Nico started a successful career as a model in Berlin and Paris, studied acting at Lee Strasberg's New York Actor Studio. She then became part of the Swinging London scene, and had a short relationship with The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones and she recorded her first record in London in 1965, the single I'm Not Saying/The Last Mile, produced by Jimmy Page, for Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham's label Immediate Records. Thanks to Jones she met Andy Warhol in New York City and became part of Warhol's Factory, and Warhol introduced her to the Rock band The Velvet Underground, with whom she recorded the album "The Velvet Underground & Nico", featuring the legendary banana cover designed by Andy Warhol. The album has been named by numerous publications as one of the top 100 albums of all time, and is often considered one of history's 10 most influential albums by critics.
Nico later recorded several solo albums, including the folksy Chelsea Girl in 1967, followed by original albums such as The Marble Index and Desertshore, which were much darker and avant garde in style. She released several more albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including The End..., but died in 1988 from a cerebral hemorrhage after falling from her bike in Ibiza, Spain. She is buried in Berlin, next to her mother.
Solo studio discography:
1967 - Chelsea Girl
1969 - The Marble Index
1970 - Desertshore
1974 - The End...
1981 - Drama of Exile
1985 - Camera Obscura
Live discography:
1974 - June 1, 1974 (with Kevin Ayers, John Cale, and Brian Eno)
1986 - Behind the Iron Curtain
1986 - Live Heroes
1986 - Nico in Tokyo
1989 - Hanging Gardens
1993 - Do or Die!
1994 - Heroine
1994 - Fata Morgana
1994 - Live in Pécs 1985
2000 - In Europe: Do or Die, Diary 1982
2001 - Janitor of Lunacy
2003 - 1972-01-29: Le Bataclan, Paris, France (with Lou Reed and John Cale)
2007 - All Tomorrow's Parties: Live
Lawns of Dawn
Nico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you follow my distresses, my caresses?
Fiery guesses
Swim and sink into
Early morning mercies
He blesses you, he blesses me
The day the night caresses
Caresses you, caresses me
Dawn, your guise has filled my nights with fear
At each closing of my eyes
You never see these pictures in my mind
Can you follow me?
Aside from leaving overdrawn caresses
Aside from having thrown a joke on you and me
Can you follow me?
I cannot understand the way I feel
Until I rest on lawns of dawns
Can you follow me?
The lyrics of Nico's song Lawns of Dawn offer a poetic, abstract exploration of themes such as love, fear, and the passage of time. The singer brings the listener on a journey through the complexities of her emotions, asking for their understanding and their ability to follow her on this inner exploration. The language used is rich in symbolism and metaphors, which invite the listener to interpret the lyrics in their own way while also providing a sense of depth and complexity.
At the beginning of the song, the singer asks her listener if they can follow her, both in her "distresses" and in her "caresses". She then talks about "fiery guesses" that "swim and sink into early morning mercies", which could be interpreted as either dreams or thoughts that are both beautiful and frightening. The singer then references a blessing that is bestowed upon both herself and her listener, and talks about day and night "caressing" them. The idea of being caressed by both light and darkness suggests a sense of duality and balance, but also highlights the singer's vulnerability and the need for human connection.
The second half of the song introduces a new image: that of lawns of dawn. The singer acknowledges her fear of dawn, which fills her nights with fear when she closes her eyes. However, she also recognizes the importance of rest, and how only by lying on these lawns of dawn can she truly understand her feelings. The song ends with the singer once again asking her listener if they can follow her, through love, jokes, and beyond.
Line by Line Meaning
Can you follow me?
Can you understand and empathize with me?
Can you follow my distresses, my caresses?
Can you comprehend my emotional turmoil, my moments of tenderness?
Fiery guesses
Intense speculations
Swim and sink into
Get immersed in
Early morning mercies
The tranquil and soothing aura of the early morning
He blesses you, he blesses me
Nature showers its blessings on all of us
The day the night caresses
The beauty of the day meeting the mystique of the night
Caresses you, caresses me
Embraces every being and comforts them equally
Dawn, your guise has filled my nights with fear
The fear of unknown and unpredictable future lingers along with dawn
At each closing of my eyes
Everytime I try to sleep
You never see these pictures in my mind
No one can visualize the thoughts and feelings of others
Aside from leaving overdrawn caresses
Besides giving inadequate and superficial comfort
Aside from having thrown a joke on you and me
Apart from playing pranks and tricks on us
I cannot understand the way I feel
The complex and inexplicable emotions that I experience
Until I rest on lawns of dawns
Unless I lie down peacefully among the beauty of the early morning
Can you follow me?
Can you understand and support me?
Contributed by Claire T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tommaso Guarducci
[Verse 1]
Can you follow me?
Can you follow my distresses
My caresses, fiery guesses?
Swim and sink into
Early morning messes
[Verse 2]
He blesses you, he blesses me
The day the night caresses
Caresses you, caresses me
Can you follow me?
[Verse 3]
Dawn, your guise has filled my nights with fear
At each closing of my eyes
You never see these pictures in my mind
Can you follow me?
[Verse 4]
Aside from leaving overdrawn caresses
Aside from having thrown a joke on you and me
Can you follow me?
[Verse 5]
I cannot understand the way I feel
Until I rest on lawns of dawns
Can you follow me?
Joseph
When I listen to this album on YouTube,I feel like I engaging in a secret activity I keep from friends and family. Friends and family probably wouldn't get it
It is oddly compelling and beautiful. I keep coming back to it.
nick turnbull
Yes , it's both terrifying and beautiful . What does really matter in our short stay in this life we are so lucky to have ? This record always reminds me of these things and brings me to a beautiful place of great sadness . Thankyou Nico and Cale ,RIP Dear Nico
Maximos Wolfe
“What does really matter in our short stay in this life”
God (father, son, Holy Spirit) ......that’s what
Gamers against Lean Alberta 2007
@Theosis70 Nico was definetely Varging it but maybe some similar concepts there. Definetely a holy ghost of sorts even if it isn't Christian.
joeyrider
What a way to start an album and a whole new career
This is the first song Nico wrote all on her own
Mesmerizing
Collapsible Chair
Marble Index is one of the most forbidding albums I've had the pleasure to hear.
SerialGothQueens
The entire "Marble Index" album will give you such warm nightmares.
Ah, Nico....an artist so ahead of her time....the world has yet to catch up with her.
ForARide
John Cale the Maestro behind this masterpiece. He arranged the complete album (composed and played all instruments apart from Nico's harmonium), also arranging and producing the following Desert Shore and The End albums from her. Together they paved the way what was to become Goth.
I have a playlist named 'Sounds Like Hell' , where I have included quite a few Nico/John Cale tracks, also this one. There are also some early Cale tracks on there, recorded before TMI, where you can hear the origins of these menacing sounds. So anybody interested is welcome to discover some truly creepy stuff: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNINWcxxj9hFkuc-B_ljVUYQOIWwtFPb7
Alejandro Giraldo Orozco
Beautiful Masterpiece.
yuui
she was really a great lyricist.. rest in peace christa