Born in Manchester, England, and raised in Haselmere, van den Broek's musical endeavors began when he got a guitar for Christmas at the age of 11. With influences that include Ray Charles, Mac DeMarco, and Thundercat, he started releasing stand-alone singles as a teen in late 2015. His debut EP, Harmless Melodies, arrived in November 2016. Yellow Days continued to release periodic singles in 2017, some of which appeared on his debut LP, Is Everything Okay in Your World?, that October. It featured a guest spot by hip-hop artist Rejjie Snow. Early the next year, "Gap in the Clouds," from his first EP, reached a broader audience when it accompanied the trailer for the second season of Donald Glover's show Atlanta. Yellow Days followed up in April 2018 with the single "The Way Things Change" and a week's worth of club shows in the U.S. that quickly sold out, before continuing the tour in Europe. The musician's sophomore effort arrived in 2020: titled A Day in a Yellow Beat, the project was written and recorded primarily in L.A., with van den Broek sourcing new inspiration from local collaborators.
Intro
Yellow Days Lyrics
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About 30 years ago
'Cause I went to a conference in Cambridge
And I started reading a research
And then I started comparing it with my own experience
Creativity comes from the unconscious
If creativity came from logic and intelligence
But they can't
It all boils down to getting in a playful and relaxed frame of mind
To getting in a playful and relaxed frame of mind
The lyrics of Yellow Days's song Intro center around the concept of creativity and the role that the unconscious mind plays in it. The singer shares how they became interested in creativity about thirty years ago when they attended a conference in Cambridge and began reading some research about it. They then compared this information to their own experiences and observations.
The singer goes on to assert that creativity does not come from pure logic and intelligence. If it did, then everyone who possessed these traits would be creative. However, this is not the case. Instead, creativity comes from the unconscious mind. The key to tapping into this creativity is to enter a playful and relaxed state of mind. When one is able to do so, their unconscious mind is able to freely express their creativity.
These lyrics are incredibly insightful and offer valuable advice for creative individuals. It is not enough to simply be intelligent or logical. One must also cultivate a relaxed and playful state of mind in order to access their full creative potential.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I started to get interested in creativity
The singer began to take an interest in creativity.
About 30 years ago
The singer's interest in creativity began approximately 30 years ago.
'Cause I went to a conference in Cambridge
The singer's interest in creativity was sparked after attending a conference in Cambridge.
And I started reading a research
After the conference, the artist began reading research on creativity.
And then I started comparing it with my own experience
The artist compared the research on creativity to their own experiences.
Creativity comes from the unconscious
The source of creativity is the unconscious mind.
If creativity came from logic and intelligence
If creativity was based solely on logic and intelligence,
Then all the logical intelligent people could do it
then everyone who is logical and intelligent would be able to be creative.
But they can't
However, this is not the case as not all logical and intelligent people can be creative.
It all boils down to getting in a playful and relaxed frame of mind
The key to creativity is to be in a playful and relaxed state of mind.
Writer(s): George Van Den Broek
Contributed by David Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.