Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who becam… Read Full Bio ↴Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone and oboe), and Paul Thompson (drums and percussion). Other members included Brian Eno (synthesizer and "treatments") and Eddie Jobson (synthesizer and violin). Although the band took a break from group activities in 1976 and again in 1983, they reunited for a concert tour in 2001, and have toured together intermittently since. Ferry frequently enlisted band members as session musicians for his solo releases.

Roxy Music became a successful act in Europe and Australia during the 1970s. This success began with their self-titled debut studio album in 1972. The band pioneered more musically sophisticated elements of glam rock while significantly influencing early English punk music, and provided a model for many new wave acts while innovating elements of electronic composition. The group also conveyed their distinctive brand of visual and musical sophistication with their focus on glamorous fashions. Ferry and co-founding member Eno have had influential solo careers. Eno became one of the most significant British record producers of the late 20th century. Rolling Stone originally ranked Roxy Music No. 98 on their greatest artists list ("The Immortals – The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time"), but dropped the group from the list when they updated it in 2011.

Roxy Music's final studio album was Avalon (1982), which was certified Platinum in the United States. In 2005, the band began recording what would have become their ninth studio album—and their first album with Eno since 1973 (he wrote two songs for it and also played keyboards). However, Ferry eventually announced that the material from these sessions would instead be released as a Ferry solo studio album, with Eno playing on "a couple of tracks", and that he believed the group would never again produce a record as Roxy Music. The album was released in 2010 as the Ferry solo studio album Olympia. It featured contributions from Eno, Manzanera, and Mackay (amongst many other session players).

In 2011, Roxy Music played a series of 40th-anniversary shows, but went inactive as a performing entity following the concerts. In 2019, Roxy Music were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 2022, Roxy Music reformed for a tour to mark the 50th anniversary of their debut studio album.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxy_Music

Studio albums
Roxy Music (1972)
For Your Pleasure (1973)
Stranded (1973)
Country Life (1974)
Siren (1975)
Manifesto (1979)
Flesh and Blood (1980)
Avalon (1982)

2. My Only Love
Roxy Music Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Do I ever wonder?
More than words can say
Heaven knows itÂ´s hard enough to pray
Let me tell you something
ThereÂ´s a change in me
Even now youÂ´re gone youÂ´ll always be
My only love
Does it seem so funny

For a fool to cry?

Do you know the meaning of goodbye?
ThereÂ´s a river flowing
By a willow tree
When you need to know remember me
My only love

Let me tell you something
More than words can say
But theyÂ´re all I have, no other way
ThereÂ´s a river flowing
By a willow tree

When you find youÂ´re there remember me
My only love

Overall Meaning

In "My Only Love," Roxy Music contemplates the effects of love and how difficult it can be to move on from someone who has left you. The first two lines indicate that the singer is constantly contemplating about something, wondering if they should move on or hold on to the memories of a relationship. Even though it's hard to move on, prayer can be a way of coping with the feelings. The next two lines reveal that the person has indeed moved on and undergone a change - they are no longer the same person they used to be.

The chorus of the song is the declaration of the person's love for their ex-partner. They will always be their only love, even in the midst of heartbreak and losing the person. It's also highlighted that crying over someone isn't a sign of weakness - it's natural to feel that way when someone we love leaves us. The final verse ends with a poignant image of a river flowing by a willow tree, which serves as a symbol for the inevitability of change, loss, and memories.

The song is a reflection of the kind of pain and loss that people experience in relationships when they can't let go of their ex-partner - even if there's no chance of them being together again. It's a melancholic song but is also an acceptance of the past.

Line by Line Meaning

Do I ever wonder?
Do I ever contemplate or query?

More than words can say
Beyond the capacity of language to express

Heaven knows it's hard enough to pray
It's difficult to connect with a higher power

Let me tell you something
Allow me to confide in and inform you

There's a change in me
I've undergone a transformation

Even now you're gone you'll always be
Even though you're no longer present, your memory persists

My only love
The sole object of my affection

Does it seem so funny
Is it humorous or incongruous?

For a fool to cry?
To shed tears over lost love, as if a foolish act

Do you know the meaning of goodbye?
Are you aware of the significance of parting ways?

There's a river flowing
A body of water that moves steadily