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))).
Time Operator
Scott Walker Lyrics
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Curtains are sighing dust of the day
Still I'm not alone like all my neighbours say
Time Operator
Take the time to take the time
To come over here
We got so much in common
With all the razzle dazzle in the street
The man come to shut off my water
The man come to shut down my lights yesterday
I'm not one to moan
I made the bill for the telephone
Now I wouldn't care if you're ugly
'Cos here with the lights out I couldn't see
You just picture Paul Newman
And girl he looks a lot like me
Time Operator
Take the time to take the time
To come over here
We got so much in common
Seems it's hard for us to sleep
With all the razzle dazzle in the street
Scott Walker’s Time Operator is a song that reflects on the difficulties of isolation and loneliness. The opening lines establish the atmosphere: “Moon breathin' in thru' my window/Curtains are sighing dust of the day.” The singer is alone, but he insists that he’s “not alone like all my neighbours say.” He’s struggling to find a connection in a noisy, chaotic world. The chorus pleads for the “time operator” to help: “Take the time to take the time/To come over here/We got so much in common/Seems it's hard for us to sleep/With all the razzle dazzle in the street.”
The singer has a brief respite from his solitude when he imagines a companion in the dark. He claims that he “wouldn't care if you're ugly/'Cos here with the lights out I couldn't see/You just picture Paul Newman/And girl he looks a lot like me.” But the illusion can’t last. The second verse brings him back to reality: “The man come to shut off my water/The man come to shut down my lights yesterday.” Despite this setback, he insists that he’s not complaining. He’s even paid his phone bill.
Overall, the song captures the sense of isolation common to many people. The singer wants to connect with someone, but he doesn’t know how. The razzle dazzle of the street only makes things worse. The song is poignant and melancholic, tapping into a deep feeling of loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
Moon breathin' in thru' my window
The moonlight is entering through my window
Curtains are sighing dust of the day
The curtains are moving, releasing the dust amassed on them after a long day
Still I'm not alone like all my neighbours say
Despite what my neighbors say, I am not alone
Time Operator
Calling out to a hypothetical/time traveling character
Take the time to take the time
Please spare some time for me
To come over here
To visit me
We got so much in common
We share a lot of similarities
Seems it's hard for us to sleep
It's difficult for us to sleep
With all the razzle dazzle in the street
Due to the loud commotion and chaos outside
The man come to shut off my water
Someone came to disconnect my water supply
The man come to shut down my lights yesterday
Yesterday, someone came to switch off my lights
I'm not one to moan
I am not someone who complains
I made the bill for the telephone
I have cleared my telephone bill payment
Now I wouldn't care if you're ugly
I would not mind if you are not physically attractive
'Cos here with the lights out I couldn't see
Because in the dark, I cannot see your face
You just picture Paul Newman
Just imagine Paul Newman's face instead of mine
And girl he looks a lot like me
Because I look a lot like him
Contributed by Alyssa J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.