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)
Strange delight
Roxy Music Lyrics
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Disappeared from ever loving friends
And now a slave to obsession
Your strange delight
You lie awake
How your senses ache
Shaking off the night
There goes your self
In the clear forever out of line
And there you'll stray through obsession
Your strange delight
Can't bear this heat
Your poor heart skips a beat
Tearing off the years
To when you really cared
So where's your soul?
In the field where every story ends
And then how plain your obsession
Your strange delight
So this is hell
Not so hard to tell
Better men than I
Have tried your strange delight
Is there no strange delight?
The song "Strange Delight" by Roxy Music is a poignant portrayal of the consequences of obsession. The lyrics express a sense of loss as the singer's life "disappears from ever loving friends" and they become "a slave to obsession." The strange delight they derive from their fixation keeps them awake at night, their senses aching for more.
The song continues with a reflection on the singer's sense of self, which is lost to obsession. They are forever out of line, straying through the field of their fixation. They can't bear the heat of their own passion, and their heart skips a beat at the thought. As they tear off the years to when they really cared, they start to realize that their obsession has become their "strange delight," a type of hell that is not so hard to tell.
The lyrics paint a picture of someone who has become so consumed by their obsession that they have lost sight of who they are. They are trapped in a cycle of pleasure and pain, unable to break free. The song is a warning against the dangers of obsession and the toll it can take on our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
So there goes your life
Your life has vanished before you without you achieving much
Disappeared from ever loving friends
You have lost the love and care of your friends who have moved on with their lives
And now a slave to obsession
You are entrapped in your own obsession and cannot escape its hold on you
Your strange delight
Your obsession has become your only source of happiness and contentment
You lie awake
You cannot sleep because of the overwhelming thoughts of your obsession plaguing your mind
How your senses ache
You feel physical pain and discomfort because of your obsession
Shaking off the night
You try to forget your obsession and start anew with a clear mind
Is there more strange delight?
Is there any other thing that can give you the same happiness as your obsession?
There goes your self
You have lost your identity and sense of self because of your obsession
In the clear forever out of line
You are no longer a part of normal society and have become an outcast because of your obsession
And there you'll stray through obsession
You will continue to wander aimlessly in life, controlled by your obsession
Your strange delight
Your obsession has taken over your life and is your only source of happiness
Can't bear this heat
You cannot take the pressure and stress of your obsession any longer
Your poor heart skips a beat
Your physical and emotional state is in turmoil due to obsession
Tearing off the years
You feel like you have lost precious years of your life to your obsession
To when you really cared
To a time when you were happy and content without your obsession dominating your life
So where's your soul?
You have lost your sense of self and purpose, leaving you feeling empty and lost
In the field where every story ends
You have reached a point where there is no turning back and the end is near
And then how plain your obsession
Your obsession becomes very clear to you and you realize how it has taken over your life
Your strange delight
Your obsession remains your only source of comfort and happiness, even though you know it is not healthy
So this is hell
You realize that the life you are leading is a living hell due to your obsession
Not so hard to tell
It is obvious to anyone observing your life that your obsession is taking a toll on you
Better men than I
Even those who were stronger and wiser than you have fallen prey to obsession
Have tried your strange delight
Others have also tried to find happiness in unhealthy obsessions, but have failed
Is there no strange delight?
Is there any other way to find happiness without resorting to an unhealthy obsession?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRYAN FERRY, PHIL MANZANERA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind