Jon Anderson (Yes) lyrics...
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Topic: Jon Anderson (Yes) lyrics...
Posted By: The T
Subject: Jon Anderson (Yes) lyrics...
Date Posted: November 08 2006 at 22:22
| I love Yes and Jon Anderson's vocals (in fact, I can barely hear the otherwise very decent Drama - no Anderson is a No for Yes)... but his lyirics are another matter....I don't know if I'm the only one that at times just can't understand what the **** the british gentleman is (was) talking about.... I know what he's SUPPOSED to be talking about in Tales From T. Oceans, for example....but honestly, I have to concentrate in the music, if I try to read the lyrics I kind of lose it and become uninterested in the sounds.... What is your view of Anderson Lyrics? |
Replies:
Posted By: The Miracle
Date Posted: November 08 2006 at 22:23
Very good lyrics, they flow fine with the music, plus he's a great singer. They're not just weird or difficult to get, they're just pure nonsense for the most part
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/ocellatedgod" rel="nofollow - last.fm |
Posted By: lightbulb_son
Date Posted: November 08 2006 at 22:27
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I think they're very good lyrics. At times a tad difficult to grasp, but as a whole, I think he's a very good writer and singer. ------------- When the world is sick Can't no one be well But I dreamt we were all beautiful and strong 
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Posted By: one hand clap
Date Posted: November 08 2006 at 23:06
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I read an interview with him where he said, for the most part, he just uses words that sound good with the music. The lyrics on Roundabout are a perfect example, or And You And I (Send an instant Karma to me/initial it with loving care complete nonsence). Great voice though. |
Posted By: Ghandi 2
Date Posted: November 08 2006 at 23:22
| They're horrible. His inept combination of completely random words pisses me off to no end. That people pretend to think they usually make sense (I do admit that on a few rare occasions they do make sense) is almost as bad. |
Posted By: Progmanus
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 00:00
It could be because you have the wrong song. The lyrics you quoted are from "Your Move/I've Seen All Good People" Jon Anderson's lyrics are supposed to make you think. I may mean different things to different people. Go with the flow, he's a masterful singer and an outstanding lyricist.  ------------- Master of Images, Songs Cast the Light on You... |
Posted By: Legoman
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 00:40
| Seriously, they sound like he thought them up during recess and wrote them on a napkin. |
Posted By: Australian
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 00:45
Honestly, how is that a bad thing?  All good things are created during odd times. ------------- 
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Legoman wrote:Posted By: enteredwinter
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 00:50
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I would have picked "awful and unintelligible" but I think that's a bit harsh, so I didn't pick anything. As has been said, Anderson all but admits he often wrote gibberish that happened to sound good with the music. I don't think the lyrics are terrible, but when compared to some of the great prog lyricists (say, Neil Peart for example) that kind of stream-of-consciousness nonsense doesn't hold up. |
Posted By: Rust
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 01:49
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My favorite writer in prog. ------------- We got to pump the stuff to make us tough from the heart Its astart What we need is awareness we cant get careless Mental self defensive fitness Make everybody see in order to fight the powers that be |
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 01:52
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I wish Yes had been instrumental, love their music but hate Jon's voice and their lyrics are meaningless.
Iván ------------- 
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Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 01:54
Yes, they make me think what was he smoking when he wrote them.
Iván -------------
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Posted By: Abstrakt
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 02:05
| Decent Lyrics, But Not Great |
Posted By: lunaticviolist
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 02:09
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The lyrics by themselves are terrible, but with the music, they really work.
------------- My recent purchases: 
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Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 02:11
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I dunno...I don't think he's a genius, but I love such wonders as "Shining flying purple wolfhounds." ------------- "There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson |
Posted By: video vertigo
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 03:18
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I feel like in some songs they may as well be singing giberrish and their is no redeeming value of any kind in the lyrics, vocals are a necessary part to the Yes sound but their is no emphasis on good lyrics whatsoever. Yes lyics are comparable to Can and Magma, vocals are completely necessary but who can actually say they understand the lyrics in any way.
