Kershaw played guitar and sang in a number of underground bands from about 1976 before deciding on a career as a songwriter. However, he ended up performing his own songs rather than giving them to others, and signed a deal with MCA Records in 1983, which spawned a debut single, "I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", which just missed out on the UK Top 40. At the beginning of 1984, he made his breakthrough when "Wouldn't It Be Good", featuring a video of Kershaw as a chromakey-suited alien, reached Number 4 in the UK charts. He enjoyed three more Top 20 hits from debut album Human Racing , including the title track and a successful re-issue of his debut single, which ultimately proved his biggest hit as a performer when it got to Number 2 in the UK.
Despite winning awards, attracting admirers for his writing such as Elton John & Eric Clapton. He gainied a huge teenage fanbase, Kershaw was not without his critics. Some complained that he did too much onstage when he had a competent backing band called the Krew to play all the required guitar and keyboard parts of his songs.
Kershaw, who was married to long-time love and backing singer Sheri, then released a single called "The Riddle", which would send fans, journalists and linguists into overdrive, as each tried to establish what the meaning was behind the strange set of circumstances and clues which Kershaw put in the verses and chorus (though it in fact later turned out to be hastily created nonsense). Another major hit, it was also the title track of his second album, which also spawned two more UK Top 10 hits, "Wide Boy" and "Don Quixote".
In July 1985 Kershaw was among performers at Live Aid, Wembley Stadium. His star began to wane soon afterwards and he enjoyed only one more UK Top 40 hit, the debut single from his third album, Radio Musicola. Radio Musicola, despite receiving critical acclaim, was a flop in the UK charts. After this, Kershaw teamed up with 'We Built This City' producer Peter Wolf for his fourth album, The Works. After neither Kershaw or Wolf were happy with the results, Kershaw re-recorded the album with producer Julian Mendelsohn. The Works failed to chart in the UK, but it’s debut single, One Step Ahead, charted at No. 55. The albums failure led to him being dropped by MCA Records.
After The Works, Kershaw retired from recording music in favour of his original career path as a songwriter. His prowess as a songwriter served him well in 1991 when his song The One And Only, appeared on the soundtrack to the Brittish movie Buddy's Song and in the American film "Doc Hollywood", and provided a UK Number 1 single for the star of the film, Chesney Hawkes (son of the Tremeloes' Chip Hawkes). In 1993 The Hollies had a minor hit with another of his songs, The Woman I Love. Kershaw featured prominently as a vocalist on Tony Banks’ album Still, along with penning some of the tracks.
1999 saw the release of the Britpop-styled 15 Minutes, a collection of songs that are generally more personal and mature, and that he could not envisage being recorded by other artists. Both this and the more commercial To Be Frank (2001) are stylistically different from his earlier work by being underpinned by acoustic guitar rather than synthesiser.
These were followed by 'You’ve Got To Laugh', another collection of acoustic-led songs and 'EI8HT', a commercial MOR pop album brought on by the 80s revival and also led to the return of synthesisers in his music. Kershaw released his latest album, Oxymoron, in 2020 and is in the process of releasing a series of EPs, Songs from a Shelf. He still performs regularly.
For more information visit the official site at http://www.nikkershaw.net
Save The Whale
Nik Kershaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The giants live with grace
At peace with peace
At peace with god and men
Their spirits rise and fall
Much greater than us all
They trust too much
Never in a million years, they say
It could never come to this, no way
You should never trust man, my friends
So as I stare to sea
The salt winds call to me
And as they call
I hang my head in shame
Any other would could call their bluff
But any other world would scream enough
The ocean cries louder to me
Save the whale . . . save the whale . . . save the whale . . .save the whale . . . save the whale . . . save the whale . . .
To never kiss and tell
Their factory ship farewell
With every scream
A piece of conscience dies
Lying in a crimson resting place
Crying with a smile upon his face
The giant dies trusting in me
Any other world would call their bluff
But any other world would scream enough
The ocean cries louder to me
Save the whale . . . save the whale . . . save the whale . . .and jesus christ almighty
Save the whale . . . save the whale . . . save the whale . . .
For all our sakes . . . save the whale
The song "Save the Whales" by Nik Kershaw is a heartfelt plea to preserve the majestic and gentle giants of the sea. Kershaw begins by painting a picture of the ocean's "turquoise inner space," a place where the whales live with grace and an unshakable faith in humanity. These creatures, much larger and wiser than human beings, rise and fall with a beauty that surpasses anything we can imagine. However, their very trust in mankind is what leads them to their bitter end, hunted and slaughtered for their meat, oil, and bones.
As Kershaw observes the sea and hears the call of the salt winds, he feels a sense of shame and guilt for what humans have done. Other worlds might call the bluff of those who claim that whale hunting is necessary or humane, but this world seems to lack the courage or the will to stand up to them. The ocean itself cries out for mercy, a cry that can only be answered by saving the whales. The chorus repeats this phrase over and over, as if to emphasize the urgency of the situation and the need for action. In the end, even the weight of tradition and profit cannot justify the killing of these creatures, and Kershaw calls on all of us to act in their defense.
