Hillage started out as a prog rocker, always leaning towards the more whimsical/ mystical side of things in his work with Gong (1973-1975). On going solo, he continued in a similar vein, fusing melodic elements with ambient soundscapes on albums such as "Green", "L", "Fish Rising" and most notably "Motivation Radio" and "Rainbow Dome Musick". One of the first to popularise electronic ambient sounds, his work was rediscovered by later electronic dance acts, giving Hillage a new lease of life as a performer/DJ in the 1990s following a successful stint as producer.
Famously name-checked in the 80s British sitcom "The Young Ones": hippie Neil's party is broken up by the police who crash into the house, bringing the music to an abrupt halt and scratching Neil's LP, causing him to lament "Oh no, Steve Hillage!".
System 7 is the dancefloor project of Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy. System 7 are not to be missed with nearing 20 years of experience after having spent much time learning the dance music vibe alongside THE ORB (see first few LPs by the orb). Steve had been visiting a chill out in a converted church squat in London, when he noticed excerpts from Rainbow dome music edited and effected into the live ambient vibes in the chill out. He approached the DJ/musicians who turned out to be The Orb. and as it happens Alex Patterson told Steve he dreamed of remixing rainbow dome music. Steve told Olex who he was and said he'd be happy to do one better and join in some studio colaborations with them and Steve's wife, Miquette. they contributed keyboards and that strange "glissando" guitar effect using bow on strings.
A further project by Steve (and Miqette) is Mirror System their set mixing psy, funk, jazz, and hip hop feels to a seamless and juicy chill out.
Fish
Steve Hillage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For Fish is Fisher of Man who Fishes
And if Man is Fisher of Fish and Fisher of Men
And Fish is Fisher of Man and Fisher of Fish
And then that Man is Manna of Man
Then we'll get there if we can.
The lyrics of Steve Hillage's song Fish are full of metaphors, and it may be difficult to interpret precisely what they mean. The first line, "I will make you Fishers of Men said Fish to Fishes," can be interpreted as a biblical reference to Jesus Christ's words to his disciples in the book of Matthew. Jesus said he would make them "fishers of men," meaning they would become evangelists who would bring people to faith. In this song, Fish appears to be taking on the role of preacher.
The next line, "For Fish is Fisher of Man who Fishes," suggests that Fish is not just a literal fish, but also a symbol for Man. This line seems to be saying that Fish is the one who will catch Man in his net of religious beliefs. The following lines seem to play with ideas of circularity and interconnectedness, suggesting that Man is both a fisherman and also the one caught in the net. The final line, "Then we'll get there if we can," may refer to the idea of achieving a spiritual goal, but the meaning is left somewhat ambiguous.
Overall, these lyrics seem to be exploring the relationship between religion and the natural world, using the metaphor of fishing to express these ideas.
Line by Line Meaning
I will make you Fishers of Men said Fish to Fishes
Fish (as a metaphor for Jesus Christ) tells the other fish (as metaphor for his disciples) that he will make them fishers of men (meaning he will teach them to bring people to God)
For Fish is Fisher of Man who Fishes
Fish (as a metaphor for Jesus Christ) is the one who brings people (Man) to God through his disciples (who are fishers)
And if Man is Fisher of Fish and Fisher of Men
If people (Man) can catch fish and bring people to God (as fishers of men),
And Fish is Fisher of Man and Fisher of Fish
Then fish (as a metaphor for Jesus Christ) can bring people to God (as fishers of man) and be caught (as fishers of fish).
And then that Man is Manna of Man
This suggests that people (Man) are sustained by a spiritual food (manna), which is provided by Jesus Christ (as fisher of man).
Then we'll get there if we can.
If we follow Jesus Christ's teachings and become fishers of men, we can reach the ultimate goal of being sustained by God's love and grace.
Contributed by Jack B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.