Nitin attended Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School and studied law at Liverpool University for a short time. He then went to London, where he met Sanjeev Bhaskar. The pair became friends and created a comedy double act, The Secret Asians, together. The show sought to turn absurdly dated Asian stereotypes on their heads. It led to a contract with BBC radio and eventually grew into the award-winning BBC TV sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.
During that time he met up with an old school friend, acid jazz keyboards-player James Taylor. He joined Taylor for a 40-date tour in as part of The James Taylor Quartet. It introduced him to the jazz club scene and provoked him into forming his own band, The Jazztones. He moved on to join forces with tabla master Talvin Singh to form the Tihai Trio and, after that collaboration ended in 1993, released his debut album, Spirit Dance on his own label. Shortly afterwards, he signed with Outcaste Records.
Sawhney's music is intensely political, commonly approaching themes of multiculturalism, empowerment, identity, immigration, poverty, and spirituality. He is active as an artist in residence for five different performing arts organisations in Europe and Asia, and along with George Martin is a patron for the British Governments Access-to-Music Program which brings music education to the inner-city students.
Sawhney's skills include classical and jazz piano and flamenco guitar. He has released six studio albums, as well as countless remixes and collaborations. After releasing Beyond Skin on London's Outcaste Records in 1999, he was signed by V2 to do six albums. His first album with the Virgin subsidiary, the millennial/apocalyptical Prophesy, in 2001 won a MOBO Award and a BBC Radio 3 Music Award.
Sawhney's music is influenced by his roots in India, utilising and featuring Urdu and Hindi lyrics, Qawwali singing, tablas and other instruments from the subcontinent, and Raga phrasings in music which is often primarily meant for the dance floor.
Sawhney's work in production and arrangement has led to his working in film and television scores. He has scored television ads for Sephora and Nike, as well as more than 25 films from his London-based Spirit Dance Studios. He was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Film and TV Composition in 2004 for his music on Channel Four's film, Second Generation. From there, he has begun to see acceptance from the "classical" community, and in 2004 he was commissioned by the city of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Britten Symphonia to compose new performance works. London's Royal National Theatre invited him to write, direct, and score a work to be opened in 2005.
For photographs and additional information visit Nitin's official site, www.NitinSawhney.com
Tides
Nitin Sawhney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At modoroah isle in the south pacific
The french defence ministry said the magnitude of the explosion
Was approximately the same as the bomb dropped on hiroshima
The lyrics of Nitin Sawhney’s song Tides are quite powerful and speak to a significant moment in history. The opening lines of the song are about France conducting underground nuclear tests at Modoroah Isle in the South Pacific. The use of the word ‘planned’ makes it clear that this wasn’t an accident but rather a deliberate decision. The next line, which states that the magnitude of the explosion was similar to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, is particularly poignant.
The use of this comparison is interesting because it immediately brings to mind the devastation and suffering caused by the atomic bomb. It also raises questions about France’s motivations for conducting such a test and the impacts it could have on the environment and people living in the region. It is clear that the artist is making a statement about the destructive power of human beings and the need for greater responsibility and accountability when it comes to these types of decisions.
Overall, Nitin Sawhney’s Tides is a powerful and thought-provoking song that takes a critical look at a significant moment in history. By referencing the events at Modoroah Isle, the artist draws attention to the destructive capabilities of humans and calls for greater accountability and responsibility when it comes to issues related to nuclear weapons and testing.
* Nitin Sawhney is a British musician, producer, and composer of Punjabi descent.
* Tides was released as part of his sixth studio album 'Philtre' in 2005.
* The song features vocals from Ojos de Brujo lead singer, Marina Abad.
* The album Philtre was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2006.
* The song has been featured on several movie soundtracks, including The Namesake (2006) and The Last Legion (2007).
* Nitin Sawhney has worked with a variety of artists, including Paul McCartney, Sting, and Anoushka Shankar.
* He has also composed music for several films, including Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018) and Bloodworth (2010).
* Tides was inspired by the environmental and political issues of the early 2000s, including the Iraq War, global warming, and nuclear testing.
* Nitin Sawhney's music often incorporates elements of Indian classical music, jazz, and electronica.
* The music video for Tides features footage of waves crashing on a beach interspersed with images of people protesting, giving the song a very global and anti-war vibe.
Chords: Unfortunately, the chords for Tides by Nitin Sawhney are not available as the song is predominantly electronic with sampled loops and synthetic melodies.
Line by Line Meaning
France has carried out the first of a planned series of underground nuclear tests
The French government has performed the initial test out of their intended lineup of subterranean nuclear experiments
At modoroah isle in the south pacific
The test happened on Modoroah Island located in the southern regions of the Pacific Ocean
The french defence ministry said the magnitude of the explosion
The French Defense Ministry stated the degree of the blast
Was approximately the same as the bomb dropped on hiroshima
Which was roughly equivalent to the atomic bomb released on the city of Hiroshima in Japan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NITIN SAWHNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind