1. Prog Rock, German band<… Read Full Bio ↴Note: There are three artists with this name.
1. Prog Rock, German band
2. 60's female pop singer.
3. Low-Fi Dublin Band
1.
In the spring of 1990, Kay Söhl, the two keyboarders Volker Söhl and Matthias Harder, founded the band TEMPORAL TEMPTATION. By that summer the band had already played its first gig - the first live performance of the core founding members of the band. In a way it was also Sylvan's birth. At this time the band played hard rock music and sang in German. Only a small part of their music was progressive rock.
In Autumn 1990, the band changed its name to CHAMELEON, a symbol of changeability, representing the long instrumental parts in their music. The cover artwork had a likeness to early MARILLION covers and has never been issued. In summer 1991 Marko Heisig joined Chameleon as the lead singer and bassist. Between 1992 and 1994 the band had a gloomy and aggressive tonality to them and in this they were very different from the more rocky sounds of the previous years. In 1992 the first official demo tape of Chameleon was released. With Matthias Koops as lead singer, the second official demo tape was recorded. The title was 'Slaves' and its tracklist was 'Time', 'Slaves', 'Mirror of a Lifetime' and 'Childhood Dreams'. (By the way, 'Slaves' was the old title of a version of today's song 'Deliverance' after which Sylvan's first album was named!).
In winter 1995 one of the band's dreams was fulfilled: Marco Glühmann, an old friend who played many years before with Chameleon, joined the band. Within the same year the third and last official demo tape was recorded. The tracklist was 'Beren and Luthien', 'Golden Cage' and 'Outro'. All of these songs have merged into Sylvan's first studio album in one way or another.
In 1997 the last live concert took place under the name Chameleon. Marko Heisig left the band and the bass was taken over by Patrick Münster. The band changed its name to Sylvan. Their first cd was recorded in 1998 and the second was released in 2000. (Adapted from text on the official history website). The music of the band is progressive rock with some hard rock moments, and some spacey melodic pop-rock elements, probably lingering from earlier in their career. Also there are some Art-prog elements, but really not enough to call this music Art-rock as such. Other apparent influences include psychedelic rock, a little PINK FLOYD in the spacey elements, and surely MARILLION and GENESIS.
2. 60's female pop singer. In 2006 her record "We Don't Belong" first recorded in 1965, was featured on a Rhino Records compilation set "The Hatbox collection" "Girl Groups Lost and Found" which gained two Grammy Award nominations in January 2007. Now a successful photographer living in London. www.sylvanmason.com In 1965 Sylvan became the first and only Stowaway on Radio Caroline's Mi Amigo Pirate Ship. She spent the weekend with Tony Blackburn, Roger Gale and Mike Allen promoting her record "We Don't Belong" which had recently been banned by the BBC; helping the dj's with their quiz shows and making jingles whilst the headlines in newspapers screamed "Beautiful blonde Marooned with 15 men". Unlike the new film "The Boat That Rocked" which is based on Radio Caroline, it was cold, uncomfortable and a bit smelly says Sylvan but the boys were very sweet and well behaved.
3. Irish band Sylvan are a five-piece low-fi Dublin-based group, originally formed in 2000 by band members Colin Russell-Conway (drums), Paul Clynes (vox & lead guitar), and Adam McCormack (vox & guitar). Adam left the group in 2004, to move to Denmark and is now recording & gigging with his new band, Imagine I Had Hands. At this point Kieron (Beardy) joined the band to replace Adam on vox & guitar. And Fergus Russell-Conway was also recruited to join the band on bass & backing vox. The band have released 3 full-length albums to date. Their first album "The Ugly Lemon" was recorded in Chicago with Steve Albini in 2003. They then recorded their second album My Marble Eye themselves in Dublin in January 2005. Sylvan have just released their third album "We Are Lying to you through song" in September 2007, and are currently touring this album in Ireland and Europe. http://www.myspace.com/sylvan1
Questions
Sylvan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They rush through the alleys of their lives and think that's alright
They see through their visions what they want to see
Act in their courtyard like they want to be
They think they can hear it, but they're deaf indeed
Spread out their ideas egoistically
When I grow up, will I freak out?
Will I crack up when they change all?
Will I dry out, will my mask fall?
Will they change me? Will it ease me?
Will they shape me? Will it pull me under?
Will it tear me? Will it ruin me?
Will it reach me? Or just pull me under?
They move in the rhythm of my time and rub off my signs
They rush through the alleys of my life and repaint them with lies
Will they catch up, will they get me? Disappoint and then they blind me
Will they brand me, yet they're hurting me, will they wound me?
They're deserting me
The lyrics to Sylvan's song, Questions, speaks about human nature and how people interact with the world around them. The opening lines of the song discuss how people move and keep in rhythm with the time and world that they live in, and how they rush through their lives without stopping to question if they are doing the right thing. The song then goes on to talk about people's vision, how they see what they want to see and act how they want to be seen, which along with their egocentric ideas, can cause them to be deaf to others.
The song then switches to the perspective of the singer, who is wondering if they will break down or freak out when they are locked-in or grow up, respectively. They question whether their mask will fall or if they will dry out when faced with change. The singer then wonders if external forces will change them, shape them, or pull them under, ultimately leading to their desertion.
Overall, the song is questioning the nature of human behavior and how the world around us shapes us. Whether our actions are based on egocentric ideas or whether we allow external factors to influence us, we are constantly changing and evolving, which can be scary and uncertain.
Line by Line Meaning
They move in the rhythm of their time and keep it inside
People conform to current societal norms and suppress their individuality
They rush through the alleys of their lives and think that's alright
People go through life without stopping to question their actions or decisions
They see through their visions what they want to see
People filter the world to support their beliefs and desires
Act in their courtyard like they want to be
People act in their own interests, without concern for others or the greater good
They think they can hear it, but they're deaf indeed
People believe they are aware of the world around them, but are actually oblivious to other perspectives
Spread out their ideas egoistically
People share their ideas with a selfish desire for validation, recognition, or personal gain
When I'm locked-in, will I break down?
The singer questions their ability to cope when they feel trapped or restricted
When I grow up, will I freak out?
The artist wonders if they will struggle to adapt to the responsibilities and stresses of adulthood
Will I crack up when they change all?
The artist worries about their mental state if their world is fundamentally altered or disrupted
Will I dry out, will my mask fall?
The artist questions if they will lose their emotional depth or authenticity as they go through life
Will they change me? Will it ease me?
The singer considers if external forces will shape them, and wonders if it will positively impact their life
Will they shape me? Will it pull me under?
The artist fears that external forces will negatively impact his identity and lead to a sense of drowning or helplessness
Will it tear me? Will it ruin me?
The singer is concerned that external stresses will break them apart or irreparably damage their psyche
Will it reach me? Or just pull me under?
The singer is uncertain if they will be able to handle external pressures, or if they will be overwhelmed and suffocated
They move in the rhythm of my time and rub off my signs
As people conform to societal norms, they erase the individuality and unique traits of others
They rush through the alleys of my life and repaint them with lies
Others make assumptions and spread falsehoods about the artist, without taking the time to truly understand or know them
Will they catch up, will they get me? Disappoint and then they blind me
The artist worries that others will eventually catch up to them and reveal their flaws, leading to disillusionment or betrayal
Will they brand me, yet they're hurting me, will they wound me?
The singer fears being labeled or defined by others, especially if it comes at their emotional or physical expense
They're deserting me
The singer feels abandoned by others and disconnected from their surroundings
Contributed by Scarlett F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.