1) A mononym of Aurelio V… Read Full Bio ↴Voltaire is a name of at least three acts:
1) A mononym of Aurelio Voltaire Hernández (b. 1967, Havana, Cuba), a singer/songwriter whose music has its roots deeply embedded in European folk and also has influences from the gothic scene. He has also been directing commercials and animating short films for ten years, the best known of these are his Hieronymus Bosch-inspired station MTV IDs.
Inspired by the films of Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad), Voltaire began animating at the age of ten on a super8 camera. By piecing together snippets of information from fanzines, he eventually was able to teach himself how to make foam rubber animation models and animate them. The films of his childhood landed him his first directing job in 1988 with MTV. The stop-motion tour of the hellish Garden of Earthly Delights won several awards.
He also teaches stop-motion animation at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
He also wrote the song "BRAINS!" for the Cartoon Network show "Grim and Evil" which has since split into two separate shows (The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Evil Con Carne) and the song can also be found on his album "Boo Hoo".
An avid fan of Star Trek, Voltaire frequently attends conventions and released a four track E.P. called "Banned on Vulcan". It was a set of comedy recordings poking fun at characters from the show.
He often takes part in Adventure Quest Worlds special musical events in which he is drawn incredibly well!
Discography:
The Devil's Bris (1998)
Almost Human (2000)
Boo Hoo (2002)
Then and Again (2004)
Ooky Spooky (2007)
To the Bottom of the Sea (2008)
Hate Lives in a Small Town (2010)
Riding a Black Unicorn Down the Side of an Erupting Volcano While Drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children (2011)
BiTrektual (2012)
Raised by Bats (2014)
Heart-Shaped Wound (2017)
What Are the Oddz? (2019)
The Black Labyrinth (TBD)
2) A German indie rock group from Bonn, too. They were founded in 2003 by Roland Meyer de Voltaire, who is the singer, songwriter and producer of the band. Their discography includes one EP and two albums, called "Heute ist jeder Tag" (2006) and "Das letzte bisschen Etikette" (2009).
Sites: Voltaire-Musik.De (official)
3) A Polish punk rock band who have released two albums.
4) An 18th-century French writer and philosopher, who might be scrobbled by people listening to audiobooks of his works.
The Happy Song
Voltaire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What you want is rarely, if ever, what you need.
And of course, I argue the point like a completely self-righteous idiot.
Sung: I was looking for perfection
And it found me, right between the eyes
All this time we spent in bliss,
You know, like all things, it has to fade away
Cus when you ask, you might get what you want
The devil, he may care
When you ask, you might get what you want
Spoken: So now I spend most of my time waiting for things to happen,
Letting the wind take me where it will.
Sung: Only when it's done do you lose the veil
You get so blind you never see the light coming down the tracks
It keeps me hanging from a thread
Devil drives the train,
Devil pass me by
This is the happy song I wrote for you
You know, this is the happy song I never wrote for you
And after all this time,
And after all the lies
Never dreamed you would seem to me little more than an earthly waste of time
After all these precious opportunities that I had to set things right
Dissolve like regret in heaven, they do
And she said
Anata no namae o yuki ni kaku
Keredomo nani mo iwanai.
(Japanese translation: You write your name in the snow
Yet say nothing.)
This is the happy song I wrote for you
This is the happy song I never wrote for you
After all this time, and after all the lies
Never dreamed you would seem to me little more than an earthly waste of time
After all these precious opportunities that I had to set things right
Dissolve like regret in heaven,
Zen Buddhist heaven.
The song "The Happy Song" by Voltaire opens with an anecdote about a conversation the artist had with a Buddhist on the subway. The Buddhist suggests that what one wants is not necessarily what is needed, but Voltaire argues the point, revealing his self-righteousness. The song then goes on to explore this theme of wanting and needing through the lyrics, with Voltaire admitting that he was looking for perfection but found it fading away like all things eventually do. The devil warns about the consequences of getting what you want, and Voltaire acknowledges that he spends most of his time waiting for things to happen, letting the wind take him where it will. The final verses reveal a sense of regret and wasted time, with an enigmatic Japanese translation suggesting that one can leave their mark without actually saying anything.
The song is about the futility of pursuing certain things in life and how the pursuit of perfection can ultimately lead to disappointment. It suggests that one should be content with what they have and let life take them where it will. The devil in the song represents temptation and the consequences of giving in to it, and the final lyrics suggest that one can leave a lasting impact without necessarily achieving everything they set out to do.
Line by Line Meaning
A Buddhist on the subway tells me that
What you want is rarely, if ever, what you need.
A wise Buddhist tells me that what I desire may not be what I truly require, but I still argue, being ignorant.
I was looking for perfection
And it found me, right between the eyes
All this time we spent in bliss,
You know, like all things, it has to fade away
The devil says beware
Cus when you ask, you might get what you want
The devil, he may care
When you ask, you might get what you want
I searched for absolute perfection but it struck me unexpectedly. Even though I was enjoying the serene moments, they vanished eventually. The devil warns me to be cautious about wanting things, as it might give me undesirable results.
So now I spend most of my time waiting for things to happen,
Letting the wind take me where it will.
Currently, I spend my days waiting for fate to play its role, following the course of events like a leaf carried away by the wind.
Only when it's done do you lose the veil
You get so blind you never see the light coming down the tracks
It keeps me hanging from a thread
Devil drives the train,
Devil pass me by
Only when the task is complete, I realize how misleading my perception of things was. My blindness keeps me from recognizing positive events that await me in the future, leaving me in suspense. The evil intervenes but does not harm me as I remain watchful.
This is the happy song I wrote for you
You know, this is the happy song I never wrote for you
And after all this time,
And after all the lies
Never dreamed you would seem to me little more than an earthly waste of time
After all these precious opportunities that I had to set things right
Dissolve like regret in heaven, they do
And she said
I composed this joyful song especially for you, though never written. Despite spending a considerable amount of time with you and all your untrue statements, I consider you merely a waste of time. My chances to rectify our association disappear like regret in paradise, and I recollect what she remarked.
Anata no namae o yuki ni kaku
Keredomo nani mo iwanai.
(Japanese translation: You write your name in the snow
Yet say nothing.)
She says in Japanese that I etched my name in the snow, but it is of no consequence.
This is the happy song I wrote for you
This is the happy song I never wrote for you
After all this time, and after all the lies
Never dreamed you would seem to me little more than an earthly waste of time
After all these precious opportunities that I had to set things right
Dissolve like regret in heaven,
Zen Buddhist heaven.
This is the song that I wrote to make you content, yet the one I never wrote. Despite knowing you for an extended period and your deceitful behavior, I now see you as futile. The chance to rectify our association vanishes, much like regret in Buddhist paradise.
Contributed by Hudson T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.