Kingsley was born in Germany. As his father was Jewish, his family fled the Deutsches Reich in 1938 to settle in Palestine-Land of Israel where the 15-year-old, self-taught musician began his career in music. After World War II, Kingsley emigrated to America where he became a pit conductor for Broadway musical shows after graduating from the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music.
Perrey was a French accordion player and medical student who abandoned his studies after meeting Georges Jenny in Paris in 1952. Jenny was the inventor of the Ondioline, a vacuum tube-powered keyboard instrument that was a forerunner of today's synthesizers and was capable of creating an amazing variety of sounds. Its keyboard had a unique feature — the keyboard was suspended on special springs that were capable of introducing a natural vibrato if the player moved the keyboard from side to side with the playing hand. The result was a beautiful, almost human-like vibrato that lent the Ondioline a wide range of expression. The keyboard was also pressure-sensitive, and the instrument had a knee volume lever as well. Jenny hired Perrey as a salesman and demonstrator of the new instrument. As a result, he came to the attention of French singer Édith Piaf, who sponsored him to record a demo tape that later facilitated him access to work and live in the United States between 1960 and 1970.
Perrey and Kingsley came together during Kingsley's stint as a staff arranger at Vanguard Records, an independent label in New York City that specialized not in avant-garde music, but in folk music. At that time, Perrey was experimenting with tape loops, which he had been introduced to by the French avant-garde musician Pierre Schaeffer. Each loop was a laboriously hand-spliced assemblage of filtered sounds, pitch-manipulated sounds and sometimes even animal calls. The end result of their first collaborative effort in 1966 combined Perrey's tape loops, and his inventive melodies with Kingsley's complementary arrangements and instrumentation. The resulting album was filled with tunes that sounded like music from an animated cartoon gone berserk. Their first LP was titled The In Sound From Way Out! and was released on Vanguard Records that same year. Since this was decades before the advent of widespread digital technology, each tune took weeks of painstaking editing and splicing to produce.
The twelve rather whimsical tracks bore names like "Unidentified Flying Object" and "The Little Man From Mars" in an attempt to make electronic music more accessible to the general public. In fact, "Unidentified Flying Object" and another of the album's cuts, "Electronic Can-Can" eventually became theme music for "Wonderama," a Metromedia Television children's program of the early 1970s. Though most of the melodies were original, two borrowed from the classics. "Swan's Splashdown" was based on Pyotr Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Little Swans" while "Countdown At 6" borrowed from Amilcare Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours," much as Allan Sherman did in 1963 with his hit recording, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh." The final cut on the album, "Visa To The Stars" is co-credited to "Andy Badale," who would go on to fame as Angelo Badalamenti, arranger of the music in many of David Lynch's movies. In contrast to the rest of the album, "Visa To The Stars" is a more serious gesture and lacks the unusual sound effects of the other eleven cuts. It is highly reminiscent of the style of Joe Meek and his hit, "Telstar" by The Tornados. Perrey's Ondioline carries the melody throughout. This is also comparable to Kai Winding's 1963 recording of "More", which also carries the melody on the Ondioline.
Their second and final collaborative effort came in 1967 with the release of Kaleidoscopic Vibrations: Electronic Pop Music From Way Out, which was re-released in 1971 under the title: Kaleidoscopic Vibrations: Spotlight on the Moog. This was a similar sounding effort, but instead of all original compositions, the album was mostly versions of popular songs of the day. In this album, Perrey's tape loops and effects were added in post-production after Kingsley's orchestrations were recorded, a technique now commonly used by electronic artists to this day. The album was one of the first to use the new Moog modular synthesizer, a massive, complicated electronic instrument resembling an old-style telephone switchboard. The album also bore two notable singles. In fact, the Moog album was released a year and a half before the release of Wendy Carlos' ground-breaking Switched-On Bach. "The Savers" would go on to fame in 1968 as the Clio Award-winning music for a television ad for No-Cal diet drinks, and in 1972 as the theme to the American television game show "The Joker's Wild".
About the time "The Savers" was being used on television, engineers with the Walt Disney Company were at work on a new parade at Disneyland Park, the "Main Street Electrical Parade." The idea was to cover floats with thousands of electronically controlled colored lights and to set the show to music. Paul Beaver and then later Disney musician Don Dorsey helped rework a Perrey-Kingsley composition called "Baroque Hoedown," an upbeat, almost sparkling number best described as "harpsichord gone country." It would become the underlying theme song of the parade for the next three decades at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Disney California Adventure Park, with newer arrangements still heard in updated versions of the Electrical Parade at the Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland. The Don Dorsey arrangement also appeared in Disneyland's Remember... Dreams Come True fireworks show from 2005 to 2014. Yet another arrangement serves as one of two theme songs to Disney's Paint the Night Parade, which premiered at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2014, and will premiere at Disneyland on or around May 22, 2015.
Several segments of Sesame Street produced in the 1970s also made use of music from The In Sound from Way Out, as did other television programs, such as "The Red Skelton Show." A skit from the October 23, 1976 airing of Saturday Night Live titled "Jeopardy! 1999" used "Unidentified Flying Object" as the opening and closing themes.
Though Perrey and Kingsley never enjoyed tremendous commercial success, their music inspired a generation of musicians and was used (and still is used) extensively in advertising. Moog Indigo, a Jean-Jacques Perrey solo album from 1970 featured a cut called "E.V.A." (also co-written by "Andy Badale," aka: Angelo Badalamenti). This slow, funky track is one of the most sampled in hip hop and rap music history. A track on Siriusmo's 2010 release "The Plasterer Of Love", entitled "Blaue Sonne" features a sample of "Lovers Concerto", which features on "The In Sound from Way Out!" In the U.K., pioneered by Kenny Everett, DJs extensively used their tracks as continuity music or took clips for use as jingle backing from the late '60s and early '70s. In the U.S., it is currently being used in a TV ad for Zelnorm, a prescription medication for female irritable bowel syndrome. The same album produced "The Elephant Never Forgets" which is used as the theme of the Televisa sitcom, "El Chavo del Ocho" Even the Beastie Boys (who asked permission from Perrey and Kingsley) used both the title and cover art of P & K's first album for their own The In Sound From Way Out! album in 1996, while Smash Mouth (who didn't ask for permission) borrowed the opening riff from "Swan's Splashdown" for their 1997 hit, "Walkin' On the Sun". Gershon Kingsley's biggest contribution to mainstream pop music came in the early 1970s as the composer of "Popcorn," the single biggest hit of the German phantom-band "Hot Butter", led by American Stan Free.
Their work for Vanguard is available on a three-CD set called The Out Sound From Way In! The Complete Vanguard Recordings. The bonus CD features two remixes of "E.V.A." by Fatboy Slim, remixes of "Winchester Cathedral" and "Lover's Concerto" from Kaleidoscopic Vibrations as well as "Electronic Can-Can" and "Unidentified Flying Object," each by techno artists Eurotrash.
Perrey has released four new CDs since the year 2000: Eclektronics - recorded in 1997 with musician David Chazam (Basta, 2000), and Circus of Life - recorded in 1999, with musician Gilbert Sigrist (PHMP, 2000). Perrey released The Happy Electropop Music Machine (2006), and Destination Space (2008), with musician and arranger Dana Countryman.
Perrey lived in France, and was in high demand for lectures and concerts all over the world. In August 2006, Perrey gave a concert tour with Dana Countryman, of Seattle, San Francisco and Hollywood, to support the release of "The Happy Electropop Music Machine" CD. Perrey performed in Russia, in April 2007 with David Chazam, and Perrey and Countryman did a concert in Norway in September 2007. In 2008, Perrey and Chazam performed in Bucharest, Romania, and in 2008, Perrey and Countryman gave concerts in Newcastle, England, New York City and Montreal, Canada to support the release of their "Destination Space" CD, also on Oglio Records.
Gershon Kingsley lives in New York City, and in 2007 was a featured performer, and received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at Moogfest, an annual celebration of Dr. Robert Moog and his synthesizers.
Unidentified Flying Object
Perrey & Kingsley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Softly embraces my taste buds
Deliciously
Maple syrup covered recipe
Lulala lilulila
Curled up under my blanket
Lulala lilulila
So many flavours to explore
I have to eat more
Candied ginger slices in between your rosy lips
One kiss is not enough for my sweet sweet tooth
Your eyes flicker like marbled champagne
With pomegranate tea and dreams
A little bit spice
A little bit salt
A little bit sugar to top it all
Rosemary cardamom anise
The flavours you taught me puts me at ease
Love melts in my mouth
Dissolves my doubt
Paprika and parsley
Dance with me now
No matter how far you go
I'll always let you know
Kristi vechuna es tilia
Hon deli e kasum ciella
Lihie hanx ne tellehe
Ccuccu ni ha quatrolle he
That every moment I've spent with you is an everlasting view
I'll shape my thoughts into little cubes
And dip them in chocolate fondue
Across the sea and the land and the breeze
I bet that you're feeling lonely
You must be hungry waiting for me
Me
With you And me
Together
Have faith in me
Engine powered by bitter memories
Penetrate time and space
I'm flying across milky way
So don't be late
Lulala lilulila
Lulala lilulila
Lulala lilulila
Vanilla cloves cinnamon flavoured apple pie spaceship
Lulala lilulila
Black cherry flavoured redshift
Lulala lilulila
Raspberry flavoured blueshift
Lulala lilulila
The land of tasty memories
Lulala lilulila
Lilutata
The lyrics to Perrey & Kingsley's song "Unidentified Flying Object" are a whimsical and surreal journey through the senses, with imagery that mixes food, drink, and space travel. The opening lines seem to describe the experience of savoring a delicious dessert, with "melting caramel" and "maple syrup" drizzled over a baked custard pudding. The singer savors these flavors, singing "softly embraces my taste buds / deliciously." The next verses move away from food and into images of the senses, with "candied ginger slices in between your rosy lips" and "your eyes flicker like marbled champagne / with pomegranate tea and dreams." There's a sense of exploration and discovery in these lyrics, with lines like "so many flavors to explore / I have to eat more" and "the flavors you taught me puts me at ease."
The song then takes a sci-fi turn, with the singer imagining a journey through space powered by "bitter memories" and ending with a list of fantastical flavors like "vanilla cloves cinnamon flavoured apple pie spaceship" and "black cherry flavoured redshift." Throughout the song, there's a sense of playfulness and joy in language, with made-up words like "lulala lilulila" and the use of different languages like Armenian ("Kristi vechuna es tilia") and what seems to be a nonsensical word at the end of the song, "lilutata."
Overall, the lyrics to "Unidentified Flying Object" are a celebration of the senses, of imaginative flights of fancy, and of the joy of exploration and discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
Melting caramel drizzled over my baked custard pudding
The sweet, sticky caramel topping on my custard pudding is slowly melting in my mouth and is absolutely delicious.
Softly embraces my taste buds
The flavour of the dessert is subtle yet intense and is making my taste buds feel alive.
Deliciously
The dessert is so heavenly that I can't help but appreciate its taste with every bite I take.
Maple syrup covered recipe
The dish is made with a generous amount of maple syrup that adds the required sweetness and flavour to the recipe.
Lulala lilulila
The artist is humming a tune expressing their happiness and satisfaction with the food they are eating.
Curled up under my blanket
The singer is comfy and cozy while they are enjoying their meal, perhaps on a cold night.
Made out of fluffy omelette
The singer's blanket is made of or feels like fluffy, soft omelette.
So many flavours to explore
The artist is enjoying the variety of flavours in their dish and wants to keep experiencing them.
I have to eat more
The artist is enjoying their meal so much that they can't resist taking another bite.
Candied ginger slices in between your rosy lips
The artist is describing the image of someone's lips coated with sweet pieces of ginger that look tempting and delicious.
One kiss is not enough for my sweet sweet tooth
The singer's love for sweets is so intense that even a single kiss with someone's sweetened lips isn't enough for their sweet tooth.
Your eyes flicker like marbled champagne
The way the eyes of the person the artist is addressing reflect light reminds them of the beautiful pattern of a luxurious, high quality champagne drink.
With pomegranate tea and dreams
The singer is enjoying a warm cup of tea made with pomegranate flavours while at the same time dreaming about something beautiful or exciting.
A little bit spice
The dish the singer is describing has a slight spiciness to it, adding a unique flavour to the dish.
