The origins of the Nylons date back to 1978 when four experienced Toronto stage actors, Connors, Cooper, Morrison, and Simpson, used to get together in the back of a delicatessen to sing doo-wop together. They took their ensemble to parties and friend's houses and constant comments from people convinced them to take their unique a cappella act into the clubs. An acquaintence met at a party was about to open a new cabaret and invited them to debut there. They played there for six weeks, garnering rave critical and audience reviews. In 1979 Simpson retired from the group and Cole was brought on board. They very quickly established themselves as one of the area's classiest and most original ensembles and caught the attention of Attic Records. Their first album eventually went platinum in Canada (100,000 copies), and there followed four more releases on Attic that all sold at least gold in Canada (50,000 copies). They received the equivalent of a Dutch Grammy award and a gold disc for the One Size Fits All album and the Best Singer Award at 1986's Tokyo Music Festival. In 1987 Disney used their song That Kind Of Man in their feature The Tin Man, and their version of Up The Ladder To The Roof was used in the movie Made In Heaven. They also scored a second appearance on the Taft Broadcasting television show Throb after writing the theme song and a previous appearance on the program. In February 1991 founding member Connors left the group and in March of that year died of viral pneumonia. A new deal in 1991 with Scotti Brothers in the US and BMG in Canada saw the release of three more albums, and constant touring on either side of the border. Over the years various member changes have led to today's lineup of Morrison, Robinson, Mosbaugh, and Cassius. In 1997 they signed with Shoreline Records in the US, a label primarily devoted to vocal groups, and released the Fabric Of Life. Today they continue to tour the world to audience and critical acclaim.
Singles
1982 The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Attic) 1983 Silhouettes (Attic) 1983 That Kind Of Man (Attic) 1984 Take Me To Your Heart (Attic) 1984 Perpetual Emotion (Attic) 1984 Stepping Stone (Attic) 1984 Combat Zone (Attic) 1987 Kiss Him Goodbye (Attic) 1987 Happy Together (Attic) 1987 Chain Gang (Attic) 1989 Wild Fire (Attic) 1989 Drift Away (Attic) 1991 Call My Name (Attic) 1991 One Fine Day (Attic) 1992 Don't Look Any Further (Scotti Brothers)
Albums
1982 The Nylons (Attic) 1982 One Size Fits All (Attic) 1984 Seamless (Attic) 1987 Happy Together (Attic) 1989 Rockapella (Attic) 1991 Four On The Floor (Attic) 1992 Live To Love (BMG) 1993 Illustrious: A Collection Of Classic Hits (Attic) 1994 Harmony - The Christmas Songs (BMG) 1994 Because... (BMG) 1996 Run For Cover (BMG) 1997 Fabric Of Life (Shoreline) 1997 Perfect Fit (Windham Hill) [re-release of 1993's Illustrious]
Marc Connors (baritone; RIP 1991) Paul Cooper (tenor) Claude Morrison (tenor) Dennis Simpson (bass) Ralph Cole (bass; replaced Simpson 1979) Arnold Robinson (bass; replaced Cole 1981) Micah Barnes (tenor; replaced Cooper 1991) Billy Newton-Davis (baritone; replaced Connors 1992) Garth Mosbaugh (tenor; replaced Barnes 1994) Gavin Hope (baritone; replaced Newton-Davis 1994) Mark Cassius (baritone; replaced Hope 1997)
Ai No Corrida
The Nylons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ai no, Ai no, Corrida
I hold you, I touch you
In a maze can't find my way
I think you, I drink you
I'm being served you on a tray
You see girl, that's what I go through every day Is this the way it should feel
So pinch me, I'm dreamin'
But if it is don't let me know
I'm drowning, don't save me
This is the way I want to go
You see girl, you thrill me, half kill me, that's what you do
Chorus:
Ai No Corrida, that's where I am
You send me there, your dream is my command
Ai No Corrida, I find myself
No other thought, just you and nothing else
You and nothing else
Before I first saw you each day was just another day
Night the lonely interlude just came, then blew away
You know girl, everything was come what may until you fell in my life
This spell that I'm under has caught me in a daze
Your lightning and thunder sets my poor heart ablaze
You see girl, you thrill me, half kill me that's what you do
Chorus
Ai no, Ai no, Corrida
Ai no, Ai no, Corrida
Chorus
The Nylons's song "Ai No Corrida" is a love song that expresses a feeling of being lost and consumed by love. The lyrics use metaphors of being in a maze, being served on a tray, drowning, and being caught in a spell to describe the intensity of the singer's feelings. The chorus, "Ai No Corrida," is a reference to a Japanese phrase that translates to "Love's Bullfight" or "Bullfight of Love," further emphasizing the intensity and passion of the love the singer is experiencing.
The verses suggest that before the singer met the object of their affection, life was mundane and uneventful. But now that they have fallen in love, everything else fades away and the only thing that matters is the person they love. The lyrics also suggest a feeling of powerlessness, with lines like "your dream is my command" and "don't save me, this is the way I want to go." The singer is willing to give themselves completely to the object of their affection, even if it means losing themselves in the process.
Overall, "Ai No Corrida" is a song about the all-consuming power of love and the way it can completely transform a person's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Ai no, Ai no, Corrida
Repetition of the title for emphasis
I hold you, I touch you
Expressing physical intimacy with the subject
In a maze can't find my way
Lost and confused about the relationship
I think you, I drink you
Obsessed with the subject, even to the point of being drunk on them
I'm being served you on a tray
Metaphor for being at the mercy of the subject's whims
You see girl, that's what I go through every day
Addressing the subject, acknowledging the toll the relationship takes on the singer
Is this the way it should feel
Questioning the validity and sustainability of the relationship
So pinch me, I'm dreamin'
Expressing disbelief or elation about the relationship
But if it is don't let me know
A desire to stay in the moment, even if it might not be real
I'm drowning, don't save me
Willingness to be consumed by the relationship
This is the way I want to go
Willingness to surrender to the subject's influence
You see girl, you thrill me, half kill me, that's what you do
Acknowledging the subject's powerful pull on the artist, even if it's detrimental
Chorus: Ai No Corrida, that's where I am
Reiterating the title, describing the state of being fully consumed by the relationship
You send me there, your dream is my command
Acknowledging the subject's power over the singer's actions and desires
Ai No Corrida, I find myself
Describing the transformative power of the relationship
No other thought, just you and nothing else
A singular focus on the subject
Before I first saw you each day was just another day
Explaining how the artist's life was before meeting the subject
Night the lonely interlude just came, then blew away
The emptiness of life before the subject
You know girl, everything was come what may until you fell in my life
Attributing the transformative nature of the relationship to the subject
This spell that I'm under has caught me in a daze
Describing the subject's power over the artist's thoughts and actions
Your lightning and thunder sets my poor heart ablaze
Metaphor for the intensity of emotions felt for the subject
Chorus
Reiterating the transformative power of the relationship
Ai no, Ai no, Corrida
Repeating the title for emphasis
Ai no, Ai no, Corrida
Repeating the title for emphasis
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: CHAZ JANKEL, KENNY YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind