Originally coming to fame in the mid-1960s singing orchestral pop ballads as the frontman of The Walker Brothers, Walker went on to a solo career balancing a light entertainment/MOR ballad approach with increasing artistic innovations in arrangement and writing. Despite a series of acclaimed albums, a disastrous drop in sales forced him back into straight Middle of the road recordings with little of his own artistic input. This in turn eventually led to a Walker Brothers reunion in the mid-1970s (although the latter eventually moved, by mutual consent, into more avant-garde areas).
From the mid-1980s, Walker revived his solo career while drastically reinventing his artistic and compositional methods, via a series of acclaimed and vividly avant-garde albums. These combined his iconic voice with an unsettling avant-garde approach which owed more to modernist and post-modernist classical composition than to his pop singer past. This change in approach has been compared to "Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen".
Walker has been a continuing influence on other artists, in particular The Last Shadow Puppets, Marc Almond, Goldfrapp, Douglas Pearce of the band Death in June, Billy MacKenzie of The Associates, David Sylvian, Julian Cope, Antony Hegarty, Thom Yorke, Steven Wilson, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Trey Spruance, Perry Blake, Radiohead, Noah Lennox, Mikael Åkerfeldt, and the Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon.
Walker continued to release solo material until his death, and was signed to 4AD Records. As a record producer or guest performer he worked with a number of artists including Pulp, Ute Lemper, Bat For Lashes and Sunn O))).
No Easy Way Down
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now it must fall to the ground
Now your sad eyes reveal just how badly you feel
'Cause there is no easy way down
The view from the cliffs must have been exciting
And up to the peaks you were bound
Now you're stranded alone and the past is unknown
No, it isn't very easy when you're left on your own
No, it isn't very easy when each road you take
Is one more mistake, there's no one to break your fall
And lead you back home, yeah
We all like to climb to the heights of love
Where our fantasy world can be found
But you must know in the end when it's time to descend
That there is no easy way down
You know you're gonna find
There is no easy way down
Scott Walker's “No Easy Way Down” is a poignant ballad about the difficult aftermath of failing in love. A metaphorical representation of a toy balloon falling to the ground represents a relationship spiraling downward, never to regain its former elevation. The song opens on a mournful note, as Walker explains the inevitability of the letdown.
He metaphorically describes the journey of love as an exhausting trek up a mountain, where the view from the top is breathtaking but the descent that follows tiring and at times treacherous. He speaks of how disorienting it is when for a brief moment, someone has it all; love, companionship, and the world at their feet, only to find themselves isolated and alone without a partner to support their fall when things come crashing down. The song is about this sense of emptiness that follows a breakup, where a person struggles to find their way back to the ground, to a reality they once knew, but now no longer exists.
Walker's lyrics in "No Easy Way Down" are piercing, as they beautifully capture the anguish that accompanies that inevitable fall and the difficulty of the impending climb back up. It's an emotional journey, one that's meant to be experienced rather than merely listened to.
Line by Line Meaning
Your toy balloon has sailed in the sky, love
You were once happy and carefree, but now reality is going to hit you hard.
But now it must fall to the ground
Everything that goes up must come down.
Now your sad eyes reveal just how badly you feel
Your emotions are evident in your eyes.
'Cause there is no easy way down
Coming back down to reality is hard.
The view from the cliffs must have been exciting
The excitement of climbing to the top.
And up to the peaks you were bound
You had aspirations for greatness.
Now you're stranded alone and the past is unknown
Achieving your goals can leave you isolated and unsure of what's next.
And there is no easy way down
Coming back down to earth is tough.
No, it isn't very easy when you're left on your own
There is no one to guide you when you're alone.
No, it isn't very easy when each road you take
Every choice you make has consequences.
Is one more mistake, there's no one to break your fall
Every mistake brings you closer to a hard fall.
And lead you back home, yeah
No one is going to help you find your way back to where you started.
We all like to climb to the heights of love
Love can make us feel like we're on top of the world.
Where our fantasy world can be found
Love can make us feel like everything is perfect and magical.
But you must know in the end when it's time to descend
Eventually, you'll have to come back down to reality.
That there is no easy way down
It's not going to be easy to accept reality.
You know you're gonna find
You're going to realize eventually.
There is no easy way down
Coming back to reality is never easy.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING, GERRY GOFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sonia Mcintosh
Only recently discovered this song. No one could sing like Scott, effortless and beautiful. Must have been a lot of jealous rivals out there!
Michael Tomney
welcome to scotts world try aint no sunshine.
Kathleen Price
Cripes you didnt know SCOTT PHEW you have a lot to learn xx
Al
He is better known as a darts player.
dixgun
Nice one. Those toms at the beginning are really cool. Nice spaciousness in the track. I completely ignored the early ‘70s Scott records just because he disowned them but like all of Scott’s recorded output, all of it is quality.
Margery McCarty
Not one I I’ve heard before but as usual he gives his lovely voice to it will always love you RIP
Rebecca Whitney
Will always miss you Scott, I will always cherish your voice, never forget your presence in this world.
wellandtruly joshed
Beautiful man beautiful voice ❤️ RIP Scott 💔
Jennifer Holyoake
Scott was the unique master of sounds + I love the voice.
Arlene Culshaw
Wonderful song and only Scott could sing this. He can cover every level reach every note thank you for this Swallow love Arlene xxxxx