Line by Line Meaning
In the turquoise inner space
Referring to the ocean where the whales live.
The giants live with grace
The whales are peaceful creatures that live calmly in the ocean.
At peace with peace
The whales coexist with nature and live harmoniously with one another.
At peace with god and men
Referring to the peaceful nature of the whales and their ability to live with humans and nature alike.
Their spirits rise and fall
Whales have feelings like humans.
Much greater than us all
The whales are bigger and more powerful than humans.
They trust too much
Referring to the trust the whales have in us as humans not to harm them.
To see their bitter end
Referring to the cruel and inhumane way in which whales are hunted and killed.
Never in a million years, they say
Whales cannot predict the future but they have faith that humans will not harm them.
It could never come to this, no way
Whales cannot imagine a future where humans could commit such horrendous acts against them.
You should never trust man, my friends
Referring to the notion that humans can be untrustworthy and often put their own interests ahead of those of nature or other species.
So as I stare to sea
The singer is contemplating the beauty of the ocean where the whales live.
The salt winds call to me
The sounds of the ocean are enchanting and enticing to the singer.
And as they call
The sounds of the ocean are calling out to the singer.
I hang my head in shame
The singer feels guilty and remorseful about the way humans treat whales and their habitat.
Any other would could call their bluff
If other species could talk or express themselves as well as whales, they too would urge humans to stop killing them and respect their habitat.
But any other world would scream enough
Other species would not tolerate the senseless killing and disregard for nature the way that humans do.
The ocean cries louder to me
The singer is hearing the sounds of nature that are like cries of protest against the harm we inflict on it.
To never kiss and tell
Referring to the shameful and cruel ways in which whales are hunted and killed.
Their factory ship farewell
Referring to the ships used to hunt and capture whales.
With every scream
The whales scream in pain when being hunted and captured.
A piece of conscience dies
The singer is expressing the idea that when humans take part in harming the environment, a part of our morality dies as well.
Lying in a crimson resting place
Whales are being hunted and killed in an inhumane and bloody way.
Crying with a smile upon his face
Whales are defenseless and cannot fight back against human cruelty.
The giant dies trusting in me
The singer feels the responsibility to protect nature and stop the inhumane treatment of whales.
And jesus christ almighty
The singer is expressing urgency and desperation in stopping the cruelty inflicted on whales.
For all our sakes . . . save the whale
The singer urges humans to act to save the whales not only for their sake, but also for the sake of future generations and our planet.
Save the whale . . . save the whale . . . save the whale . . .save the whale . . . save the whale . . . save the whale . . .
Reinforcing the message and urgency to save the whales.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: N KERSHAW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kanno Yoichi
on The Riddle
I got two strong arms
Blessings of Babylon
With time to carry on
And try for sins
And false alarms
So to america the brave
Wise men save
僕は二つの強い武器を知ってる
バビロンの恵み(文明の力の比喩)を
行使する力と
その罪業や
誤った警告を行使する力だ
アメリカの勇敢なる
賢者がやっているようにね
[chorus]
Near a tree by a river
There's a hole in the ground
Where an old man of Erin
Goes around and around
And his mind is a beacon
In the veil of the night
For a strange kind of fashion
There's a wrong and a right
But he'll never, never fight over you
川沿いに木があり
地面に穴のあいた土地があり
年老いたエール(アイルランド)人の男が
うろうろしている
彼の心は夜を照らす
灯台のようだ
似合っているかどうかはともかく
彼は変な格好をしている
でも彼は君と争いはしないだろう
I got plans for us
Nights in the scullery
And days instead of me
I only know what to discuss
Of for anything but light
Wise men fighting over you
僕はひらめいたことがある
洗い流したいような夜と
昼を僕が背負おうかと
ただ僕は話し合うことがあればいい
光のこと以外ならね
賢者達が君と争うと言うのならね
It's not me you see
Pieces of valentine
With just a song of mine
To keep from burning history
Seasons of gasoline and gold
Wise men fold
君が見てるのは僕じゃないさ
バレンタインの欠片かな
そうそれは僕の歌の中さ
戦火の歴史からもガソリンや
金の暴騰からも避けられるようにとね
賢者達は避けずにいくだろうがね
[chorus repeat]
I got time to kill
Sly looks in corridors
Without a plan of yours
A blackbird sings on bluebird hill
thanks to the calling of the wild
Wise mens child
暇つぶしの時間があったのさ
予定外の行動をする君を
こっそりと見に廊下に出たのさ
ブラックバードが幸せの青い鳥の丘でさえずってる
荒々しい賢者の子供を呼んでくれて有難うとね
[chorus repeat (2x)]
..But he'll never, never fight over you
でも彼は君と争いはしないだろう