A little bit salt
The dish has a moderate amount of salt, balancing the flavours and making it taste perfect.
A little bit sugar to top it all
The dish has just the right amount of sugar on top, making it taste heavenly.
Rosemary cardamom anise
The artist is listing the different spices added to the dish, which include rosemary, cardamom and anise.
The flavours you taught me puts me at ease
The person the singer is addressing has introduced them to different flavours and spices that have made them feel relaxed and at ease.
Love melts in my mouth
The singer is describing the overwhelming feeling of love and admiration they have towards someone, which leaves them feeling euphoric like a delicious dessert melting in their mouth.
Dissolves my doubt
The love the artist has for someone has erased all doubts and worries they might have had regarding the relationship.
Paprika and parsley
The dish has additional spices, paprika and parsley, which add a unique taste to the overall flavour of the dish.
Dance with me now
The artist is inviting someone to dance with them, perhaps feeling joyous after enjoying a tasty meal.
No matter how far you go
The person the singer is addressing is far away but they assure them that their love and affection won't change no matter how far they may be.
I'll always let you know
The artist promises to keep their loved one informed about their feelings and to never let them feel unloved.
Kristi vechuna es tilia
This is a nonsensical string of lyrics that convey no meaning and are most likely included for their sound or rhythm.
Hon deli e kasum ciella
This is a nonsensical string of lyrics that convey no meaning and are most likely included for their sound or rhythm.
Lihie hanx ne tellehe
This is a nonsensical string of lyrics that convey no meaning and are most likely included for their sound or rhythm.
Ccuccu ni ha quatrolle he
This is a nonsensical string of lyrics that convey no meaning and are most likely included for their sound or rhythm.
That every moment I've spent with you is an everlasting view
The time the artist has spent with their loved one is so precious to them that it feels like each moment is a beautiful memory that will never fade away.
I'll shape my thoughts into little cubes
The singer is trying to carefully organize and structure their thoughts as if they were small cubes, perhaps to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings in their relationship.
And dip them in chocolate fondue
The singer compares the process of sorting their thoughts with dipping something in warm, delicious chocolate, which adds to the flavour and improves the texture.
Across the sea and the land and the breeze
The artist is trying to express how far they are willing to go to express their love, even if it means going across vast distances or facing challenging conditions.
I bet that you're feeling lonely
The artist understands that their loved one may feel lonely at times and wants to be with them to provide comfort and support.
You must be hungry waiting for me
The artist recognizes that waiting for them can be tiring and wants to make sure their loved one is well fed and satisfied when they finally arrive.
Me
The singer is referring to themselves in this short, simple line.
With you And me
The artist is emphasizing the importance of their relationship and the fact that it only exists because they and their loved one are together.
Together
The singer reinforces the idea of togetherness and unity that exists between them and their loved one.
Have faith in me
The singer wants their loved one to trust them and have confidence in their ability to be there for them and support them through any challenge.
Engine powered by bitter memories
The singer is describing their internal energy and motivation, which is fueled by painful memories or experiences that have made them stronger and more resilient.
Penetrate time and space
The artist wants to break through the limitations of time and space and be present with their loved one, even if they are far away.
I'm flying across milky way
The artist is using the metaphor of flying across the milky way to describe their journey towards their loved one, perhaps suggesting that it feels like a grand adventure.
So don't be late
The singer is eagerly waiting for their loved one and wants to ensure that they arrive promptly to spend more precious moments together.
Vanilla cloves cinnamon flavoured apple pie spaceship
The singer is describing a delicious-tasting apple pie that has a unique combination of flavours, including vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon. They also infer that it could be a spaceship.
Black cherry flavoured redshift
The artist describes a black cherry flavoured drink that has a deep, rich colour and probably has a redshift so that it appears darker.
Raspberry flavoured blueshift
The artist describes a raspberry flavoured drink that is light in colour and probably has a blueshift so that it appears brighter.
The land of tasty memories
The artist is referring to a place that holds pleasant memories of tasty food or meals they have had in the past.
Lilutata
This is a nonsensical string of lyrics that convey no meaning and are most likely included for their sound or rhythm.
Writer(s): GERSHON KINGSLEY, JEAN-JACQUES PERREY
Contributed by Alexis N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.