The album is as eclectic as Oren’s home bases of Tel Aviv, Israel (where he was born), Berlin Germany (where he recorded the album), and Los Angeles, CA (the home of his new label). It was released in Europe and immediately garnered great press with Uncut raving in a four-star review that the album is “cinematic and mellow, like Nick Drake in a cheerful summer bonnet…”
Many people in the US will be familiar with Oren’s music as his album track ‘Her Morning Elegance’ was featured in a national ad campaign for Chevy Malibu. He also wrote the end credit “A Dance ‘Round the Memory Tree” for the film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian joining Regina Spektor and Hanne Hukkelberg on the soundtrack.
Born in Tel-Aviv, Israel, Oren began his creative journey as a playwright. At the age of 21 he wrote and directed a play for the Israeli Fringe Theater Festival, which won the awards for best newcomer writer and director. He later moved to London on a scholarship to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. While still at school he wrote a play he later directed in an Off West-end theater to critical acclaim. The production was named by Time-Out London as one of the best 5 shows in London during its run. Oren moved to NY where he gradually began to shift his focus from playwriting to a shorter form of storytelling, the song. Two years later he relocated to Berlin and began work on The Opposite Side of The Sea.
In 2007 the album was released in Europe, then found its way to the KCRW playlist in LA. Shortly after that the album track ‘Her Morning Elegance’ was synched to a Chevrolet Malibu TV campaign. Oren, who does not own a television and has not driven a car for 10 years, continues to ride the bus. With the earnings from the TV ad he started his own label in the US, named it, then renamed it, changed it again and finally decided to call it Quarter Past Wonderful. He then released The Opposite Side Of The Sea on iTunes US, where it climbed to #30 on the charts.
Oren Lavie's music doesn't come right at you through the front door; its elliptical nature is mysterious and dense and remains slightly unresolved. His vignettes of life are heartbreaking. One can hear his playwright past in his narratives as his songs unfold like a collection of short stories in musical poetic form.
http://www.orenlavie.com/
The Man Who Isn't There
Oren Lavie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It belonged to a guy
That I know
And I thought I forgot
Long ago
Look at the trees
Didn't stop at the top
Used to borrow the wind
For a walk
Look in his eyes for a dying flare
Look for the wind in his yellow hair
And pretend
You see the man
Who isn't there
Look at the sea
used to save all his waves
for hellos
used to climb up
his highs, down his lows
Look at the birds
used to flock as he walked
through the street
used to fly down
and march at his feet
Look in his eyes for a dying flare
Look for the wind in his yellow hair
And pretend
You see the man
Who isn't there
In Oren Lavie's song "The Man Who Isn't There," the singer reflects on a person they used to know. The first stanza begins with the singer looking at the sky and realizing that it once belonged to the person they used to know, who they thought they had forgotten long ago. This indicates that the singer and the person they used to know had a very close relationship, one that was important enough for the singer to make note of the sky belonging to the other person. In the second stanza, the singer continues to reminisce about the person and reflects on the natural world that used to surround them. The trees and the wind in particular are important, as they are described as being things that the person used to borrow for their own purposes, indicating that the person was either in tune with the natural world or had a strong connection to it.
When the singer looks in the eyes of the person they used to know, they see a "dying flare," perhaps indicating that this person has changed or is no longer the way they used to be. The wind in the person's hair is also mentioned, which connects them to their natural surroundings. The refrain instructs the listener to "pretend you see the man who isn't there," which could either mean that the person is physically absent or has emotionally changed so much that they are like a different person. In the third stanza, the sea is mentioned as a place where the person used to save their waves for greetings. This perhaps indicates that the person was very friendly and welcoming. The person also used to climb up and down the highs and lows of the sea, indicating a close relationship with it. Finally, the birds are mentioned as being friendly with the person, flocking around them as they walk down the street.
