Bondage" - taken from the album Torture Garden - on the Earache sampler Grindcrusher 2: The Ultimate Earache helped this to some extent.
Zorn discontinued Naked City after Absinthe in 1993 when he felt "... the need to write music for other ensembles, in other contexts, with new ideas." A brief reunion occurred in 2003 for a few shows at European jazz festivals.
The original lineup:
John Zorn - saxophone, vocals, composer;
Bill Frisell - guitar;
Wayne Horvitz - synthesizer, piano;
Fred Frith - bass guitar;
Joey Baron - drums.
Additional members:
Yamataka Eye - vocals (early years);
Mike Patton - vocals (mostly for live shows).
An embryonic version of Naked City appeared on Rubaiyat: Elektra's 40th Anniversary (1990). Zorn was joined by singer Yamatsuka Eye, guitarist Robert Quine, bass guitarist Bill Laswell and drummer Ted Epstein, for a spastic, caterwauling version of The Stooges' "T.V. Eye".
In Naked City's characteristic early style, songs were often performed at astonishingly fast tempos, drawing heavily on thrash metal and hardcore punk's emphasis on extreme speed. Many songs were quite brief, and typically switched musical genres every few measures, perhaps comparable to spinning a radio dial at random and hearing the same band performing on every station. One critic described Naked City's music as "jump-cutting micro-collages of hardcore, country, sleazy jazz, covers of John Barry and Ornette Coleman, brief abstract tussles — a whole city crammed into two or three minute bursts." This fast-change tendency was inspired in part by Carl Stalling — a Zorn favorite — who wrote music for many Warner Brothers cartoons (featuring Road Runner, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and others); music that featured frequent shifts in tempo, theme and style.
Naked City's eponymous first album was distributed by Elektra Nonesuch and featured a famous Weegee photograph (taken 1943) of a dead gangster on its cover along with macabre illustrations by Maruo Suehiro. There was disagreement between Zorn and the label over cover art on subsequent albums. Zorn wanted to use explicit S&M pictures, images from 19th century medical archives, and execution photographs, most notoriously of a Leng Tch'e victim; Elektra Nonesuch refused. Zorn ended his relationship with Elektra, releasing subsequent Naked City albums on Shimmy Disc and his own Avant and Tzadik labels.
Naked City varied their stylistic approach on later releases. The cover repertoire was expanded to include pieces from various modern classical composers such as Alexander Scriabin, Claude Debussy, Charles Ives and Olivier Messiaen, whose works are featured on the album Grand Guignol. The album Leng T'che featured a single piece, over 31 minutes in length, of gruelingly slow heavy metal. Torture Garden was made up of several "hardcore miniatures," and Absinthe was ambient and noise textures.
Naked City found perhaps their greatest following among the fans of the many death metal, metal and grindcore bands with which they performed, such as Blind Idiot God, Napalm Death, Carcass and Live Skull. The appearance of "Osaka Bondage" - taken from the album Torture Garden - on the Earache sampler Grindcrusher 2: The Ultimate Earache helped this to some extent.
Zorn discontinued Naked City after Absinthe in 1993 when he felt "... the need to write music for other ensembles, in other contexts, with new ideas." A brief reunion occurred in 2003 for a few shows at European jazz festivals.
The original lineup:
John Zorn - saxophone, vocals, composer;
Bill Frisell - guitar;
Wayne Horvitz - synthesizer, piano;
Fred Frith - bass guitar;
Joey Baron - drums.
Additional members:
Yamataka Eye - vocals (early years);
Mike Patton - vocals (mostly for live shows).
Labyrinth
Naked City Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Labyrinth' by these artists:
(GFRIEND) 멀리서 들려와 달콤한 속삭임 이리 와 ah ah 저리 가 봐…
04 Limited Sazabys ラビリンス 君いない未来 興味ない 気に入らない ラビリンス 君いない未来 興味ない 気に入らない おりこうな読書感想文…
A Constant Storm Enter the maze Renounce all sense of guidance Withstand the …
A Sense of Purpose Suspend your belief in the truth and I promise you You'll…
adel tawil Schon wieder hab' ich mich verlaufen Hier in mei'm Labyrinth…
Adel Tawil & Bozza Schon wieder hab' ich mich verlaufen In diesem scheiß Labyri…
AK-Official Yeah, Volfworks, OneFamRecords, yeah Baby packe mal, wir fli…
Akina Nakamori 夜もない朝もない 影もない 誰かがいる 外された記憶から 声がする 誰かが呼ぶ あっ 拡がっていく Peak 深い場所…
Alesana I'm getting stronger and I'm no longer fighting by myself. F…
Anli Pollicino 窓ガラス指這わせ 覗き込むこの世の群青 泣きついたNailが消えない 今も ザラついた指先に 冷め切った網膜に 汚れ無…
Anomalyst She said "Tonight" "Would you let me break run and free?" Do…
ANTI:AGER Moving underground No-one can be found Labyrinth for the min…
Art Bears Money bought me, Lusts made my labour, Greed sustained me,…
Awake the Dreamer Echoes in my head, a constant hum Can’t shake the feeling…
Ayabie [彩冷える] 咲き乱れて 咲き乱れて 散る恋 儚くて 春の夜に 泣き疲れて 眠ろう 心 傷つき はじまる カタルシス 前に 進めないま…
B.E.N.T. ここは不思議な 時の迷宮 閉ざされた記憶が目覚め なぜここにいる なぜ私なの? 抜け殻の答えが踊る 夢だとしてもいい 過…
Bacleo Yeah, we takin′ over all around the world Yeah, we takin'- Y…
Bella Hardy From shore to shore 'cross all terrain Five hundred times ro…
Brachmond Ich wünsch mir Stift und Papier Bevor ich meinen Weg verlier…
CAHM Oh I feel like I'm lost and I'm running through a…
Carole King What do you think, are we gonna stay lost in…
cher-n-ila ここは不思議な 時の迷宮 閉ざされた記憶が目覚め なぜここにいる なぜ私なの? 抜け殻の答えが踊る 夢だとしてもいい 過…
Cj S.a.y. Why you playin all these games Yeah, grab my hand and…
Convex I'm lost Inside my mind It's a labyrinth When will…
Cryalot Laying in bed it’s 6am Thinking the same thing all day (ohh…
Cure Say it's the same sun spinning in the same sky Say…
cyantific Face just like a diamond Shining tears of joy Never thought …
D-Bridge vs. Concord Dawn / D-Bridge vs. Fierce Nur noch 'ne Sekunde, dann macht alles Sinn Graue Tage, bunt…
Debby Smith Black sky The rain Colder Prosper Cry Your eyes are…
Devi McCallion & Katie Dey Everything u know about the world Every place you’ve been Ev…
DEVILISH TRIO BAKER Standin high above the world as I look upon the…
Deviltears Here I am Lost again Surrounded by sorrows In my dream Lonel…
DINING ROOM 1 - Taylor Swift "It only hurts this much right now" Was what I was…
Direct & Essenger Faint lights in the distance A thin line that separates Your…
Dismemberment Uncertainty, setting in Emotion drifts, from love, to hate N…
Dota und die Stadtpiraten Lass uns rausgehen, ich bin blind und du der Wegefinder. Da…
Dr. Dirty In the Labyrinth of Emotion, I'm hard to find How do…
E.M.U You're my labyrinth とめどなく diving Three, two, one, zero Make…
Eekkoo I can take it overdrive Running out of gasoline Don't k…
Elisa Just like a spy through smoke and lights I escaped through…
End To End I find myself in a new hell trying to adapt…
Enter Shikari Help! The air turns black, The birds drop from the sky This…
Enter Shikari [Take To The Skies 2007] Help! The air turns black, the birds drop from the sky. This…
Famous Last Words The sunrise after this night of hell It's a butcher baby,…
Fumiya Fujii 闇に重なるふたつの影 離れる唇 雲に隠れた月明かりだけが 絆照らす 抱き寄せて 確かめて 別れてゆくだけ また今夜も …
G-Mutek Your Labyrinth Your Labyrinth Your Labyrinth Got me in deep …
Gers Pardoel Daar zit ik dan starend langs de brandende kaarsen in…
GFRIEND 멀리서 들려와 달콤한 속삭임 이리 와 ah ah 저리 가 봐…
ghosts and leviathans Legst mir die Zwangsweste an Kann nicht sein wer ich bin Gem…
Hagalaz Runedance Ein heimlich Ort hab ich geseh'n I'm Walde schlafend die St…
