1) Phoenix A Romanian folk rock / rock band, who has experimented across the years with many musical genres, having a rich musical history that can easily be compared to that of the Beatles. Starting with the rock’n’roll of the Beat Generation, they continued enriching their sound with blues influences, jazz, psychedelic, krautrock, culminating with the orientation towards Romanian folk music, which they blended harmoniously with the sound that was popular in the ’70s
Phoenix is one of the most prominent Romanian Rock and Roll bands of the latest decades, and also the first one to take musical inspiration from ancient Romanian folk themes.
Formed in the 1960s, it began by doing covers of Beatles songs. However, they soon had to change their style since the Romanian communist regime disliked any form of western culture. The communist regime suggested that all rock oriented bands should look for inspiration within the Romanian culture. These restrictions made the band’s leader Nicolae Covaci search within the Romanian folklore, which gave them a unique sound.
The beginning
Phoenix was launched in the cosmopolitan city of Timişoara in 1962 by a pair of schoolboys: Nicu Covaci and Béla Kamocsa, under the name of Sfinţii (The Saints). In their first years, together with Florin “Moni” Bordeianu (born 1948), they performed in school contests and at local clubs, covering Western music hits from The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, etc., and they quickly became very popular amongst the youth. In 1965 the Communist authorities demanded that the band stop performing under the name The Saints, because of the religious innuendo that the name carried. Forced to comply, the band took the name Phoenix. Nicu Covaci also changed the composition of the band, around 1963, by adding Claudiu Rotaru, Ioan “Pilu” Ştefanovici (born 1946) and Günther “Spitzly” Reininger (born 1950) to the lineup.
In 1965 they had their first big concert in Bucharest. Their performance brought a collaboration with Cornel Chiriac to record some of their songs. The first songs they recorded were “Ştiu cǎ mǎ iubesti şi tu” (“I Know You Love Me Too”), “Dunăre, Dunăre” (“Danube, Danube”) and “Bun e vinul ghiurghiuliu” (“Good is the Red Wine”). The same year also marked the beginning of their collaboration with Victor Cârcu, who went on to write many of their most famous songs, such as “Vremuri” (“Old Times”), “Şi totuşi ca voi sunt” (“And Yet I Am Like You”), “Nebunul cu ochii închişi” (“Crazy Man with closed eyes”), “Floarea stîncilor” (“Mountain Flower”) and “Canarul” (“Canary”).
In December 1967 Phoenix had their first major series of concerts in many western cities, capped off by two huge concerts in Timişoara. After winning a few prizes in national students’ contests, held at Iaşi the following year, in 1968 they recorded their first EP, Vremuri (Old Times), containing two original songs, Vremuri and Canarul (The Canary), and two covers (Lady Madonna - The Beatles and Friday on my Mind - Easybeats). A second EP would follow one year later, named Floarea stîncilor (The Flower of the Rocks), with all four songs being original compositions. Both albums sport a sound reminiscent of the beat style popular in that era.
They then started working on a rock theater play “Omul 36/80” (The Man 36/80) which won several prizes for originality.
In 1969 Ioan “Pilu” Ştefanovici was replaced by Dorel “Baba” Vintilă Zaharia (born 1943). For the next year the band became more and more popular, frequently visiting Bucharest and being invited in talk shows about music.
In 1970, Moni Bordeianu emigrated to the US, and, for a brief period of time the band suspended its activity, also due to total censorship that followed a protesting speech held by Bordeianu in his last concert. 1970 meant the blues period of the band. The formula used was Nicu Covaci - guitar, Günther “Spitzly” Reininger - piano and voice, Zoltan Covacs - bass guitar and Liviu Butoi - oboe and flute. Phoenix was born again the next year, with Covaci, Josef Kappl, Mircea Baniciu, Costin Petrescu (replaced in 1974 by Ovidiu Lipan, nicknamed “Ţăndărică”) and Valeriu Sepi.
But the Communist officials were not very comfortable with the Western-style music that they were singing, and kept creating them problems. So Phoenix abandoned beat turned to Romanian folklore, pagan rituals, mystic animals and old traditions. In this same year, Phoenix started a collaboration with the Institute of Ethnography and Folklore and the Folklore section of Timişoara University on an ambitious project, a rock poem that combined traditional wooden instruments with modern sounds. During this project the band also started collaborating with Valeriu Sepi (born 1947), who eventually joined the band. The first outcome would be the 1972 LP Cei ce ne-au dat nume (Those Who Gave Us Our Names) - the first LP to be recorded in Romania by a Romanian band. Two years later, Mugur de fluier (Flute Bud) followed. Both albums underwent severe censorship.
