The band was formed in 1973 in London, United Kingdom on the initiative of vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh). Originally known as Tiger Lily, the first lineup included Foxx plus Chris Cross (bass guitar), Billy Currie (keyboards/violins), Stevie Shears (guitar) and Warren Cann (percussion). The group released one single in 1974, a cover of "Ain't Misbehaving," before changing their name to Ultravox!, the exclamation point being a reference to the krautrock band Neu! that was produced by Conny Plank (who later produced some Ultravox albums). On the strength of their live act, they signed to Island Records in 1976, releasing their eponymous debut album in February 1977.
In common with many other bands which would go on to form Britain's punk and New Wave movements, Ultravox drew inspiration from the art-school side of glam rock, from bands such as Roxy Music and the New York Dolls, as well as from David Bowie and Brian Eno's early pop-fueled albums. Their eponymous debut album was self-produced by the band, yet Brian Eno (whose next job after these sessions was working with Bowie on 'Low') co-produced two songs and Steve Lillywhite also contributed. Sales were disappointing, and neither 'Ultravox!' nor the associated single "Dangerous Rhythm" managed to enter the U.K. charts.
Ultravox returned later in 1977 with the punkier 'Ha!-Ha!-Ha!'. Although sales of both the album and its lead single "ROckwrok" (which, despite a chorus featuring the lines "Come on, let's tangle in the dark/Fuck like a dog, bite like a shark", was played on BBC Radio 1) were still unimpressive, they had a growing fan-base. Steve Shears was sacked, later deciding to form the new band Faith Global. Although most of 'Ha!-Ha!-Ha!' was dominated by guitars and electric violin, the final track, "Hiroshima Mon Amour," was a prototypical synth pop song which gave a hint to the band's new direction. It remains a critical and fan favourite of the group's early incarnation, and it was even performed by the group on the 'Old Grey Whistle Test'. In 1978, the group quietly dropped the exclamation mark, becoming simply "Ultravox".
Their third album, 1978's Systems of Romance, was recorded under the ear of Conny Plank at his studio in rural Germany and featured new guitarist Robin Simon. It also failed commercially and Island dropped the band. After a US tour in 1979, John Foxx left to pursue a solo career whilst Robin Simon left to join the band Magazine. Musically, the album was a distinct development from the band's previous work and provided a blueprint for Ultravox's subsequent work, bringing synthesisers to the forefront of the group's sound. Island released a compilation of highlights from the group's first three albums in 1979, Three Into One, which was until the mid-1990s the most widespread of Ultravox's early releases.
Midge Ure, an already accomplished musician, was asked to join the band. He had achieved minor success with semi-glam outfit Slik and Glen Matlock's more punk-inspired The Rich Kids, although in 1979 he was temporarily playing with hard rock band Thin Lizzy. Midge Ure and Billy Currie had met in the Visage project, a studio project fronted by Steve Strange. Midge therefore replaced John Foxx for their next album, which would become their most successful to date, taking the already influential Ultravox sound and giving it a commercial appeal it had previously lacked.
Recorded in London and mixed by Conny Plank and the band once more in Germany,
Vienna was released on the new label Chrysalis Records in 1980, achieving a substantial hit with the title track (inspired by Carol Reed's The Third Man), which was accompanied with a distinctive video. It topped out at number two (Joe Dolce's "Shaddap You Face" infamously kept it from the top spot) on the UK Top 40 in 1981. The album reached number five, and was soon followed by Rage in Eden (1981), the band returning to Conny Plank's studio for what turned out to be a difficult recording session.
Ultravox teamed up with legendary producer George Martin for 1982's Quartet, which became their most successful album in the USA.
After touring with their 1984 Lament, and appearing at Live Aid, Warren Cann was fired and pursued a career in acting in the USA. The remaining members, along with Big Country's Mark Brzezicki, resurfaced with U-Vox in 1986 before going their separate ways the following year. Billy Currie and singer/guitarist Tony Fenelle reformed the band in 1992 to record Revelation, and Sam Blue lent his voice to their final release, Ingenuity (1996).
The band's international legion of followers yearned for some sort of reconcilliation. Both Billy Currie and Midge Ure pursued solo careers after the band were put officially on ice by Currie in 1996, Ure continuing to peform solo versions of Ultravox hits live.
Fans were therefore delighted when an announcement came in November 2008 that the 'classic' Cann/Cross/Currie/Ure line-up were to reform and play a fourteen-date UK tour entitled Return To Eden in April 2009. With Vienna and Rage In Eden being remastered and re-released and plans for a greatest hits compilation to accompany the tour, Ultravox are now set for a return to prominence.
After their successful 'Return to Eden Tour', Ultravox signed a deal with Universal Records and talk of new studio albums heated up. On February 21st 2011, a new EP, Moments from Eden, came out.
The band's latest album is 2012's 'Brilliant', featuring the 80s line-up of Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Chris Cross, and Warren Cann. Picking up a strong fan response, their recent touring has brought them to big crowds alongside rockers Simple Minds.
Website: http://www.ultravox.org.uk
New Europeans
Ultravox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A lonely man sits cheek to cheek, with unique designs in chrome.
The mellow years have long gone by, but now he sits alone.
He has a brand new radio, but never turns it on.
[Chorus]
New Europeans.
Young Europeans.
A photograph of lovers lost, lies pressed in magazines.
Her eyes belong to a thousand girls, she's the wife who's never seen.
Their educated son has left, in search of borrowed dreams.
His television's in his bed, he's frozen to the screen.
[Chorus]
On a crowded beach washed by the sun, he puts his headphones on.
His modern world revolves around the synthesizer's song.
Full of future thoughts and thrills, his senses slip away.
He's a European legacy, a culture for today.
[Chorus]
Young Europeans.
