1) Pas… Read Full Bio ↴There are a few bands with the name, including the following:
1) Passengers are the band made up, in 1995, of Brian Eno and U2 members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, jr.
They did not record under the name U2 because Brian Eno was the primary composer while Bono, The Edge, Clayton and Mullen were, as they used to say, Passengers of his ship.
The group made one album called Original Soundtracks 1, ostensibly a compilation of music the band composed for various films but most of the films were made-up as in-jokes by Eno (although a few of the films did exist, and since their release some of the tracks have been used in other real films such as Michael Mann's "Heat.") Music on this album is more similar to music recorded normally in Brian Eno's solo career than on U2 albums. It is very electronic and experimental.
The track "One Minute Warning" was used in the end credits of the first "Ghost in the Shell" anime movie from 1995. The film makers specifically asked the band to make the song for the film.
For U2 it was the next big step into experimental music world after recording Achtung Baby and Zooropa.
2) There is also an Italian electronic disco band of the same name who released albums from 1979 - 1986.
3) A currently-performing female fronted hardcore band from Frederick, MD.
4) The Passengers were a late-1970s Brussels postpunk / new wave band that later became better known as The Names
5) An Australian band from Sydney fronted by Angie Pepper active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their first single single "Face with no name" was released on Phantom Records in the late 1970s. They released vinyl and a split CD with Angie Pepper solo material on Citadel records.
midnight
Passengers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That flickered on a black and white reel
Looking for something that I could not explain
I could only feel
These were the songs upheld by the shades
That spoke to me as I left town
Israelites, The Harder they Come, 54-47*
I hear them now
As good as the echo of a hard one drop
To be forever enslaved by a sound the creator
Made- don't let it stop
Come again, midnight passenger
There to accompany down
To the end of the souls tlost avenue
Feel it now
I kept walking in the dust all night
Looking for a diamond in the crush
Halfway under in bars like a shop that was going
Down-or coming up
It was not the sun that stung, but the feel of loss
And the voice of suffering and fate
Till I just stopped listening to the chatter of all
Those yesterdays- crime pays
We will show up with all our secret problems
And even if we can't find land
There's a tone written into soul songs
That understands
We will be free
Passengers, a collaboration between U2 and Brian Eno, released the song "Midnight" in 1995, and it became a significant success. The song's lyrics express the singer's quest for something that he can only feel but cannot describe as he seeks musical solace in a foreign land. The song opens with the singer stepping out into what appears to be a movie set, a "celluloid night that flickered on a black and white reel," signaling the illusionary nature of his surroundings. He then hears songs like "Israelites," "54-47," and "The Harder they come," that spoke to him as he left town, and he recalls them now. The words of prophets never sounded as good as the echo of a hard one-drop. He then urges the listeners not to stop and reminds them that they may be forever enslaved by the sound made by the creator.
The singer then experiences the desert as he walks aimlessly, "looking for a diamond in the crush." He feels a sense of loss and hears the voice of suffering and fate until he stops listening to the chatter of yesterdays when he realizes that "crime pays." The song's final lines, "We will show up with all our secret problems, and even if we can't find land, there's a tone written into soul songs that understands, we will be free," suggest that the singer has found solace in music and that there is hope for the future regardless of past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
I stepped out on a celluloid night
I walked out on a night that looked like it was from a movie on an old reel of film
That flickered on a black and white reel
The night's colors were stark and contrasting, like an old-style film
Looking for something that I could not explain
I was searching for something that I didn't fully understand
I could only feel
I was guided by my emotions and instincts
These were the songs upheld by the shades
These were the songs played by the people who lived in the shadows
That spoke to me as I left town
These songs had a message for me as I was leaving town
Israelites, The Harder they Come, 54-47*
These specific songs were ones that resonated with me and spoke to me on a deeper level
I hear them now
I can still hear those songs playing in my head
And the words of the prophets never sounded
Even religious texts never sounded so meaningful
As good as the echo of a hard one drop
As good as the rhythm of a reggae beat
To be forever enslaved by a sound the creator
To be forever captivated by the sound that came from a higher power
Made- don't let it stop
Don't let this feeling of connectedness stop
Come again, midnight passenger
Come again, someone who is wandering through the night like me
There to accompany down
Someone to accompany me on this journey
To the end of the souls tlost avenue
To the end of the street where lost souls wander
Feel it now
Feel the emotions that this journey brings
I kept walking in the dust all night
I kept wandering all night in the dirt and grime
Looking for a diamond in the crush
Searching for something valuable amongst all the chaos
Halfway under in bars like a shop that was going
Drinking in bars that felt like they were on the verge of shutting down
Down-or coming up
Not sure if things were getting better or worse
It was not the sun that stung, but the feel of loss
It wasn't the heat of the sun that affected me, but the sense of sadness and emptiness
And the voice of suffering and fate
The harsh realities of life and the idea of fate that can't be changed
Till I just stopped listening to the chatter of all
Eventually, I stopped listening to all the distractions around me
Those yesterdays- crime pays
Looking back on past mistakes and realizing they had real consequences
We will show up with all our secret problems
We will come with all of our hidden issues and personal demons
And even if we can't find land
Even if we feel lost or disconnected from the world
There's a tone written into soul songs
Soul music has a unique tone that we can all connect to
That understands
That can understand and relate to our struggles
We will be free
We will ultimately find freedom and escape from all of our struggles
Contributed by Luke C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gabriele Tanci
Grandissimi e Indimenticabili i Passengers....inoltre questa Disco sta tornando di moda alla grande.. Come diceva Giorgio Moroder, "From here to heternity"... La Disco è eterna!
Alessandro Salvi
Erano bravissimi! Avrebbero meritato un successo maggiore. W la musica degli anni 80!
Mario Marini
La mulatta si chiama Elwanda Contreras, costaricana naturalizzata Italiana, alta 1,80 è la moglie del proprietario di una boutique dalle mie parti
Synth Vintage
Essa música é muito linda Passengers é maravilhosa!!!
🖤Sabrina Russo💙
Passengers!!!! Ricordo quando nelle gite scolastiche, si ascoltava sempre questa bella canzone, Quanto erano bravi, ci mancate....Quanti ricordi, grazie infinite!!!!
I Love Disco Rarities
bel ricordo...saluti
massimo odello
Sempre un evergreen le canzoni dei PASSENGERS!!!!😊
distracted spaces
Avrebbe meritato più successo sta canzone... È stupenda !
Luca Battioli
A suo tempo, il 1981, ebbe un discreto successo. Ma non capii mai perché era in lista a Sanremo 1981 in quanto non canzone cantata in italiano.
Probabilmente qualcuno sollevò delle critiche. Credo sarebbe stato meglio se fosse stata lanciata da un Claudio Cecchetto o qualcuno della categoria.
ilanocka
Ascoltavo le loro bellissimi canzoni in Russa, quando ancora era piccola di 12 anni, pero mi ha colpito per tutta la vita e ho trovato ora Casino-casino.... GRAZIE DI CUORE!