In 1973 Phoenix represented Romania at the “Golden harp” festival in Bratislava (Slovakia) and then in the “Disc festival” in Sopot (Poland). Also, they wanted to record a new rock-opera, named “Meşterul Manole”, but the communist officials censored it all, by “losing” the unique book with costume sketches and lyrics given to them for official approval. The result was only a EP with an extract from the opera, Meşterul Manole, uvertură (Meşterul Manole, uverture) and two older songs, Mamă, Mamă (Mother, Mother) and Te întreb pe tine, soare… (I’m asking you, sun…).
On Monday, 19 November 1973, Phoenix held a memorable concert in Bucharest, presenting their new hits “Andri Popa”, “Pavel Chinezu” and “Strunga”, which composed the new disc “Mugur de fluier”. The new songs were still influenced by folklore yet had a new style. This style was the result of the collaboration with new songwriters Andrei Ujică and Şerban Foarţă. Based on those new songs Nicu Covaci created a new show “Introducere la un concert despre muzica veche la români” (“Introduction to a concert about old Romanian music”) in which he introduced violins, flutes, archaic percussion and other traditional instruments. The show was never finished due to a new collaboration with “Cenaclul Flacăra.” This period is considered the peak for Phoenix. Their sound was considered original and powerful and full stadiums were common for their concerts.
Every winter the members of the band would retreat to Mount Semenic and plan their upcoming songs. That winter the show “Zoosophia”, a title that would later change to “Cantafabule”, was created. The show began by “calling” all mythic animals and continued by dedicating a song to each of them, finishing with the Phoenix, the band’s symbol. The year 1975 brought a newcomer to the band, Ovidiu Lipan “Ţăndărică” (born 1953). The “Cantafabule” show was first presented in Timişoara in February 1975. The disc was recorded in a very short time and was published the same year with a misspelling in the title: “Cantofabule.” What followed were two years of almost continuous concerts but also the creation of the soundtrack for the movie “Nemuritorii”.
By this time, the popularity of Phoenix had grown huge; people loved their songs not only for what they were, but also because they contained thinly-veiled allusions to the Communist regime. The band members, especially Nicu Covaci, found themselves increasingly harassed by the Securitate. Covaci married a Dutch woman and left the country in 1976. He returned in 1977, bringing in relief aid for those struck by the powerful earthquake on March 4. After two grandiose concerts in Constanţa and Tulcea, Covaci surprisingly left the country again, this time with all the band members (except Baniciu) hidden inside their Marshall speakers - a huge undertaking, since in Communist Romania it was extremely difficult to obtain approval to travel abroad, and illegal border crossing was punished with imprisonment.
After arriving in Germany, Phoenix disbanded. Kappl and a few others (Erlend Krauser, Ovidiu Lipan) formed a new band, Madhouse and released a not very successful album named From The East. In 1981, Covaci co-opted Neumann and Lipan and English bassist Tom Buggie, who had an amazing technical playing ability, under the name Transsylvania Phoenix (since a band named Phoenix already existed) and released an LP named Transsylvania, containing two old Phoenix songs translated into English to target the Western audience and five new ones. Covaci together with Kappl also released two EPs and one maxi single as Transsylvania-Phoenix.
In 1990 Phoenix made a triumphant comeback to Romania, with a highly emotional concert in their hometown Timişoara, the city that sparked the popular revolt in December 1989 that eventually led to the downfall of the Communist regime. In the following years, Phoenix toured a lot and released a few compilations of their older recordings. Internal frictions, especially between Covaci and Baniciu, were making headlines in the media.
A new album appeared in 2000, the first original album after their 1990 comeback; with the exception of Covaci, the lineup comprised none of the members from the ’70s.
In 2002, the 40th Anniversary of the band brought together almost all former members in a supershow.
At the end of 2005 the band (in its classic gold lineup) released a new album, named Baba Novak.
As of 2010, the band still performs at live events.
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2) Phoenix The French band comprises Thomas Mars (vocals), Deck D'Arcy (bass), Christian Mazzalai (guitar) and Laurent Brancowitz (guitar), who started playing music as kids in a suburb of Versailles during the same cultural period that produced late-'90s bands such as Air,Mellow and Daft Punk. The band's lineup has no permanent drummer or keyboardist.
