Yanni is a self-taught pianist who began his musical interest by giving recitals for family members, though he had no formal training and could not read a note. At the age of 18, he attended the University of Minnesota, having moved out of his native Greek to immerse himself into American culture. While a student there, Yanni joined an up-and-coming local group called Chameleon where he met drummer Charlie Adams. Chameleon earned some modest commercial success touring throughout the Midwest. After receiving a B.A. in psychology, Yanni determined that sought a life in music, making it his life's work.
He moved to California in pursuit of opportunities to work on movie soundtrack works. His first solo album, titled 'Optimystique', was recorded in 1980, and it showed his debt to instrumental electronic music of the past as well as other styles such as jazz, smooth pop, and the like. The album saw a general release in 1984. In 1987, he put together a small band which included John Tesh and Charlie Adams, and began touring to promote his earliest works. Other examples of his albums in his early days include 1986's 'Keys to Imagination' and 1987's 'Out of Silence', both of which have recieved retrospective critical acclaim.
The tail end of the 80s saw Yanni's career start to kick into high gear, a result of his determination in promoting his iconic sound. In 1992, Dare to Dream was released. It was Yanni’s first Grammy-nominated album and featured "Aria", a song based on The Flower Duet and popularized by an award-winning British Airways commercial. A second Grammy-nominated album, In My Time, was released in 1993. His music has been used extensively in television and televised sporting events, including the Super Bowl, Wide World of Sports, Tour de France, World Figure Skating Championships, The Olympics, and ABC News.
Yanni's breakthrough commercial success came with the release of his album and video, Yanni Live at the Acropolis, filmed on September 23, 1993 at the 2,000-year-old Herod Atticus Theater in Athens and released in 1994. This was Yanni’s first live album and utilized a full orchestra under the supervision of the Iranian conductor, Shahrdad Rohani, in addition to his core band. Subsequently, the concert was broadcast in 65 countries and seen by half a billion people. It has almost continuously remained on the charts since its release and is the second best-selling music video of all time, selling more than 7 million copies worldwide. A composition from this album, "Acroyali/Standing in Motion", was determined to have the "Mozart Effect," by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine because it is similar to Mozart's K 448 in tempo, structure, melodic and harmonic consonance and predictability.
In March 1997, Yanni became one of the few Western artists permitted to perform and record at the Taj Mahal in India. Later that year he performed at the Forbidden City in China. From these two events he created his next live album and video, Tribute, which was released in 1997. Armen Anassian, Conductor, concedes that he had some doubts about the artist's plans to perform at India's Taj Mahal and China's Forbidden City for Tribute: "To be honest, a few years ago when he was talking about it, the idea was so amazing. I myself was very skeptical, understandably so. But the truth is, it happened. We did it." Anassian describes Yanni as "very optimistic" and has observed that "nothing really fazes him." That outlook carries over naturally to his music. "I don't think it's a goal, per se. He's very honest with his own feelings. His music really comes from the heart. He writes music with ease, the music comes out with relative ease. The feel-good portion of the music is a by-product. It coincides with what the people love to hear." Lighting Designers Lee Rose and David "Gurn" Kaniski received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special" for both Live at the Acropolis and Tribute .
In 2000, after a two-year sabbatical, Yanni released his first studio album in seven years: If I Could Tell You.
Yanni also toured in 2003–2004 with the debut of the Ethnicity album extending his "One World, One People" philosophy. This album sparked what would become the 4th largest concert tour of the year ranked by Billboard Magazine.
He kicked off his 2004–2005 "Yanni Live!" tour at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, and his next live album and video, Yanni Live! The Concert Event was released in 2006.
In 2008, in collaboration with producer Ric Wake, Yanni showcased vocal artists singing his songs on Yanni Voices. On March 24, 2009, Disney Pearl Imprint released Yanni Voices, the artist's first studio album in six years, and its Buena Vista Concerts division produces the tour that began in April 2009.
Website: http://www.yanni.com/
Never Leave The Sun
Yanni Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh let it roll, let it roll, let it roll
Follow you out of a restless day
Walking a road where a dream can change
You caught me there where my mind was lost
Trying to make sense
Looking inside everything you are
Hold me there where I learn to trust
Trying to make sense of us
You tell me that I'm strong enough
I wanna run away
I wanna fly into your arms and never leave the sun
Oh I, I will never leave the sun
Oh let it roll, let it roll
Oh let it roll, let it roll
Somewhere between wanting to believe
And taking a chance that you promise me
Somewhere between every morning dawn
And giving in to love
You tell me that I'm strong enough
I wanna run away
I wanna fly into your arms and never leave the sun
Oh I, I will never leave the sun
Never gonna leave the sun
Tell me
You tell me that I'm strong enough
I'm never gonna leave the sun
I want to fly into your arms
I'm never gonna leave the sun
You tell me that I'm strong enough
I wanna run away
I wanna fly into your arms and never leave the sun
Oh I, I will never leave the sun
You tell me that I'm strong enough
I'm never gonna leave the sun
I'm never gonna leave the sun
The lyrics of “Never Leave The Sun” by Yanni seem to describe a person's journey from a restless state of mind to a place of security and trust, with their partner. The phrases “Follow you out of a restless day” and “Walking a road where a dream can change” convey a sense of turmoil and uncertainty. However, the next lines suggest that the person has found someone who lets them be themselves and loves them unconditionally. The phrase “Looking inside everything you are” expresses a deep sense of intimacy and understanding. The person feels safe in the company of their partner and trusts them completely.
The lyrics “You tell me that I'm strong enough, I wanna run away” indicate that the person is aware that they have the strength to face any challenge, but they still feel the need to escape sometimes. However, they want to fly into their partner's arms and “never leave the sun”. Here, the sun could be a metaphor for their partner's warmth and love that they want to bask in forever. The phrase “Somewhere between wanting to believe, And taking a chance that you promise me” reinforces the idea that the relationship is built on trust and a willingness to take risks.
Overall, the song seems to be a beautiful expression of love, trust, and the need for intimacy. The lyrics convey a sense of peace and comfort that comes from being with someone who understands and loves you for who you are.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh let it roll, let it roll
Let things go and progress as they will.
Follow you out of a restless day
Escaping from tedium and stagnation by joining someone.
Walking a road where a dream can change
Walking on a path where one's dreams can change and come true.
You caught me there where my mind was lost
Finding someone who can alleviate confusion and uncertainty.
Trying to make sense
Attempting to understand and find meaning in something.
Show me the world with an open heart
Looking at the world with an open mind and heart.
Looking inside everything you are
Examining the essence of a person.
Hold me there where I learn to trust
Being in a supportive environment that fosters trust.
Trying to make sense of us
Attempting to understand the relationship and connection between two people.
You tell me that I'm strong enough
Being assured of one's strength and capabilities by someone else.
I wanna run away
Feeling the desire to escape from reality.
I wanna fly into your arms and never leave the sun
Wishing to be held and loved eternally in the warmth of the person's affection.
Somewhere between wanting to believe
Being in a state where there is a desire to have faith in something.
And taking a chance that you promise me
Being willing to accept a risk based on someone's assurance.
Somewhere between every morning dawn
In the early hours before the sun rises.
And giving in to love
Succumbing to the power of love.
Never gonna leave the sun
Commitment to staying in the warmth and security of love.
Tell me
Expression of a request for information or insight.
Contributed by Adalyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.