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)

Spin Me Around
Roxy Music Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now the ballroom's empty
Everybody I have known
Has been and gone
With the music over
Here am I
A shadow echoing on
Spin me round

Now there must be something
In what they say of all things
Great and small
There's dozen roses
Lying almost dying
To say all
Spin me round

A nether world dancing toy
I'm wired for sound
Does it matter to me
Who turns the key?
Now if life is for living
Then the way is clear
But I don't understand
Why the dream has ended
Yet I can't wake up

Lend a hand
Spin a round

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Roxy Music's song "Spin Me Around" explore themes of loneliness, disillusionment, and the passing of time. The opening stanza sets the stage in an empty ballroom, where the singer laments the departure of everyone they have known. The music has come to an end and the singer is left as a mere shadow, echoing in the emptiness. Yet, despite the melancholy backdrop, the chorus reveals a plea for companionship: "Spin me round."

The second verse shifts to broader existential musings. The singer contemplates the adage that there must be "something in what they say of all things great and small." A dozen roses lie dying, as if to attest to the fleeting nature of all things. The singer describes themself as a "nether world dancing toy" wired for sound, an image that suggests they are struggling to find meaning and connection in a world that feels shallow and artificial. The final lines of the song offer a faint glimmer of hope, as the singer implores someone - anyone - to "spin me round" and help break them out of the cycle of disillusionment and isolation they find themselves in.

Overall, the lyrics have a dreamlike quality, repeatedly invoking the image of being spun around. This motif conveys a sense of disorientation and instability, as well as a desire to break free from a monotonous existence. At the same time, the lyrics convey a sense of resignation and sadness, as if the singer has lost something precious but cannot quite put their finger on what it is.

Line by Line Meaning

Now the ballroom's empty
The ballroom is deserted now

Everybody I have known
All the people I have known

Has been and gone
Have come and gone

With the music over
As the music comes to an end

Here am I
Here I stand

A shadow echoing on
A reflection of myself echoing around

Spin me round
Make me spin around

Now there must be something
There must be some truth

In what they say of all things
In what they say about everything

Great and small
Big and small alike

There's dozen roses
There are a dozen roses