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))).
Through the Long and Sleepless Night
Scott Walker Lyrics
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I whisper your name
Through a long and sleepless night
Of who is to blame
Can't help but wonder
If you're lonely too
As I lie here and toss about
How I wish, my heart with me
My memories alone
Why must I re-dream, re-live
The Joys we have known
I pray that someday
Our love will see the light' til then
In thick dark silence I beg my heart to replace
All through and oh so long and sleepless night
I pray that someday
Our love will see the light' til then
In thick dark silence
I beg my heart to replace
All through alone so long and sleepless night
The lyrics to Scott Walker's song Through the Long and Sleepless Night delve into the emotions of longing and heartbreak that come with being separated from a loved one. The singer is unable to stop thinking about their partner even as they lie awake, unable to sleep. The repetition of "Through a long and sleepless night" emphasizes the agony of the singer's situation, while the line "Of who is to blame" suggests that there may have been some conflict or disagreement leading to their separation.
The singer wonders if their partner is also feeling lonely, highlighting the emotional distance between them. They struggle to reconcile their memories of the happy times they shared with the reality of their current situation. The line "Why must I re-dream, re-live/The Joys we have known" highlights their difficulty in moving on from the past.
The repeated prayer for their love to "see the light" suggests a hope for reconciliation, but the acknowledgement that this may not happen is evident in the final line. The singer "beg[s]" their heart to find a way to replace the pain and loneliness of their current situation. Overall, the lyrics of Through the Long and Sleepless Night offer a poignant portrayal of the struggles of separation and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Through a long and sleepless night
Enduring an arduous and restless period of darkness
I whisper your name
Calling out for the person in mind with a low and soft voice
Through a long and sleepless night
Enduring an arduous and restless period of darkness
Of who is to blame
Contemplating and questioning responsibility for a certain situation
Can't help but wonder
Unable to stop oneself from thinking about something
If you're lonely too
Pondering if the other person is experiencing a similar feeling of isolation
As I lie here and toss about
Restlessly turning and moving around while lying down
So alone, so without you
Feeling lonely and incomplete without the other person
How I wish, my heart with me
Longing for the person to be present and connected emotionally
My memories alone
Recollections of the past remain solitary
Why must I re-dream, re-live
Questioning why memories continue to replay in the mind
The Joys we have known
Reflecting upon the positive experiences shared together
I pray that someday
Hoping for a positive outcome in the future
Our love will see the light' til then
Wishing for a time when the relationship will flourish
In thick dark silence I beg my heart to replace
Pleading for the feeling of emptiness to be replaced with something meaningful
All through and oh so long and sleepless night
Persisting through a lengthy, difficult, and restless period of darkness
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALFRED NEWMAN, MACK GORDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind