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))).
Windows of the World
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where is the sunshine we once knew
Everybody knows when little children play
They need a sunny day to grow straight and tall
Let the sunshine through
The windows of the world are covered with rain
When will those black skies turn to blue
They start to wonder when their country will call
Let the sunshine through
The windows of the world are covered with rain
What is the whole world coming to
Everybody knows when men can not be friends
Their quarter loves an ends
Some have to die, some have to die
Let the sunshine through
The windows of the world are covered with rain
There must be something we can do
Everybody knows whenever rain appears
It's really angel tears
How long must they cry
The lyrics of "Windows of the World" by Scott Walker paints a picture of a bleak and gloomy world, where the rain has covered the windows of buildings and houses, and people are longing for the return of sunshine. The song suggests that a sunny day is not just a physical need for children to grow straight and tall, but also a metaphor for the hope and optimism required for a healthy and thriving society. However, the song goes beyond the need for sunshine and touches upon the themes of war, friendship, and death. The lyrics convey a sense of despair and helplessness, as people start to wonder when the black skies will turn to blue, and when their country will call. The song suggests that conflict and war lead to the loss of friendship and life, and the need for sunshine and hope becomes even more significant in such times.
The song was written in 1967 by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and was originally recorded by Dionne Warwick. The song gained popularity in the 1960s and was covered several times by different artists, including Scott Walker. The song is a powerful and thought-provoking commentary on the state of the world, and the lyrics reflect the social and political issues of the time. The song has a timeless quality to it and continues to be relevant even today.
Line by Line Meaning
The windows of the world are covered with rain
The world is in a state of gloom and darkness
Where is the sunshine we once knew
The hope and positivity we once had seems to have disappeared
Everybody knows when little children play
They need a sunny day to grow straight and tall
Children need a positive environment to grow and develop in
Let the sunshine through
Allow positivity and hope to re-enter the world
When will those black skies turn to blue
When will we see hope and positivity again?
Everybody knows when boys grow into men
They start to wonder when their country will call
Men have an innate sense of duty to their country
What is the whole world coming to
The world seems to be heading towards chaos and despair
Everybody knows when men can not be friends
Their quarter loves an ends
Some have to die, some have to die
Conflict and war can tear apart friendships and lead to unnecessary loss of life
There must be something we can do
We need to take action to bring about positive change in the world
Everybody knows whenever rain appears
It's really angel tears
How long must they cry
Rain symbolizes sadness and despair, and we need to work towards a world where there are no more tears
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: BURT F BACHARACH, HAL DAVID
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rebecca whitney
No other voice will ever compare. Miss you Scott, musical genius.
realdibujo
Sad to hear of Scott's passing today. R.I.P. Genius
Pasito
So good. Melts me ol' heartstrings every time.
Philip Mayer
Beautiful.
I've just listened to Dionne Warwick's version, but nobody is as good as Scott.
Only 13 'likes' ???
Me Me
I prefer Scott’s cover better. His deeper baritone vocals capture the mood of the lyrics better imo Dionne original is great too but a completely different voice obviously. Her vocals are more breathy and vulnerable if that makes sense. I like both versions and often listen to them side by side.
Pilar Ruiz-Iturriaga
@Park Vale Music Department Nobody sings like Scott. I knew of him after his death and he is supreme.
Park Vale Music Department
i prefer Dionne Wariwcks' but that might be cause I've just heard this version and been listening to the Warwick one for 40 odd years..
Anton Goldberg
Today´s my birthday. Sad to hear that Scott has gone today. Goodbye.
shuroom57
My favourite singer and all-time favourite artist sings a song by my favourite all-time music & lyrics team, Burt Bacharach & Hal David.
David Singleton
good one