Overall, "The Man Who Isn't There" is a poignant reflection on a person that the singer used to know. The natural world around the person is brought to life, indicating the connection that they had with it. The person is also portrayed as friendly and welcoming, but now changed and perhaps lost in some way. The refrain tells the audience to "pretend" they see the person, which could either be an instruction to remember them as they were or to create a new image of the person that is better than who they are now.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at the sky
Directing attention to the sky
It belonged to a guy
Referring to a person who owned the sky
That I know
Acknowledging familiarity with the person
And I thought I forgot
Indicating that the person was forgotten before
Long ago
A long time has passed since the last memory of the person
Look at the trees
Directing attention to the trees
Didn't stop at the top
The person climbed beyond the top of the tree
Not for him
The person didn't climb for himself
Used to borrow the wind
The person used the wind to move
For a walk
The person walked with the help of wind
Look in his eyes for a dying flare
Searching for signs of fading vitality in his eyes
Look for the wind in his yellow hair
Seeking indications of his dependence on wind in his yellow hair
And pretend
Suggesting that the next action is make-believe
You see the man
Imagining the appearance of a person
Who isn't there
Despite detailed descriptions, the person doesn't exist
Look at the sea
Directing attention to the sea/ocean
Used to save all his waves
The person saved every wave he conquered
for hellos
The waves were saved to greet others
used to climb up
The person climbed up the waves
his highs, down his lows
The person went through various ups and downs in his life
Look at the birds
Directing attention to the birds
used to flock as he walked
The birds used to follow the person
through the street
The person walked on the street
used to fly down
The birds flew down from the sky
and march at his feet
The birds used to march near the person's feet
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Doron Burstein, Oren Lavie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Querier
When I listen to this song, I keep hearing the song in different contexts each time.
At first, I thought it was about Faith. God. "Wind in his yellow hair," like the Sun. About an individual suffering from disallusion, the stark reality that nobody is there. "Look at the sky, it belonged to a guy,"
Second time I listened to it, I thought it in the context of depression. "Look at his eyes, the dying flare... look for the wind, in his yellow hair," His happiness is the Sun. The Sun's a motif for the remainder of happiness he has. "Pretend you see the man who isn't there,". "Used to climb up his highs, down his lows..."
Now when I listen to it, I think in the context of Hope. They always have this idealised romanticised view that someone's going to come, save them. Save you. There's an alarming mystical tone especially during the bridge. When you're at your darkest, you try. You try anything to feel sane, so you don't lose it. Only until you listen to the song over and over again, you realise there is redemption for him: "I thought I forgot long ago,"... Perhaps it's not merely an illusion. Maybe there is hope.
I'll keep listening to this song. The meanings will always change, and I like the ambiguity of it. I truly think this is art of the highest form...
Pamela Sarkar
Look at the sky
It belonged to a guy
That I know
And I thought I forgot
Long ago
Look at the trees
Didn’t stop at the top
Not for him
Used to borrow the wind
For a walk
Look in his eyes for a dying flare
Look for the wind in his yellow hair
And pretend
You see the man
Who isn’t there
Look at the sea
used to save all his waves
for hellos
used to climb up
his highs, down his lows
Look at the birds
used to flock as he walked
through the street
used to fly down
and march at his feet
Look in his eyes for a dying flare
Look for the wind in his yellow hair
And pretend
You see the man
Who isn’t there.
Welcome to the rice fields, motherfucker.
Funny thing about recollecting this song and being brought back to this comment is that it's almost become like a picture album for me. Last time I came to it when I received a comment notification. This time I'm back here because I randomly remembered it. And each time, I stop to take a snapshot of myself and stare at the previous ones. These previous snapshots, despite having my likeness, seem so alien and unfamiliar.
It's been about 3 years since I made this comment, and at that time I couldn't even fathom what falling in love would be like. I thought I was meant to be alone. And then he entered into my life.
I never knew I was capable of having so many positive feelings. The problems that I was burdened with became trivial. Paintings, music and poetry became more vibrant and beautiful. It felt like I stepped out of the bleak world I've grown in and into a new one in which everything was pleasant, and for the first time in my life, I was genuinely happy.
But it was an illusion, and he was a ghost. I was in love with the man who wasn't there. He began to fade out of existence, taking my nirvana with him. As the world around me began to cave, I desperately chased after him. I ran madly towards a mirage on the horizon and away from the ground that was crumbling behind me. But eventually, my legs gave in, and I fell back onto cold, familiar concrete of reality.
I take this snapshot of myself: shattered, and in agony. I can only hope that I will fade too. I hope that I fade and morph into anything but what I am now. I hope that a future version of me will find this snapshot as unrecognizable and alien as I do the snapshots before it. I hope I can forget I ever left my reality. I hope I can forget that I ever loved.
Javier Mazuret
traduccion español:
mira al cielo
pertenecio a un tipo
que conoci
y crei haber olvidado
tiempo atras
mira a los arboles
no te detengas solo en las puntas
No por el,
solia pedirles prestado el viento
para salir a caminar
busca en sus ojos una flama que se apaga
busca el viento en su pelo amarillo
y pretende
que viste al hombre
que ya no esta ahi.
mira el mar
que uso para salvar todas sus olas
los saludos
que uso para escalar
sus altas y bajar sus bajas.
mira a las aves
que se arremolinaban mientras caminaba
por la calle
solian llegar volando
y marchar a sus pies.
busca en sus ojos una flama que se apaga
busca el viento en su pelo amarillo
y pretende
que viste al hombre
que ya no esta ahi.
citrus & nostalgia
Why does it feel like these songs have been forgotten? They have so many meanings and emotion in them, its such a shame that society has pushed them aside. Its art, but its not appreciated.
Geofanny Yohanes
Empress Of Cats He doesn't have as much fans as he should. But have you checked out his new album?
The Querier
When I listen to this song, I keep hearing the song in different contexts each time.
At first, I thought it was about Faith. God. "Wind in his yellow hair," like the Sun. About an individual suffering from disallusion, the stark reality that nobody is there. "Look at the sky, it belonged to a guy,"
Second time I listened to it, I thought it in the context of depression. "Look at his eyes, the dying flare... look for the wind, in his yellow hair," His happiness is the Sun. The Sun's a motif for the remainder of happiness he has. "Pretend you see the man who isn't there,". "Used to climb up his highs, down his lows..."
Now when I listen to it, I think in the context of Hope. They always have this idealised romanticised view that someone's going to come, save them. Save you. There's an alarming mystical tone especially during the bridge. When you're at your darkest, you try. You try anything to feel sane, so you don't lose it. Only until you listen to the song over and over again, you realise there is redemption for him: "I thought I forgot long ago,"... Perhaps it's not merely an illusion. Maybe there is hope.
I'll keep listening to this song. The meanings will always change, and I like the ambiguity of it. I truly think this is art of the highest form...
Cesar Olivera
Es la musica que te toca el alma habre la puertas de los recuerdos mas tristes es hermosa la melodia mis respetos para Oren Lavie
Pamela Sarkar
Look at the sky
It belonged to a guy
That I know
And I thought I forgot
Long ago
Look at the trees
Didn’t stop at the top
Not for him
Used to borrow the wind
For a walk
Look in his eyes for a dying flare
Look for the wind in his yellow hair
And pretend
You see the man
Who isn’t there
Look at the sea
used to save all his waves
for hellos
used to climb up
his highs, down his lows
Look at the birds
used to flock as he walked
through the street
used to fly down
and march at his feet
Look in his eyes for a dying flare
Look for the wind in his yellow hair
And pretend
You see the man
Who isn’t there.
Welcome to the rice fields, motherfucker.
Never fell in love before, but I think the way i feel listening to this song is what it would feel like.
Welcome to the rice fields, motherfucker.
I should be thanking you for being so kind and letting me share this with you. You're a complete stranger, yet you've shown me nothing but empathy and warmth. I greatly appreciate your responses. I hope I can have a more positive interpretation to share with you the next time I come on here.
Welcome to the rice fields, motherfucker.
I also wanted to mention how I find some amusement in the fact that the version of me that existed 3 years ago was able to so accurately predict what my love life would be like. If only I trusted my psychic intuition... I would have avoided this pain altogether.
Welcome to the rice fields, motherfucker.
Funny thing about recollecting this song and being brought back to this comment is that it's almost become like a picture album for me. Last time I came to it when I received a comment notification. This time I'm back here because I randomly remembered it. And each time, I stop to take a snapshot of myself and stare at the previous ones. These previous snapshots, despite having my likeness, seem so alien and unfamiliar.
It's been about 3 years since I made this comment, and at that time I couldn't even fathom what falling in love would be like. I thought I was meant to be alone. And then he entered into my life.
I never knew I was capable of having so many positive feelings. The problems that I was burdened with became trivial. Paintings, music and poetry became more vibrant and beautiful. It felt like I stepped out of the bleak world I've grown in and into a new one in which everything was pleasant, and for the first time in my life, I was genuinely happy.
But it was an illusion, and he was a ghost. I was in love with the man who wasn't there. He began to fade out of existence, taking my nirvana with him. As the world around me began to cave, I desperately chased after him. I ran madly towards a mirage on the horizon and away from the ground that was crumbling behind me. But eventually, my legs gave in, and I fell back onto cold, familiar concrete of reality.
I take this snapshot of myself: shattered, and in agony. I can only hope that I will fade too. I hope that I fade and morph into anything but what I am now. I hope that a future version of me will find this snapshot as unrecognizable and alien as I do the snapshots before it. I hope I can forget I ever left my reality. I hope I can forget that I ever loved.
Welcome to the rice fields, motherfucker.
@Fern S I've been listening to this on repeat for a while, and now I see the singer as me, and the man who isn't there as my past self, nothing to with love anymore. Hmm...