Hagalaz' Runedance Ein heimlich Ort hab ich geseh'n I'm Walde schlafend die Ste…
Hagalaz’ Runedance Ein heimlich Ort hab ich geseh'n I'm Walde schlafend die St…
Hallca 重ねるほど深くなっていく 抜け出せない迷路へ ふたりで迷い込もう 謎めいた日常を 少しずつ溶かし合って 何気ない会話の…
Haste the Day We are unfortunately ever so self-destructive We live inside…
Hélder JoSiKi Eu cansei de estar à procura em caminhos que ñ têm…
Hyperion We don't know the destination Like the tears fall from your…
Illmatic illmat!c: illmat!c bruda sven das team das eigentlich gut i…
Interface If I could have one wish It'd be to bury you And…
J Ich geh' auf Reisen, sag', wo ist die Zeit geblieben? Ich…
Janne Da Arc Kamen no shita no yajuu no hitomi Ayashiku hikaru kemono no…
Juno Reactor The mind is a labyrinth.…
K-Fik Dicker, komm runter! Alles gut! Nein, Mann! Nein, Mann, nei…
Karamel19 (Ouhthisone) Steig' in gelieh'ne Limousin'n und liefer' Lea…
Kate Nash I want to say my will is strong And my kingdom…
KeN feat. Hatsune Miku Set the course, take the lead Guide yourself to find a…
Killing Joke Running through this maze, cry at what i see A civilization…
King Orgasmus One Ich geh' auf Reisen, sag', wo ist die Zeit geblieben? Ich…
Koda A fire burns Heals without tearing house A fire burns In my …
Kontra K Dicker, komm runter! Alles gut! Nein, Mann! Nein, Mann, nei…
Kouichi and Friends Inside this horrible place Each step is a menace Skeletons a…
Koushino Oh Koushino Camaeleon Ey (brrt) Du machst auf Pusher mit de…
Laith Al-Deen Manchmal ist es näher als die hand vor augen Manchmal ist`s…
Leah Crystal tears of the sea A vision washing over me Where the…
Loredana Ich kauf' dein Haus, kauf' deine Frau und kauf' dich…
Loudblast Digging deep inside my own labyrinth, seeking for my phantas…
Luz 零れた理性×交わされる愛× 液(ぬ)れるたび脈を撃つ夜 一度ハマればもう抜け出せない 嗜慾の虜 You never kn…
Lyzanxia Strayed in this infinite labyrinth I heard a distant breath…
M.A.Z.7 You're my labyrinth とめどなく diving Three, two, one, zero Make…
Madsen Das ist die Welt Das ist kein Traum Das ist die Realität …
Madsen - Labyrinth Looking at the starry sky beholding the moon and the…
Main-de-Gloire Oh God can you hear me!? I want to protect you. I…
Mantus Öde verstreichen die Tage An der gestrigen Zeitung am Straße…
Masami Okui kokon toko SUPIIDO wo agesugi na no ka CHIKARA ga genjitsu…
MC Almer An ech laafen Duerch dat Labyrinth Emmer weider well sinn et…
MC Sadri Verrücktes Labyrinth Jeder sucht den Ausweg, die Aussicht De…
Metro Ongen あんまりな事だろ？ 目をそらすなんて 君の血と僕のは同じ赤なのに この惑星は丸くて逃げ場所はないから 花のように根付いて…
Mind Conflict Sticky darkness is crawling Knowing set to be free Inner def…
Miracle Musical See how I circle Imaginary mind Imaginary lines Let the maze…
Miracle Musical [feat. Shane MauX & Kaye] See how I circle Imaginary mind, imaginary lines Let the maz…
MONDO GROSSO Featuring Hikari Mitsushima 見つめないで 哀しい方を 目を瞑って 口づけしよう 甘く溶けるメロディー 引きこまれて 迷宮のパラダイス 出口もなく …
Monolith Worlds bend like corridors Haunting voices whisper words The…
Mr.kitty Blessed with a curse inside a labyrinth Escaping here's…
Nate57 Viele haben sich im Labyrinth verirrt Die Stadt ist kein Sp…
Nazar Nazar: Du kommst dir vor wie in einem Käfig gefangen, Es i…
Nicolas S Sleepwalking through life Today's just a rip-off Yesterday b…
On-j Ich geh' auf Reisen, sag', wo ist die Zeit geblieben? Ich…
Oomph! Links, rechts, geradeaus Du kommst hier nicht mehr raus Link…
OST Blade and Soul Through the mist, into the fire Through the burning realms o…
Pal-e Why you playin all these games Yeah, grab my hand and…
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN II AND III Feels like I've been running in a maze for way…
PLASTIC GIRL IN CLOSET 耳元で囁いて 君のせいにしたっけ 甘い夜の魔法 消えないで 優しい風を待って ふたりで空を舞って あの日だまりの方 ラビ…
Pure Saturday Buta sudah rasa dimana Telah lelah kita percaya Pergi semua …
R.I.G. Your Labyrinth Your Labyrinth Your Labyrinth Got me in deep …
Raider Trampled underneath dystopian crusades Truth buried by chaos…
rha. Wie im Labyrinth so wie im Labyrinth mit dir Irgendwo muss…
Sacrificium Trapped in this labyrinth That we build ourselfs Cryptic w…
sakuraburst Am I free, or am I just lost I agree that…
Semargl No way out from my labyrinth: Broken mirrors reflect a hope…
Serotonin Outlines of destinations Are sketched in our minds where tru…
Soso Mcr (Ey, Soso) (Labyrinth) Ich fahr' mein Weg allein, aber ich …
Spliff Und wieder stehtst du auf dem Bahnsteig Mit einem Koffer in…
Stainless Steel Years you have wasted Groping around in the dark Chasing m…
Stormzone These walls are closing, Outside's no better, I thought I …
Surf Curse I am alive and all my fears they have become Excessive…
Surf Curse - Topic I am alive and all my fears they have become…
Tanzwut Am Eingang steh'n wir - angekommen Dieses soll Dein Anfang s…
Taylor Swift "It only hurts this much right now" Was what I was…
Tchandala Labyrinth Walking strong together Heart and mind with caref…
The Cure Say it's the same sun spinning in the same sky Say…
The Humans Begin the ritual Senses open to the infinite The possibiliti…
Thorn to Liver Months picking up speed And I'm moving for them to see You'r…
Toro y Moi You really wanna be with her You wanted someone who was…
Trivecta There's a man in a cave Pale as moon and enslaved To…
Tøm Feelin’ manic, growing panic, in a world I can’t define Real…
uchuu, "A"というNIGHT."B"というNIGHT. You thinking tonight. "あれ？何で言わない？" …
Ulysse feat. Haze & Eazyono [feat. Haze & Eazyono] Karlsruh', was geht ab? Freiburg, was geht ab? Mannheim, was…
Under A Spell Now you see me, now you don't Visions twisting through my…
Wir sind Helden Ich hab mich in dir verlaufen Wollte unverfroren Deine Haa…
X-Ray Dog Why you playin all these games Yeah, grab my hand and…
Yameii Online I might pull up to the function Hit a new dimension And…
Zero-Project My pulse is rising And my heart is dropping No sight of…
▼Oomph!▼ Links, rechts, geradeaus Du kommst hier nicht mehr raus Link…
♫ Enter Shikari Help! The air turns black, the birds drop from the sky. This…
♫ Oomph! Links rechts gradeaus Do kommst hier nicht mehr raus Links…
ミラクルミュージカル See how I circle Imaginary mind Imaginary lines Let the maze…
中森明菜 夜もない朝もない 彩もない 誰かがいる 外された記憶から 声がする 誰かが呼ぶ あっ 拡がっていく Pea…
奏音69 feat. luz 零れた理性×交わされる愛× 液(ぬ)れるたび脈を撃つ夜 一度ハマればもう抜け出せない 嗜慾の虜 You never kn…
奥井雅美 ここんとこスピードを あげすぎなのか 才能が現実に追いつけなくなってる 『もう嫌だ!』ってあきらめ顔の そんな私よ どう…
彩冷える 咲き乱れて 咲き乱れて 散る恋 儚くて 春の夜に 泣き疲れて 眠ろう 心 傷つき はじまる カタルシス 前に 進めないま…
藤井フミヤ 闇に重なるふたつの影 離れる唇 雲に隠れた月明かりだけが 絆照らす 抱き寄せて 確かめて 別れてゆくだけ また今夜も 迷…
여자친구 멀리서 들려와 달콤한 속삭임 이리 와 ah ah 저리 가 봐…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Naked City:
Blood Duster We are at the summit of the highest mountain We are…
Bonehead Rooaaaaaarr yieeeahh aaaaahhh yoohhh heeeaay Roooooarrrr…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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NJCoogan
Wanted to throw in some details.
Sarah is absolutely attracted to Jareth, and that's because, like you said, she's a teenager who thinks it's super cool to have a rockstar in love with you. If you look really hard, early on in the film you see a newspaper with a picture of a man who looks like Jareth. In the novel it's more explicitly explained that Sarah's mom is an actress who left them for another man (also an actor) and she idolizes both her mom and the boyfriend for their glamorous lifestyle. The newspaper is of her mom and the boyfriend and their stage acting career I guess. So it's a more obvious link to why Jareth looks the way he does and why he's so much older than she is.
Jareth is entirely a creation of Sarah's imagination so he follows the rules that she sets even at the very beginning of the film. Think of a teenage girl writing self insert fanfiction. She says he falls in love with her so he does. It's never supposed to be a real romance so much as a story about Sarah growing up and finding value in herself outside of an imagined romantic relationship.
Jareth is also supposed to be this alluring idea of a glamorous future that Sarah dreams about, but in order to have that life, she would have to abandon Toby, like her mom did. She's there for her in passing and to give her gifts (that music box with the fwoofy dress is one) but not to really raise her. The stepmom is more involved but also pushed Sarah to go on dates that she's just not interested in. So both examples of women in her life are focused entirely on the male figures that they're involved with. Which is something teen girls are pressured to also emulate.
There's a couple of great videos from a show called "stuff you like" on YouTube that goes into more detail, also talks about Labyrinth in the context of the heroes journey if anyone is interested.
Alexa, play Careless Whisper
In a time long long ago a sorcerer named Jareth fell in love with a girl named Sarah. Sarah’s father and step-mother would not let her marry Jareth because they wanted her to keep her, as a servant, to care for their other child. In a fit of rage Jareth kidnapped this other child and spirited it away to the fairy world. In this new world Jareth built a palace for his Sarah. He turned the spoiled child into a goblin, and kept it to be a servant.
Many stories of the fairy world tell us that time moves differently there than in our world (Rip Van Winkle for one). In the time it took for Jareth to build his kingdom, which he may have thought was little more than a few years, Sarah grew old and died.
Overcome by grief and addled by a lifetime spent in a strange world filled with monsters, Jareth goes mad. He refuses to believe that he has lost his love. He searches the mortal world from his castle, looking for her.
Sarah is Hebrew name. So, it is common, and has been in use for thousands and thousands of years. It does not take long (for him) to find a dark haired girl named Sarah, who has a younger sibling, and who feels that she is treated unfairly by her step mother. In a fit of rage he kidnaps this other child and spirits it away to the fairy world. Perhaps this new Sarah dies in the quest to find the child, perhaps she wins her sibling back and flees.
Jareth searches the mortal world from his from his castle, looking for her. It does not take long to find a dark haired girl named Sarah…
This is how Jareth becomes the goblin king. Every goblin in the goblin city is a child Jareth has stolen, who was not recovered by a Sarah. (he told the current Sarah that Toby would become a goblin if she did not find him in time)
This is why he builds the maze. The magic bog, the junk yard of useless treasures, all tricks to slow Sarah down. Because if he can only have his Sarah for the time it takes for her to regain the stolen child, he will make it take as long as possible, keep her as long as possible.
This is why there exists in our world a book containing the story. Because it has happened before. So many times. At some point some lucky Sarah must have returned to our world to tell the story.
This is why when the most recent Sarah first meets Hoggle at the start of the labyrinth, and introduces herself; “I’m Sarah”, Hoggle responds “That’s what I figured.”
Because of course she’s Sarah.
They were all Sarah.
Grunge
What other movies feel a little weird when watching with modern sensibilities?
MCVessels
These aren't modern sensibilities, though. People still watch Labyrinth as a dark fairy tale and, just like the original audiences, they still believe hurling babies in the air is a bad idea outside of fantasy films. They're still generally against tormenting good-natured lunks with bitey things on sticks. And they still think that giving people maggoty, poisoned peaches and casting enchantments on them is pretty sinister.
starrystarrynight52
@Sarah c I know this was three years ago. But I hate Grease. Trying to find someone that agrees with me is impossible, lol. I hate the movie and the whole message of the movie. And the fact that there 20-30 something year-olds still in high school can't be a good message to our kids, lol.
Edward Branscomb
Charlie/Chocolate Factory
iB McFly
Edward Scissor hands....
Jeff Thomas
adams family
Cassadinegirlaz
I would argue that this movie is so enduring exactly because of the things you pointed out. This is Sarah’s coming of age story. She evolves from a selfish person into a good person ready for adulthood without losing her sense of wonder and ability to enjoy fantasy. She stands up to Jareth even though he is a powerful, attractive older man, and in the end, she no longer allows herself to be manipulated by him.
Sarah Kirbach
Great response 👍🏻
Jacky M Friedman
Agree 100%
Jacky M Friedman
My favorite movie