Formed in Los Angeles in 1979, the band relocated to San Francisco and were swiftly signed to Howie Klein's independent label, 415 Records, on the strength of their demo version of "Everywhere That I'm Not," the song that would remain the band's signature tune.
Heartbeats and Triggers (415/Columbia 1982), produced by David Kahne, was a college-radio hit and contained the hit single "Everywhere That I'm Not". The second album, 1983's No Time Like Now featured the hit "Un-Alone". The band was struggling to break away from the tight new wave formula and started to on their lush, third album from 1985 produced by Ed Stasium, simply titled Translator. As the decade wore on, the band became increasingly interested in exploring psychedelia, and their live shows were often three-hour affairs. Their final album (also produced by Stasium), Evening of the Harvest (1986), was the sound of a band that had matured and was their most realized statement. Everywhere That I'm Not -- A Retrospective was released by Columbia in 1986. Two more CD retrospectives were released on the band, Translation on Oglio and Everywhere That We Were -- The Best of Translator by Columbia Legacy in 1995 and 1996, respectively. All four of the band's original albums are available on CD and on iTunes. The band reunited at the South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin in 2006 for three very well-received shows. More reunion shows are being planned for 2009 & 2010.
Steve Barton now has a band called Steve Barton And The Oblivion Click. It is a trio with Steve, Robbie Rist (Cousin Oliver from The Brady Bunch) and Derrick Anderson (current Bangles bassist). Their new 20-song CD called "Gallery" is out on Spectra Records. All of the former Translator members still play music. Drummer Dave Scheff recently toured the U.S. and UK with Dead Kennedys. Robert Darlington is a published poet, whose collection "Ether" is now available. Larry Dekker continues to add his melodic solid bass playing to a variety of bands.
Today
Translator Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Day I've ever known
Can't live for tomorrow,
Tomorrow's much too long
I'll burn my eyes out
Before I get out
I wanted more
Bored by the chore
Of saving face
Today is the greatest
Day I've ever known
Can't wait for tomorrow
I might not have that long
I'll tear my heart out
Before I get out
Pink ribbon scars
That never forget
I tried so hard
To cleanse these regrets
My angel wings
Were bruised and restrained
My belly stings
Today is
Today is
Today is
The greatest day
I want to turn you on
I want to turn you on
I want to turn you on
I want to turn you
Today is the greatest
Today is the greatest day
Today is the greatest day
That I have ever really known
The song "Today" by the band Translator is a complex and layered expression of the human experience. The opening lines seem to express a feeling of joy and optimism, with the singer describing the current day as the greatest they've ever known. However, this happiness is tinged with sadness, as the singer reveals they can't live for tomorrow, as it's too far away. This suggests that the joy they feel in the present is fleeting and they fear for the future.
The second verse delves deeper into these feelings of sadness and inadequacy. The singer describes wanting more than life could ever grant them, suggesting a deep dissatisfaction with their current situation. They are bored by the chore of saving face and are struggling to come to terms with their regrets. The lines "Pink ribbon scars that never forget" evoke a sense of both physical and emotional pain, and the singer's desire to turn someone on may be a plea for validation and acceptance.
Despite these struggles, the chorus returns to a sense of hope and positivity, with the singer proclaiming that today is the greatest day they have ever known. The song ends with a repetition of this sentiment, as if to reinforce the idea that even in the face of difficulties, there is always the potential for happiness and growth.
Overall, "Today" is a deeply introspective and emotionally charged song that explores themes of joy and despair, hope and fear, and the ever-present struggle to find meaning and fulfillment in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Today is the greatest
I've had some great days before, but none compare to today
Day I've ever known
I've never experienced such a good day in my life
Can't live for tomorrow,
I can't waste my time thinking about the future
Tomorrow's much too long
The future is so far away that it's not worth thinking about
I'll burn my eyes out
I'll do anything to avoid leaving this moment of joy
Before I get out
Before I have to face reality
I wanted more
I always wanted to live a life full of passion and excitement
Than life could ever grant me
But reality didn't meet my expectations
Bored by the chore
I was exhausted by the effort it took to maintain my facade
Of saving face
Of presenting myself to the world in a certain way
Can't wait for tomorrow
I'm so excited about the present that I can't even think about the future
I might not have that long
I'm aware that my happiness might not last forever
I'll tear my heart out
I'll do anything to keep this positive feeling going
Pink ribbon scars
I have physical and emotional reminders of past struggles
That never forget
These scars don't go away and continue to influence me
I tried so hard
I gave my all to try to erase my regrets
To cleanse these regrets
To escape from my past mistakes
My angel wings
My pure image and intentions
Were bruised and restrained
Have been damaged and blocked by all those past mistakes
My belly stings
I have a knot in my stomach due to the fear of repeating past mistakes
I want to turn you on
I want to spread my excitement to others
I want to turn you on
I want to invite others to share this moment of joy with me
I want to turn you on
I want to inspire others to live passionately as well
Today is the greatest day
Today has been incredible beyond words
Today is the greatest day
I'm overwhelmed by how wonderful today has been
Today is the greatest day
I'm so grateful for this moment of bliss
That I have ever really known
This is a complete revelation for me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Randy Sparks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Albert Agibinik
Took me awhile to remember this one. Had it on cassette.
David Tong
Nice to spice up a love ballad with lead guitar.
Victor Cummings
Great cover - really hard to find
Johnny Russell
On the b~side of this single release is their song Ronnie Raygun Blues.
This song currently isn't on the Internet.
Does anyone have access to Ronnie Raygun Blues?
Don Raider
If you haven't found it, it's on the Wounded Bird release of Evening of the Harvest. Along with this fantastic song.