Phoenix formed in 1999 and started off as the backing band for a remix of Air’s “Kelly Watch the Stars” single. Soon after, Phoenix released their debut album United in 2000. The name "Phoenix" was officially chosen in 1996 when Laurent Brancowitz permanently joined Pheonix after his other band Darlin' disbanded. The other two members of Darlin' (Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo) went on to form Daft Punk.
Phoenix are based in Paris, France and their music has been featured in such films as Shallow Hal and Lost In Translation. In 2006 the band themselves appeared Marie Antoinette, which like Lost In Translation, was directed by Sofia Coppola, Thomas Mars' partner.
The band's fourth album, "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" was released in 2009. It contains "1901", which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in January 2010. The album won for Best Alternative Album at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards.
Their fifth album, "Bankrupt!" was released in 2013.]
Bankrupt! debuted at #4 on the American Billboard 200 albums chart and a Phoenix world tour was completed over a large part of 2013.
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Aside from these two artists: The following groups also used the name Phoenix, most of which were short lived:
3) Phoenix: A short-lived British hard rock band that consisted of Jim Rodford, Robert Henrit, John Verity of Argent.
4) Phoenix: A UK-based band who play SF/Fantasy inspired rock / filk - both originals and parodies of better known songs.
5) Phoenix: A Classic goa / psychedelic trance project with some tracks released in compilations of 90s.
6) Phoenix: A seven-piece Oklahoma City garage-soul band that released one 45 in 1969 and received great regional success for a couple of years.
Allen Correll (Trumpet)
Larry Rogers (keyboards)
John Proctor (Drums)
Ron Jones (saxophone)
Roger Harrison (Bass)
Randy Stark (Vocals)
Pat Smiley (Guitar)
7) Phoenix: A British glitter band consisting of Alan Yates (vocals) Gerry Shepard (guitar/backing vocals) Pete Phipps (drums/keyboards) and Mike Leander (drums/bass/keyboards). They had one single in April 1975 (Pictures of You / Thrill Me With Your Love) produced by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Baker.
8): Phoenix: Described by fans as "The best cover band you will ever see", this Las Vegas based rock band are sure to get your guests head banging and air guitar-ing whatever the occasion. Line-up consists of Jimmy Crespo (ex-Aerosmith), Tony Davich (ex-Sheena Easton), Jamie Borden, Tommy Paris (ex-Britny Fox, Jillson) and Dan Mccaslin.
Consolation Prizes
Phoenix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When my god given little became a lot older
Goodbyes seal my broken heart
Hold on to your teardrops, You got a long way to go
Did you get older doing nothing today?
Don't you wanna stop complaining?
If one is easy then hard is two
Once my private collection, always betting on you
No consolation prizes
Spit out your lies & chewing gum
Cut off your hair yeah that's it!
If you look like that I swear I'm gonna love you more
I thought about this for a long time
Never had the chance to try and make it better
My heart is waiting for a new you
And there's no other option on the schedule
Love like ours should never die with years
Once you start you can't ever go backwards
Cause if dark is one then bright is two
No one knows where we're heading to
No matter what it takes, never give up on you
I want you to change it all
I am gonna make it better
No consolation prizes
Spit out your lies & chewing gum
Cut off your hair yeah that's it!
If you look like that I swear I'm gonna love you more
No consolation prizes
Spit out your lies & chewing gum
Cut off your hair yeah that's it!
If you look like that I swear I'm gonna love you more
More more more
The lyrics to Phoenix's song Consolation Prizes seem to be about a relationship between two people that has gotten stagnant, but one person is willing to put in the effort to make it better. The song begins with a poignant reflection on how time has passed and how things have changed within the relationship. The singer seems to be addressing their partner, telling them that they have a long way to go and that they need to hold onto their tears as they try to make things better.
As the song continues, the message becomes clearer - the singer is encouraging their partner to take action to improve the relationship. They say that complaining won't help and that they need to be proactive in order to see change. The singer believes that their love should never die with years and that they need to keep pushing forward despite any obstacles that come their way.
