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)
Beauty Queen
Roxy Music Lyrics
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It never could work out
The time to make plans
Has passed, faded away
Oh the way you look
Makes my starry eyes shiver
Then I look away
Too much for one day
Is an ideal of beauty
Treasure so rare
That even devils might care
Your swimming-pool eyes
In sea breezes they flutter
The coconut tears
Heavy-lidded they shed
Swaying palms at your feet
You're the pride of your street
While you worship the sun
Summer lover of fun
Gold number with neighbours
Who said that you'll go far
Maybe someday be a star
A fast mover like you
And your dreams will all come true
All of my hope, and my inspiration
I drew from you
Our life's pattern's drawn in sand
But the winds could not erase
The memory of your face
Deep in the night
Plying very strange cargo
Our soul-ships pass by
Solo trips to the stars, in the sky
Gliding so far
That the eye cannot follow
Where do they go
We'll never know
The lyrics of Roxy Music's Beauty Queen are deeply replete with vivid imagery and poignant sentimentality. As a song, it speaks to the complexity of human emotions that often come with complicated relationships. The first verse is a melancholy acknowledgement that any relationship between the singer and his muse, Valerie, could never work out. He expresses a regret for not having made plans earlier when they had the chance. The singer then diverts his attention to Valerie's beauty, which is too much for him to take in. It is ironic that the very thing that attracts him to Valerie is also what repels him. The second verse then paints a picture of her physical beauty, with references to her swimming-pool eyes and heavy-lidded coconut-shaped tears.
The chorus then explores the theme of beauty further, identifying the shared ideal of beauty between the singer and Valerie. However, this ideal is also a rare treasure that attracts even devils. The following verse shifts perspective to the singer's admiration for Valerie's aspirations. He recognizes the possibility of her going far and being a star, and he alludes to the fact that she is a fast mover. Nonetheless, he admits that his inspiration and hope all come from her.
The final verses offer an enigmatic description of soul-ships gliding solo trips to the stars in the sky. The singer is juxtaposing the idea of these soul-ships with his relationship with Valerie, indicating the essential emptiness and unrealized potential of their relationship. This conclusion stands as a poignant depiction of the inevitability of things that never come into fruition.
Line by Line Meaning
Valerie please believe
Addressing someone named Valerie, please believe what I am about to say
It never could work out
Our relationship could never work out
The time to make plans
The time for us to make plans has passed
Has passed, faded away
Our chance to make plans has passed and faded away
Oh the way you look
Your appearance is what I am about to describe
Makes my starry eyes shiver
Your beauty is so overwhelming that it makes me shiver with awe
Then I look away
I cannot even look at you because you are too beautiful
Too much for one day
Your beauty is too much for me to handle in one day
One thing we share
The only thing we have in common is an ideal of beauty
Is an ideal of beauty
The only thing that connects us is our shared perspective on beauty
Treasure so rare
You are a rare treasure
That even devils might care
Even the devil would take notice of your beauty
Your swimming-pool eyes
Your eyes are as beautiful as a swimming pool
In sea breezes they flutter
Your eyes flutter in the sea breeze
The coconut tears
Your tears are like coconuts
Heavy-lidded they shed
Your eyes are heavy-lidded as you cry
Swaying palms at your feet
There are palm trees swaying at your feet
You're the pride of your street
You are the pride of where you live
While you worship the sun
You love basking in the sun
Summer lover of fun
You are someone who loves fun in the summertime
Gold number with neighbours
You are very popular with your neighbors
Who said that you'll go far
People think that you are destined to achieve great things
Maybe someday be a star
Perhaps someday you will become a star
A fast mover like you
You are someone who is always on the go
And your dreams will all come true
Your dreams will definitely come true
All of my hope, and my inspiration
All of my hope and inspiration come from you
I drew from you
You are the source of all of my hope and inspiration
Our life's pattern's drawn in sand
Our life's pattern is not concrete and can change easily
But the winds could not erase
Despite the instability of our life, my love for you could not be erased
The memory of your face
I will always remember your face
Deep in the night
Especially at night, your memory remains with me
Plying very strange cargo
Our lives are made up of strange experiences
Our soul-ships pass by
Our souls move past each other
Solo trips to the stars, in the sky
We are on our own solitary journeys to the stars in the sky
Gliding so far
We are continuing on our journeys so far
That the eye cannot follow
Our journeys are so great that they can't be followed by the eye
Where do they go
We don't know where our journeys go
We'll never know
We will never know where our journeys take us
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BRYAN FERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind