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.
Year 1
X Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
year one on their tvs
no a.d. b.c. a.d.
patriotic people sleep in washington d.c.
waiting waiting waiting
they don't feel a thing no dolls
no debutantes
no desperate living class
no magazines
no t.v. no r.c.a. no g.e.
year one in our history
year one in society
they're waiting for the son
for any son to come
year one you're one i'm one
The lyrics to X's song Year 1 seem to reflect on a time in history when society was simpler and more innocent. The first line refers to babies being born, representing the beginning or Year One. The second line, "Year one on their TVs," suggests that this innocence is already being lost as television becomes more prevalent in society. The mention of "no a.d. b.c. a.d." could be interpreted as a return to a time before organized religion had a significant impact on society.
In the following lines, X describes how life was simpler and less complicated in Year One. There were no social classes, no extravagant lifestyles or religious rituals. The lack of magazines and television suggests that people were not overly concerned with keeping up with the latest trends or gossip. The line "they don't feel a thing no dolls" could be interpreted as a metaphor for people not being manipulated or influenced by consumerism.
The final lines of the song suggest that even though times have changed and innocence has been lost, everyone is still equal, represented by the line "year one you're one I'm one." The mention of waiting for the son can be interpreted in different ways, but it could be a reference to waiting for a savior or a new beginning.
Line by Line Meaning
year one little babies
It is the beginning of time, and babies are being born to start the cycle of life.
year one on their tvs
People are watching television even though it's the beginning of time and television hasn't been invented yet. This could signify the pervasiveness of technology in modern society.
no a.d. b.c. a.d.
There is no AD or BC designation because it is the first year, before the establishment of the traditional calendar system.
patriotic people sleep in washington d.c.
Even at the beginning of time, people are already organizing into social groups and establishing power structures. This could represent the innate human desire for community and hierarchy.
waiting waiting waiting
Despite being at the beginning of time, people are already waiting for something or someone to arrive. This could showcase the eternal sense of longing and anticipation that humans experience.
they don't feel a thing no dolls
At this stage in humanity, people are not yet experiencing the complexities and emotions of later time periods. Dolls, representing childhood toys and innocence, do not exist either.
no debutantes
Debutantes, or young women making their societal debut, do not exist yet. This could illustrate the lack of formal social structure and class dynamics at this point in time.
no desperate living class
The concept of a desperate living class, or a group of people struggling financially, does not exist yet. This could demonstrate the lack of economic inequality in the earliest times.
no roman catholic mass
The organized religious structure of Roman Catholicism has not yet been established; instead, people are likely following less institutional spiritual practices.
no magazines
The magazine industry, which would later become a hallmark of popular culture, does not yet exist. This could demonstrate the lack of consumerism and marketing in the earliest times.
no t.v. no r.c.a. no g.e.
Technology has not yet progressed to include televisions or the companies and electronics that would later make them. This could demonstrate the nascent stage of human technological development.
year one in our history
This year represents a profound beginning point in human history, from which all other time would be measured and often considered. This could signify the importance of understanding and studying the earliest times of humanity.
year one in society
In addition to its historical significance, this year reflects the emerging nature of human societies and cultures. This could illustrate the importance of communal organization and social structures in human development.
they're waiting for the son
People are waiting for a messiah or savior figure to come and deliver them. This desire for guidance and leadership could represent the inherent human need for direction and purpose.
for any son to come
The desperation and longing for guidance is so great that people would receive any son or savior figure who comes. This could demonstrate the human tendency to seek out and trust in leaders even without fully knowing or understanding them.
year one you're one i'm one
This year represents a beginning point for all individuals, connecting them across time and space. This could represent the idea of shared human experiences and the interconnectedness of all people.
Contributed by Caroline K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mariafunes4714
Thank you Jesus for meeting me here, at the place, at this time with one heary, I join in praise and honor to You, Lord Jesus.
The Cross
It was God's plan, His way
Jesus chose to die for us
It was the only way
It is the Way
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life!
Praise be the Name of the Lord!
@macyfox8947
Release the latter glory.
Haggai 2:9 "‘The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’”
In January 2017 God spoke this to me at Passion City Church in Atlanta and it had deep meaning. After growing up in the church and having a personal relationship with Jesus for most of my life, this was the loudest he ever spoke a word, deeply into my heart. I wrote it all out in a Word Document. Ever since then we've been wading through so much spiritual darkness and attack.
I am still holding on to this promise. His promises are true.
"Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. 14 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down." Psalm 145:13-14
Trusting you Lord. Resting in your promises.
@Korea2000songs
I was homeless, got into drugs, went into prisons, then i got to know Jesus, He changed my life.. Now i have a home, a wife, a lovely daughter and a new identity... A child of God.. Hallelujah
@josephjordan1291
Praise God man of God! That’s what I’m talking about! Keep telling people this testimony, it’s guaranteed to break the devils back wherever this testimony is spoken. The enemy Is defeated By the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony!
@newnights
Thank God!!! He truly is our only source of hope!! Praise God
@GospelMusic264
My wife is 8 months pregnant and as she was driving today, she got involved in a terrible head collision accident. Her car was pushed away 15 metres away while she was inside. I thank God she survived and the baby is okay. God is great
@monicadouglas-clay6883
Prayerfully the baby is here! Bless him Lord.
@channel_5651
I was paralyzed in bed last year and I heard Jesus say out loud to me - If you believe in me get up and walk I got up and not only walked but went for a walk outside. Praise God!!!!! GOD IS ALWAYS WORKING!!!!
@worshipmusic1829
God is like oxygen you can't see him but you can't live without him
@GospelMusicMix01
Dear person that's reading this, we don't know each others but I wish you all the best in life❤ don't ever blame yourself, accept things and go forward, remember you are not the only one fighting on we are on the same boat and we can do this battle, keep smiling and I believe you'll meet the success sooner. Very soon! I Pray and mean it!
@rebeccaprefina3512
AMEN
@newnights
Same to you! 🤝 Praise God