He first started out in 1980 when he formed the band "Grauzone" with his brother. From 1982 on he sang solo and had his breakthrough in Switzerland in 1985 with the album "I tell this night".
In April 2007 he released his newest album: Eldorado. From his website:
"It seems that Stephan Eicher had this album in mind for a long time; almost fifteen years… Since « Carcassonne », when he was already thinking about reinventing himself, after six years of real success (Two people in a room, Combien de temps, Déjeuner en paix, Pas d’ami (comme toi…).
With 2003's generous "Taxi Europa", marked by continental climates, he went in a different direction, around the old continent. “By the end of this long tour, I couldn’t stand the idea of singing out loud. I felt like singing for myself or for someone. As a coincidence, I began to compose new songs in places where I couldn’t make so much noise. In the Camargue, there was a dog barking each time I started to sing. In Brussels, I had almost to whisper melodies to avoid waking up the child sleeping next to me. Progressively, I began to place my voice differently”.
Eldorado was born like that, in hushed silence, in the secret of the nights. And as usual with Stephan, the voice has opened the way. Softened, contained in intimacy, it drove all the instruments choices implicitly. It had to be organic, with grain, matter, in order to give more space to silences, a figurative instrumentation, almost a real original soundtrack which could tell what the voice was concealing."
I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry
Stephan Eicher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He sounds too blue to fly
That midnight train is whining low
I'm so lonesome I could cry
I've never seen a night so long when time goes crawling by
The moon just went behind the clouds to hide his face and cry
When the leaves begin to die
That means he's lost the will to live
I'm so lonesome I could cry
The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry
In "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", Stephan Eicher sings about a profound sense of loneliness that is felt deep in his soul. He uses poetic imagery to paint a picture of a desolate landscape that reflects the emptiness he feels on the inside. The whippoorwill that he hears sounds too blue to fly, and the midnight train whines low. These sounds amplify his isolation and despair. Eicher has never experienced a night so long that time goes crawling by, and the moon is obscured by the clouds, mirroring his hidden pain. He is so on his own that he has lost his will to live, like a willow that weeps when the leaves begin to die.
The second stanza of the song amplifies his emotions. The silence of a falling star lights up the purple sky, causing him to dream of being with his love. He ponders where she is and wishes she would be with him. Yet, alas, she is not here, and therefore, he feels even more alone than ever.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear that lonesome whippoorwill
Observe the melancholic whippoorwill's call
He sounds too blue to fly
The bird seems too sad to take flight
That midnight train is whining low
Notice the mournful sound of the late train's engine
I'm so lonesome I could cry
Expressing deep emotional pain from loneliness
I've never seen a night so long when time goes crawling by
This night feels interminably long while time drags on
The moon just went behind the clouds to hide his face and cry
The moon becomes obscured by clouds, seemingly crying in solidarity
Did you ever see a willow weep
Have you witnessed a depressing sight?
When the leaves begin to die
When those parts of the tree start to wither away
That means he's lost the will to live
The willow appears to have lost its desire to survive
I'm so lonesome I could cry
Experiencing overwhelming sadness from isolation
The silence of a falling star
The hush that occurs when a meteor plummets to earth
Lights up a purple sky
The remaining light brings an eerie shade to the night
And as I wonder where you are
As I ponder your current location
I'm so lonesome I could cry
Reiterating the immense pain of feeling so isolated
Contributed by Bentley S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.