"New Europeans" is a powerful commentary on the changing cultural landscape of Europe in the 1970s and 1980s. The opening verse depicts a man sitting alone in a room, surrounded by modern technology but disconnected from the world around him. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the isolation and detachment that many people were feeling from the rapidly changing society.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "New Europeans" and "Young Europeans" multiple times. This is a call to the younger generation to embrace the new cultural and societal changes that were occurring throughout Europe during this time period. The song seems to suggest that the younger generation is more open-minded and enthusiastic about the future than the previous generation, who are depicted as being stuck in the past.
The second verse of the song speaks to the loneliness that often accompanies progress and change. The photograph of the lost lovers represents the nostalgia that people feel for a time period that is now unattainable. The son leaving in search of borrowed dreams can be interpreted as a metaphor for the younger generation looking outside of their own culture and history in search of new possibilities and experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
In a quiet street washed by the rain, the room within the home.
The singer describes a quiet street, in which a man sits within his home, separated from the world outside by the rain.
A lonely man sits cheek to cheek, with unique designs in chrome.
The man within the home sits by himself, perhaps feeling disconnected or misunderstood, surrounded by unusual decorations.
The mellow years have long gone by, but now he sits alone.
The man is reflecting on his past, recognizing that times have changed and he now finds himself alone.
He has a brand new radio, but never turns it on.
Even though he has a new form of entertainment, he does not feel compelled to use it or connect with the outside world through it.
New Europeans. Young Europeans. New Europeans.
The chorus repeats the phrase 'New Europeans' and adds 'Young Europeans' to emphasize the theme of societal change and evolution happening in Europe.
A photograph of lovers lost, lies pressed in magazines.
The singer paints a picture of a lost love, with the associated memories existing only in static magazines and photographs.
Her eyes belong to a thousand girls, she's the wife who's never seen.
The woman in the photograph is not unique or special, as the singer claims her eyes could belong to any number of women. Her husband does not appear to truly know her.
Their educated son has left, in search of borrowed dreams.
The couple's son has departed, perhaps to find external sources of inspiration rather than relying on his inherited family background.
His television's in his bed, he's frozen to the screen.
The son is depicted as being disconnected and possibly addicted to the television, with no interest in real-world connections.
On a crowded beach washed by the sun, he puts his headphones on.
The artist shifts focus to a different character, who seeks escape into music on a beach filled with people.
His modern world revolves around the synthesizer's song.
The man's identity is tied to the futuristic synth-based music, perhaps as a reaction to the more traditional cultures of previous generations.
Full of future thoughts and thrills, his senses slip away.
The man gets lost in the music, perhaps experiencing a sense of escapism and fulfillment that is not found in his everyday life.
He's a European legacy, a culture for today.
The man in the headphones embodies the idea of modern European cultural identity, shaped by the past but existing in the present moment.
Young Europeans.
The final repetition of the chorus emphasizes not just the newness of European identity, but the role of young people in driving that change forward.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER THOMAS ALLEN, MIDGE URE, WARREN REGINALD CANN, WILLIAM CURRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@theofanisnikos
In a quiet street washed by the rain, the room within the home.
A lonely man sits cheek to cheek, with unique designs in chrome.
The mellow years have long gone by, but now he sits alone.
He has a brand new radio, but never turns it on.
[Chorus]
New Europeans.
Young Europeans.
New Europeans.
A photograph of lovers lost, lies pressed in magazines.
Her eyes belong to a thousand girls, she's the wife who's never seen.
Their educated son has left, in search of borrowed dreams.
His television's in his bed, he's frozen to the screen.
[Chorus]
On a crowded beach washed by the sun, he puts his headphones on.
His modern world revolves around the synthesizer's song.
Full of future thoughts and thrills, his senses slip away.
He's a European legacy, a culture for today.
[Chorus]
Young Europeans.
@thata3488
入りの独特なカッティングがたまらなくカッコ良くて、TVCMで使われていたのを今でも覚えています♫ 当時日本のミュージシャンでこんなカッティング出来る人居なかったもんな〜しかもこの曲をCMに使ったディレクターのセンスも素晴らしいです♫
@tsukko3
この曲を聞いた時、YMOなんかヘタレなフュージョンにしか聴こえなくなった。
@user-ln8mc6jm8j
布袋さんは時々ウルトラヴォクスのギターフレーズを拝借してたりしますよ
@user-kn3zd4wy5k
30年以上前に姉がラジオから録音したテープの中に入ってまして、中学生だった自分の記憶に強烈に焼き付いていた曲でした。誰のなんという曲か分からず、今日までずっと色々探してましたがやっと分かりました。今日はよく眠れそう。
@user-uq6wl1mu1y
３９年くらい前かな、東京にいた姉がテープに録音してくれて田舎にいた私にとって、目の覚める様なしびれる曲でした。昔も今も音楽が好き、特に音を聞き分けたりするのが好きな私にとってこの曲は最初から最後まで、いまも
激しくこころに響きます。
懐かしいよ〜
@nochiishimon8675
昔ディスコで、今はクラブって言うのかな？この曲で良く踊ってました。
@hizakicrystal
カッティングギターと曲調が変わってギターソロになり元に戻ってくるところがめっちゃカッコイイ
@Grade1961
テクノポップ、ニュ－・ロマンティックと80’ｓのム－ブ・メントの中でも抜群のカッコイイ・サウンドでしたね！
@user-hl3bq3ph4j
NHK FM クロスオーバーイレブンでよくかかってましたね。エアチェックしてテープが擦り減るほど何回も聞いていた中学生時代
@user-fc4mi9nn5s
10代の頃バイトしてたガソリンスタンドの所長が、度々有線放送にリクエストしてました。懐かしい！ありがとう！