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/
Quiet Man
Yanni Lyrics
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M-e-t, h-o-d, man
M-e-t, h-o-d, man
M-e-t, h-o-d, man
Hey you get off my clooud
Let me get raw with my southpaw style
Mover, puffin' on a fat blunt from cuba
It's the meth-tical jet to cal, I'm the buddha
I keeps you open like a slug from the shotgun punk
Double-barrel, yeah meth bring it to them proper
Partner, you ain't got no wins in me casa
Straight up, you movin' too fast so baby wait up
Took one, added seven more now you eight up
Get on down wit' your bad self
Get on down, listen to the sound, come on
Few can ever get this whole commit legit
See you all up in my dick
But you don't know shit, uh-huh
What's your definition of a real emcee
From what you dedicated, hey it must be me
Meth-tical, a lewd descendant of the loud hip-hop
I go on to the break of dawn, and just don't stop
Give me the green light, and the sign one way
Have you had your meth today
Huh, move it in, move it out
Stick it in, pull it out
Shake it up, shake it down
Come on down, meth-tical
Oh I often pray that I will
But today I am still
Just a
M-e-t, h-o-d, man
M-e-t, h-o-d, man
M-e-t, h-o-d, man
M-e-t, h-o-d, man
Rrrappers can't get with the style extra wicked
Rap flow is bangin' like butter on a biscuit
A tisket, a tasket I'm not tryin' to have it
Mic flow show up and try to grab it
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I breaks it down, I gets loud for my crowd
Filthy, dirty like a worm underground
Turn into a crazy early bird, that's my word
Before I kick the bucket I'm a kick 'em to the dirt
Check out the cloud, smoke out from the mouth
Other brothers got mad love (? ) style for the hood, hey
Enter the square if you dare
Without a fro, I'm so raw that I'm real
I'm goin' to the country, I'm goin' to the fair
To see the senorita, with flowers in her hair
And get mine, 'cause she love me long time
Bartender bring more wine
Get in line for the
M-e-t, h-o-d, man
M-e-t, h-o-d, man
M-e-t, h-o-d, man
Here I am, here I am, the method man
M-e-t, h-o-d, man
The singer is emphasizing his methodical approach to his music and identity.
Hey you get off my clooud
The singer is demanding that someone leave him alone and stop interfering with his creative process.
Let me get raw with my southpaw style
The singer wants to express himself in his unique style with no restraints.
Mover, puffin' on a fat blunt from cuba
The singer is describing himself indulging in smoking a cigar from Cuba.
It's the meth-tical jet to cal, I'm the buddha
The singer is claiming to be the best rapper on the scene, with the power to inspire and enlighten listeners as Buddha did.
Monk on the hunt for machine gun foes
The singer is describing himself as a warrior, seeking out other rappers to challenge and defeat.
I keeps you open like a slug from the shotgun punk
The singer is keeping his opponents aware of his presence and not allowing them to get too comfortable.
Double-barrel, yeah meth bring it to them proper
The singer is using his double-barrel style of rap to impress and intimidate his opponents.
Partner, you ain't got no wins in me casa
The singer is suggesting that his opponents will not be successful in his territory of rap.
Straight up, you movin' too fast so baby wait up
The singer is warning his opponents that they are moving too quickly and need to slow down to keep up with his level of skill.
Took one, added seven more now you eight up
The singer is bragging about destroying his opponents in battle one by one until there's none left to challenge him.
Get on down wit' your bad self
The singer is encouraging people to let loose and dance with no inhibitions.
Get on down, listen to the sound, come on
The singer is urging people to enjoy the music and have a good time.
Few can ever get this whole commit legit
The singer is pointing out that only a select few can understand and appreciate his style of rap.
See you all up in my dick
The singer is annoyed that people are obsessing over him and his music.
But you don't know shit, uh-huh
The singer is asserting that people who claim to know about him and his music actually don't know anything at all.
What's your definition of a real emcee
The singer is questioning other people's criteria for what makes a true rapper.
From what you dedicated, hey it must be me
The singer is implying that because he is so dedicated to his craft, he must be the real emcee everyone's looking for.
Meth-tical, a lewd descendant of the loud hip-hop
The singer is describing himself as a combination of a loud, aggressive rapper and someone who is capable of spreading messages of love and enlightenment.
I go on to the break of dawn, and just don't stop
The singer is emphasizing his dedication and passion for rap by saying he will continue to perform until dawn and not stop.
Give me the green light, and the sign one way
The singer is asking for permission to take control and drive forward with his musical career.
Have you had your meth today
The singer is promoting himself as a drug in a playful way, asking if people have listened to his music yet.
Huh, move it in, move it out
The singer is encouraging people to move their bodies to the beat of his music.
Stick it in, pull it out
The singer is using sexual innuendo to further emphasize the rhythms and fun of the music.
Shake it up, shake it down
The singer is directing people to have fun and move their bodies in all directions to the music's tempo.
Come on down wit' your bad self
The singer is again encouraging people to express themselves freely and without inhibitions on the dance floor.
Oh I often pray that I will
The singer is expressing his hope and desire to become even more successful in the future.
But today I am still
The singer is acknowledging that he still has a lot of growth and progress to make in his career.
Just a M-e-t, h-o-d, man
The singer is reiterating his identity as the methodical, unique rapper he has always been.
Rrrappers can't get with the style extra wicked
The singer is boasting that other rappers can't keep up with his uniquely wicked style.
Rap flow is bangin' like butter on a biscuit
The singer is describing the smoothness and excitement of his rap flow.
A tisket, a tasket I'm not tryin' to have it
The singer is warning other rappers that he is not interested or willing to entertain their beef or competition.
Mic flow show up and try to grab it
The singer is referencing how other rappers often try to duplicate his style and sound and steal some of his success.
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Lyrics not provided.
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Lyrics not provided.
I breaks it down, I gets loud for my crowd
The singer is acknowledging his audience's love for his music and promising to continue delivering more of it.
Filthy, dirty like a worm underground
The singer is comparing his style and flow to something gritty and rough, just like a worm underground.
Turn into a crazy early bird, that's my word
The singer is comparing himself to a crazy, energetic bird that is always up and energetic in the morning - this describes his lighthearted and fun-loving personality.
Before I kick the bucket I'm a kick 'em to the dirt
The singer is boasting that he will achieve so much success in his career that he will be able to defeat all of his opponents before he dies.
Check out the cloud, smoke out from the mouth
The singer is describing someone smoking and creating a cloud of smoke that looks very impressive.
Other brothers got mad love (? ) style for the hood, hey
The singer is acknowledging other rappers who have style and love for their neighborhoods.
Enter the square if you dare
The singer is challenging his competitors to enter his arena and face him.
Without a fro, I'm so raw that I'm real
The singer is boasting that his talent and authenticity are so overpowering that they do not depend on his physical appearance or fashion choices.
I'm goin' to the country, I'm goin' to the fair
The singer is describing his desire to relax and have fun, like someone going on vacation.
To see the senorita, with flowers in her hair
The singer is describing his romantic interest in a cultural archetype that is colorful, vibrant, and beautiful.
And get mine, 'cause she love me long time
The singer is sure he will win over the girl he is interested in because of his charm and success.
Bartender bring more wine
The singer is requesting more wine, a symbol of success and wealth.
Get in line for the M-e-t, h-o-d, man
The singer is reminding his audience that, despite his fun-loving attitude, he is still the inimitable, methodical rapper that they have come to love and respect.
Here I am, here I am, the method man
The singer is announcing himself as the method man once again, ready to own the stage with his unique, powerful style of rap.
Contributed by Kaitlyn O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.