1: X (America)
X w… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least 8 artists called "X".
1: X (America)
X were far from the first punk rock band in Los Angeles, and they weren't the first to achieve some level of nationwide recognition, but in a very real way, they were the ones who put the L.A. punk scene on the map. X were the first L.A. punk band to be taken seriously by the rock press on both coasts, and at a time when many wondered how punk could thrive in the land of all that was mellow, X played music that was as raw, passionate, and powerful as anything coming out of New York, London, or any other major city. X's melding of punk's speed and ferocity with the sounds of rockabilly, blues, country, and other roots music styles would prove to be wildly influential in the years that followed, as were the off-kilter harmonies of John Doe and Exene Cervenka. And while they never enjoyed the commercial breakthrough that many believed was their due, X were massively popular in their home town and could successfully headline large outdoor venues like the Greek Theater, proving there was an audience for punk in the City of the Angels. Their first two independently released albums -- 1980's Los Angeles and 1981's Wild Gift -- were critical favorites and sold remarkably well by small-label standards, helping establish Slash Records as a major independent label as well as defining the group's unique approach. The band moved up to a major label, Elektra Records, with their unique sound and integrity intact on 1982's superb Under the Big Black Sun. After Zoom left the band, they soldiered on with new guitarist Tony Gilkyson on 1987's underrated See How We Are, but most of their fans remained loyal to the original lineup, and they remained a popular live attraction after reuniting with Zoom in 1998. Those fans would have to wait until 2020 for a new studio album from X, when Alphabetland was released to immediate and widespread acclaim.
X was formed by bassist, vocalist, and songwriter John Doe (born John Nommensen Duchac), who moved to Los Angeles in 1976. Born and raised in Baltimore, where he'd played in a number of forgotten bar bands, Doe had discovered punk rock after hearing Patti Smith's Horses and was eager to form a band in his new home town. Through a newspaper ad, Doe met Billy Zoom (born Ty Kindell), a gifted guitarist originally from Savannah, Illinois who had been playing rockabilly, blues, and R&B in L.A. for years, and had backed Gene Vincent during the rockabilly icon's last shows. Like Doe, Zoom had discovered the Ramones and wanted to play music that was fast, loud, and honest, and they began jamming together. Shortly before meeting Zoom, Doe had met Exene Cervenka (aka Christine Cervenkova) who, like Doe, had recently arrived in Los Angeles (in her case from Tampa, Florida) and was interested in poetry. Doe and Cervenka were attending the same poetry workshop, and bonded over their shared tastes in literature. Doe and Cervenka started dating, and when he read one of her pieces and thought it had the makings of a good song, he asked her permission to sing it in the band he was forming with Zoom. Cervenka said she'd prefer to sing it herself, and before long, she was rehearsing with Doe and Zoom, with her enthusiasm compensating for her lack of musical experience. Naming themselves X, the new band went through a handful of drummers after making their debut at a house party in 1977; their original drummer was a guy named Mick Basher, and reportedly, K.K. Barrett of the Screamers and Nicky Beat of the Weirdos sat in with them on occasion, but when Doe saw the Eyes performing at The Masque, L.A.'s first punk club, he saw their drummer was just what he and Zoom had been looking for: someone whose style was smart but simple, and who hit a big snare drum really hard. That drummer was D.J. Bonebrake, and he played his first gig with X in February 1978.
It didn't take long for X to make a name for themselves on the L.A. punk scene, and later the same year, the group recorded their first single, "Adult Books" b/w "We're Desperate," released by the seminal West Coast punk label Dangerhouse Records. The single sold well, and X's song "Los Angeles" appeared on the label's sampler LP Yes L.A., but the band was unhappy with Dangerhouse's business practices, and opted to record their first full-length album for Slash Records, an offshoot of the key L.A. punk 'zine. X had also won a valuable ally in Ray Manzarek, former keyboard player with the Doors; Manzarek was impressed with X's bold music and literate songs, as well as their open admiration of his former group (they had taken to covering "Soul Kitchen" on-stage). Manzarek played keys at a few X gigs and offered to produce their first album. Recorded on a slim budget of $10,000, Los Angeles was released in April 1980, and immediately received rave reviews from punk fanzines and the big-league music press; it was an immediate success in the band's home town, and as word spread nationwide, the album sold over 50,000 copies, an impressive sum for an independent punk album. Along with steady touring, fans outside of California were seeing X thanks to the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, which focused on the L.A. punk community and gave the group a healthy amount of admiring screen time. 1980 also marked the year Doe and Cervenka became man and wife, with their relationship informing the lyrics to many of their songs.
X's second album, Wild Gift, appeared in May 1981, a few months after the release of their single "White Girl." Also produced by Ray Manzarek, the critical reception for Wild Gift was just as enthusiastic as it was for Los Angeles; sales also matched those of the debut, and before long, X were not just L.A.'s most popular punk band, but one of the town's biggest bands period, and became the first unsigned rock band to headline L.A.'s Greek Theater. Major labels finally came calling, and X signed a deal with Elektra Records, which released Under the Big Black Sun in July 1982. Manzarek once again produced, and while the bigger recording budget resulted in a fuller sound, the group's approach was essentially the same, and while critics and fans were once again impressed with X's passionate music and street-level lyrics, radio still wasn't ready for them, and the album failed to sell significantly better than Los Angeles or Wild Gift, despite plenty of touring and occasional television appearances. The same fate befell 1983's More Fun in the New World, as the band continued to sit at the top of the heap in L.A. without making significant headway elsewhere.
In 1984, Doe, Cervenka, and Bonebrake released an album by their acoustic side project the Knitters, while X recorded a bombastic cover of the Troggs' "Wild Thing" which appeared on the soundtrack of the film Major League. The "Wild Thing" single was produced by Michael Wagener, who had worked with heavy metal bands such as Mötley Crüe and Dokken; Wagener returned to produce X's next album, 1984's Ain't Love Grand, and while one tune from the album, "Burning House of Love," earned steady MTV airplay, the album's more polished sound didn't favor the band, and both critics and fans were disappointed while radio programmers and mainstream audiences paid little attention. Disappointed with the band's failure to break through to a mass audience, Billy Zoom left X in 1985, and the divorce of Doe and Cervenka, who had wed in 1980, didn't help relations in the group. Dave Alvin, guitarist with the Blasters and a collaborator in the Knitters, was recruited to join the band, and while he was an ideal fit for X, by the time they completed the recording of 1987's See How We Are, he was offered a record deal as a solo act and opted to leave. Tony Gilkyson, formerly with Lone Justice, took part in the recording of See How We Are and became X's lead guitarist after the album was released. While the album was a strong piece of work, sales were disappointing, and after releasing Live at the Whisky A Go-Go in 1988, X quietly broke up.
After the band's breakup, Doe launched a solo career with the album Meet John Doe in 1990, and also pursued a career as an actor, appearing in a number of notable film and television projects. Exene Cervenka released her first solo LP, Old Wives' Tales, in 1989, and recorded both acoustic and rock music as a solo artist and with the bands the Original Sinners and Auntie Christ; Cervenka also wrote and published poetry, created visual art, and acted in the film Salvation, where she met actor Viggo Mortensen, whom she married in 1987 and divorced in 1997. Billy Zoom stayed out of the public eye, primarily working in his own shop fixing and modifying guitar amplifiers, while D.J. Bonebrake stayed busy working with a wide variety of musicians and playing with a pair of jazz combos, the Bonebrake Syncopators and Orchestra Superstring. In 1993, after the success of Nirvana's Nevermind had opened up radio to more adventurous sounds, X reunited with Tony Gilkyson on guitar and recorded the album Hey Zeus! Reaction to the album was polite but not enthusiastic, and after the release of 1995's Unclogged, a live album drawn from a series of acoustic shows, the group once again retired.
In 1998, to the surprise of many, the classic X lineup of Doe, Cervenka, Zoom, and Bonebrake reunited for a handful of shows in Los Angeles. The reunion shows were rapturously received by both fans and critics, and the band has staged periodic reunion tours ever since. A late-2004 stand at the Los Angeles House of Blues resulted in the live CD and DVD Live in Los Angeles, and X continue to perform despite Cervenka's announcement in 2009 that she had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
In January 2019, X announced that the original lineup had gone into the recording studio for the first time since they cut 1985's Ain't Love Grand. The band recorded five songs with producer Rob Schnapf, and the following October, the first track was released online. "Delta 88 Nightmare" was a new version of a song X had performed and demo'ed in the '80s but had never recorded in its final form. The song was also made available on a 7" vinyl single in November 2019, with "Cyrano de Berger’s Back," a tune Doe had written and recorded with the Flesh Eaters, appearing on the flipside. The group returned to the studio to cut more songs, including a handful of new compositions, and in April 2020, after X were forced to cancel touring plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they offered their fans a consolation prize in the form of Alphabetland, a ten-song album that recaptured the sound and spirit of their celebrated early recordings.
Biography by Mark Deming
There are other artists with the same name:
2: X (Australia)
The Australian band called X, formed in 1977 by Rose Tattoo bassist Ian Rilen and Steve Lucas. They initially called themselves Evil Rumours. Their debut LP Aspirations (recorded by the equally great Lobby Loyde) is a punk classic (and was later reissued in the US by the revered Amphetamine Reptile label). Search for it you will be glad you did. A couple of members passed away early in their career. Cathy Green became a permanent fixture on drums. They were being groomed for bigger things and their LP ...And More was to get a big push from the label (White) but there was "an incident" involving the label and although the album was released it was no longer a priority. Probably because of this the band has long periods of inactivity, but continue to play nearly 30 years later including May / June 2009 with legendary San Francisco punks Flipper. They have released many albums and have a great reputation for their live-shows! Sadly Ian Rilen passed away in late 2006 from cancer, but Kim Volkman has stepped up to the plate. Their 2nd LP At Home With You has been reissued on Aztec Music with a bonus live album. Their music has been covered by the New Bomb Turks and feedtime amongst others. The classic debut Aspirations has just been reissued by Aztec Music.
3: X (Japan)
Metal band from Japan, founded in 1982, X changed their name to X JAPAN in 1992-08, when HEATH joined the band. Releases until Jealousy / Say anything belong to X. Later releases belong to X JAPAN.
4. Czech punk band formed in 2003.
5. Bulgarian metal band
6. An alias of Australian DJ Deepforces
7. An alias of Terekke
8. X is Javon Johnson, an American hip-hop lyricist from Houston, TX.
We
X Lyrics
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We lost the summer, hmm
Ah ah, ah ah ah
달리던 축구화 시끄러운 열기들 (너와)
나눠 몰래 들었던 내 이어폰은 (이젠 나만)
유행한 노래, 교실 안 콘서트 (but now)
We lost the sunset, now don't know what to do
내 달력 위 first day 뒤 수많은 first day
끝이 없는 3월 1일의 저녁에 난 남겨져 있어
내 화이트데인 이미 wasted
Keep lovesick, no vaccine
날씨를 잃어버린 우리 시곈
겨울에서 멈춰 서 있어
'Cause we lost the summer
When we lost each other
나의 계절을 돌려줘
Oh, it's all gone
영원한 winter
Now I just miss ya
우릴 돌려줘
Oh, it's all gone
We lost the summer
하루 이틀, 일주일 또 한달, 일년을
나 홀로 걷고 있어 서툰 이 제자리걸음
We lost the summer
악몽 같은 한주를 또 한달, 일년을
널 다시 보고 싶어 빛나던 우리의 여름
Long gone we lost the summer
다니던 카페의 문이 꽉 잠기고 (and how)
한숨을 숨겨 갑갑한 mask 뒤로 (여기 남아)
표정이 없는 내 얼굴이 싫어 (you know)
You was my sunset, I wanna make it work
내 달력 위 first day 뒤 수많은 first day
끝이 없는 3월 1일의 저녁에 난 남겨져있어
그 영원한 방학이
반복되는 아침
날씨를 잃어버린 우리 시곈
겨울에서 망가져 있어
'Cause we lost the summer
When we lost each other
나의 계절을 돌려줘
Oh, it's all gone
영원한 winter
Now I just miss ya
우릴 돌려줘
Oh, it's all gone
We lost the summer
Hot summer time (우리가)
바랐던 날 (그저 평범한)
여름의 나 (여름의 너)
Can't we go back
Hot summer time (summer time)
사라지지 마 (지금 달려가)
너를 찾아 (우릴 잊지 마)
We go on
We lost the summer
When we lost each other
나의 계절을 돌려줘
Oh, it's all gone
영원한 winter
Now I just miss ya
우릴 돌려줘
Oh, it's all gone
We lost the summer
하루 이틀, 일주일 또 한달, 일년을 (oh)
나 홀로 걷고 있어 서툰 이 제자리걸음
'Cause we lost the summer
악몽 같은 한주를 또 한달, 일년을 (oh)
널 다시 보고 싶어 빛나던 우리의 여름
Long gone we lost the summer
The song "We lost the summer" by X showcases a feeling of longing and nostalgia for lost moments and love. The lyrics capture the emotional pain of losing someone and the memories associated with them. The song starts with the lines "We lost the summer, hmm," conveying the sense of loss that the singer feels for a past summer that they spent with someone special. The singer remembers sharing a love for soccer shoes and listening to music secretly with their partner, but now they are alone. They have lost track of time and the days blur together. They feel like they are stuck in the winter, waiting for the summer to come back.
The recurring chorus of "We lost the summer" captures the central theme of the song. The singer wants to go back in time and relive the moments they had with their love interest. The lines "Cause we lost the summer/ When we lost each other" emphasize the pain of losing someone and what it means for the good memories that the singer shared with them. The song's bridge features a plea for the possibility of reconciliation and the hope they both could go back in time and recapture the summer they lost. The ending of the song repeats the chorus, reminding the listener of the pain the singer feels and the strong desire to go back in time and relive the summer with the person they lost.
Overall, "We lost the summer" is a pensive and emotional song that conveys the experience of lost love and nostalgia for past moments. It features Korean-language verses interspersed with English-language lines and a slow, almost dreamy tone that serves to amplify the wistfulness of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah ah, ah ah ah
The sound of loss and longing
We lost the summer, hmm
We lost the time of our lives; we lost each other
달리던 축구화 시끄러운 열기들 (너와)
The noisy enthusiasm of running sneakers with you
나눠 몰래 들었던 내 이어폰은 (이젠 나만)
The earphones we secretly shared are now mine alone
유행한 노래, 교실 안 콘서트 (but now)
The trendy songs we enjoyed at classroom concerts, but that is in the past now
We lost the sunset, now don't know what to do
We lost the end of the day, the beauty of the sunset, and now we are lost
내 달력 위 first day 뒤 수많은 first day
Countless first days after the first day on my calendar
끝이 없는 3월 1일의 저녁에 난 남겨져 있어
Left behind on an endless March 1st evening
내 화이트데인 이미 wasted
My white denim is already ruined
Keep lovesick, no vaccine
I'm still lovesick, there is no cure
날씨를 잃어버린 우리 시계
Our clocks have lost the sense of time and weather; we are stuck in a winter that will not end
겨울에서 멈춰 서 있어
We are frozen in winter, unable to move forward
'Cause we lost the summer
Because we lost everything we had in the summer
When we lost each other
When we lost our connection
나의 계절을 돌려줘
Please give me back my season
Oh, it's all gone
Everything has disappeared
영원한 winter
Eternal winter
Now I just miss ya
Now I just miss you terribly
우릴 돌려줘
Please give us back what we had
We lost the summer
We lost everything that made the summer special
하루 이틀, 일주일 또 한달, 일년을
One day, two days, one week, one month, one year
나 홀로 걷고 있어 서툰 이 제자리걸음
I'm walking alone with unsteady steps
악몽 같은 한주를 또 한달, 일년을
Another week, another month, another year like a nightmare
널 다시 보고 싶어 빛나던 우리의 여름
I want to see you again, in the shining summer we had
Long gone we lost the summer
The summer has been lost for so long, it feels like it's never coming back
Hot summer time (우리가)
The hot summer time when we were together
바랐던 날 (그저 평범한)
The days we hoped for, but turned out to be ordinary
여름의 나 (여름의 너)
The version of myself in the summer, and the version of you in the summer
Can't we go back
Can't we turn back time
사라지지 마 (지금 달려가)
Don't disappear, let's run now
We go on
We move forward, no matter what
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Charlotte Aitchison, Charlotte Grace Victoria Lee, Colton Ward, Do Hyung Kwon, Geun Chul Shin, Ho Weon Kang, Kyle Bladt Knudsen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lý Đào
Gene Simmons: "If those guys were born in America, they might be the biggest band in the world". Fair enough!
bigmez83
@Nomad if.they were americans they should have sold 300millions of albums, not 30. This.was gene's thought. And he was right
MidnightEkaki
@Nom actually the Japanese music industry is 2nd in the world only to America and not by that much, its just far more isolated and less global.
Nom
damn nomad didnt know your carer let you on the computer. To answer your conundrum, maybe you should consider one key factor that 99.9% of anyone else would have figured out, america music industry is way bigger and way more global in every way shape and form compared to japan.
Rainy Days
They are still the biggest band in the world for me.
Nomad
Although im not sure what being born in america has to do with anything.
Bunnsie
I have never needed something in my life as much as this right now.
SKYE NICOLAS
There needs to be an anthology of X... sort of a 4 part documentary that delves deeper into the story as well as the music. There's so much more video/film footage out there that the world hasn't seen.
Heather Knibbs
I really enjoy X Japan's music and love watching their past concerts so I was keen to see this. The film is "We Are X" and it is interesting to watch... but the title probably could have been "I Am Yoshiki", it's very focused on him, more so than you would expect even though he's the frontman. They talk about Toshi's past and the terrible loss of Hide (and briefly Taiji) but Pata & Heath are barely spoken to or about. Sugizo only appears briefly and the process of him stepping in for Hide isn't mentioned at all.
sanda386
I agree. I love the documentary I love it exists but we have to be aware it's not the whole story, just a piece of the puzzle and it has understandable biases. We'd probably need one from the point of view of each member, including the deceased ones to get the full picture. People watching should just keep that in mind... and then enjoy, because it's still an incredibly interesting and enjoyable documentary.