The chorus repeats the phrase "no consolation prizes" which seems to be a reference to settling for less than what one deserves. The singer is encouraging their partner to be their best self, to cut off the things that are holding them down, and to make a change for the better. The final lines of the song - "I want you to change it all, I am gonna make it better" - show the singer's determination to do whatever it takes to improve the relationship and keep their love alive.
Line by Line Meaning
It started all in early September
This story begins in the month of September
When my god given little became a lot older
When something that was once small and insignificant grew to become much more important
Goodbyes seal my broken heart
Saying goodbye to someone has caused a lot of emotional pain
Hold on to your teardrops, You got a long way to go
Don't waste your emotions now, you've got a long journey ahead of you
Did you get older doing nothing today?
Have you wasted your time and not achieved anything today?
Don't you wanna stop complaining?
Isn't it time to stop complaining and start taking action?
If one is easy then hard is two
If something is easy, then its opposite is usually hard
No one knows where you're heading to
You're not sure where your life is going
Once my private collection, always betting on you
You were once someone special to me, and I always believed in you
No consolation prizes
There are no rewards for failing
Spit out your lies & chewing gum
Stop deceiving and distracting yourself
Cut off your hair yeah that's it!
Make a dramatic change to your appearance
If you look like that I swear I'm gonna love you more
I'll love you no matter what, but I'll love you even more if you make the change
I thought about this for a long time
I've been considering this for a while
Never had the chance to try and make it better
I never had the opportunity to improve things before
My heart is waiting for a new you
I'm looking forward to seeing a new and improved version of you
And there's no other option on the schedule
This is the only course of action that makes sense
Love like ours should never die with years
Our love should be eternal, not something that fades with time
Once you start you can't ever go backwards
Once you begin a journey, you can't go back to where you started
Cause if dark is one then bright is two
If something is considered negative or dark, its opposite is usually positive or bright
No one knows where we're heading to
We're not sure where our relationship is going
No matter what it takes, never give up on you
I'll always believe in you and support you, no matter what
I want you to change it all
I want you to make a complete transformation
I am gonna make it better
I'll do everything I can to help you improve and succeed
More more more
I want to experience more of what we have together
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRISTIAN MAZZALAI, FREDERIC MOULIN, LAURENT MAZZALAI, THOMAS CROQUET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lucakaleb8797
It started all in early September
When my godgiven little became a lot older
Goodbyes seal my broken heart
Hold on to your teardrops, you got a long way to go
Did you get older doing nothing today?
Don't you wanna stop complaining?
If one is easy then hard is two
No one knows where you're heading to
Once my private collection, always betting on you
No consolation prizes
Spit out your lies and chewing gum
Cut off your hair—yeah that's it!
If you look like that I swear I'm gonna love you more
I thought about this for a long time
Never had the chance to try and make it better
My heart is waiting for a new you
And there's no other option on the schedule
Love like ours should never die with years
Once you start you can't ever go backwards
'Cause if dark is one then bright is two
No one knows where we're heading to
No matter what it takes, never give up on you
I want you to change it all
I am gonna make it better
No consolation prizes
Spit out your lies and chewing gum
Cut off your hair—yeah that's it!
If you look like that I swear I'm gonna love you more
No consolation prizes
Spit out your lies and chewing gum
Cut off your hair—yeah that's it!
If you look like that I swear I'm gonna love you more
More more more...
@marcellomatute4089
I dont know how this song dosent have more views. In my opinion, probably one of their best pieces.
@henrythegreatamerican8136
+Marcello Matute You can say the same thing about their song FENCES (the non mixed version)
@marcellomatute4089
+Henry TheGreatAmerican Can you believe it's been 2 and a half years since bankrupt came out?
@brodycantrell4534
One of the most soothing guitar beats ever
@pedrohenriquez.4667
+Brody Cantrell listen to Hills of eternity-Buckethead
@Biouke
So true. In France I remember the music video for If I Ever Feel Better ten years ago aired on music channels' night programs with other indie/electro/alternative groups, then we haven't heard of them until Wolfgang Amadeus when they had so much success overseas that we couldn't ignore them anymore. That's FIVE albums later! There's so much bands playing good music, if you don't beneficiate of a huge marketing plan you can stay in the shadows for quite a long time.
@Captain_Rhodes
if this came out in 1995 it could have been a big hit
@alexmtz191
this song is just fucking perfect
@TheAbbiedudette
Phoenix's sound is so, so JUICCYY
@eskimohugger1
This band and the Kooks have a special place in my heart