This is not really that bad of a quality, I enjoy Can, Yes in fact I sometimes enjoy exploring music in other languages which I don;t understand. Yes lyrics are not necessarily "unitelligible" or "awful" but I feel there is no emphasis for the band to have strong lyrics as they place emphasis on instrumentalization and vocals. ------------- "The rock and roll business is pretty absurd, but the world of serious music is much worse." - Zappa |
Posted By: R o V e R
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 03:20
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About YES
you dont need to know what is the lyrics, enjoy the song with interesting words, it suits their music, i love it dont be critic |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 07:41
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The thing is that although the lyrics of the so-called "classic" Yes period are generally unintelligible, they fit in with the music perfectly and make it somehow more magical. However taken out of context, they are a bit nonsensical. I recently saw Jon Anderson's solo spot in his show with Rick Wakeman and hearing him singing "Dawn of light lying between a silence and sold sources" with just a piano sounded ridiculous, yet in the context of the original song, they sound great.
He has freely admitted that he often went for the sound of the words rather than the meaning ("but they're so hard to find in my cosmic mind").
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Posted By: Ricochet
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 07:43
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I don't think Anderson has a bad voice, it's slightly as impulsive and creative as many other vocalist from this great music scape... as for the lyrics, when the case of good albums and fine intentions, they aren't bad either... ------------- 
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Posted By: Yito
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 10:39
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Very good, but not a genius. ------------- Psalm 96 1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 12:26
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The lyrics have always been the weekist part of Yes IMO.
------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005 
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Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 13:21
One of my very favorites, and I will challenge anyone to the very death if he doesnt think alike!
------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?" 
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Posted By: Norbert
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 14:14
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Second option.
I think his lyrics are very good on their on right.
Plus I could hardly live without his singing.
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Posted By: jalas
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 14:25
| I say he's a genious, but it would have been good if we had wierd genious as one of the choices. His lyrics are really wierd. |
Posted By: bruin69
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 15:10
Although many of the lyrics are stream-of-consciousness stuff, they do create an atmosphere befitting the song, and I personally think he was a genius at it!  ------------- A dog is for lunch and not just for breakfast |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 15:32
I accept your challange.  ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Posted By: MajesterX
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 15:35
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I think his lyrics are very good and fit very well with the music. It's not entirely meaningless you know, just look at Close to the Edge, which has some of my favorite lyrics.
------------- 
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Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 23:18
| To me Yes lyrics are poetry. I love them. |
Posted By: Peter
Date Posted: November 09 2006 at 23:55
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Very good -- they suit the music, are highly original, and were a product of their times. They are quite evocative, and can mean many things to many people.
Jon's classic lyrics are abstract, psychedelic paintings -- with words!
 (Though some, such as "The Gates of Delirium" and "Turn of the Century," are much more straightforward/conventional.) Have fun, enjoy the groovy, far-out tunes, and don't take it too seriously, folks, is my final word.  ------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |
Posted By: MattiR
Date Posted: November 10 2006 at 07:55
pure genius...an artist... a poet
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Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: November 10 2006 at 13:15
Ok, so be it. We shall meet Thursday the third of november of 2012 in Moscu, Rusia in front of the Saint Basilio cathedral at 10:00 pm. Like gentleman that we are, each one will bring his own antiq french revolver which he shall blast upon his enemy (that being me in your case) at a distance of 10 m at the count of 5. Of course a third person will be asked to count, so its fare for both of us, say... the Miracle or Jody perhaps? Im sure Ill see you there if you have any pride and honor my good man. ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Posted By: Pnoom!
Date Posted: November 10 2006 at 13:56
| I chose decent but not great, as I don't like most of them. However, Gates of Delirium is pure, unadultered genius. |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: November 10 2006 at 20:48
Time to start getting in some target practice.  ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: November 11 2006 at 10:04
Well, I'm sorry for you, 'cause you're missing out on a lot of fun! Let's put this into perspective: (1) Some of Anderson's lyrics actually make sense and are easy to follow, e.g. 'Harold Land', 'South Side of the Sky', 'Gates of Delirium'. (2) When his lyrics DON'T make sense (as on CLOSE TO THE EDGE or TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS), they still fit the music like a glove, as several others in this thread have pointed out. (3) I agree that it's stupid to devote long, pseudo-academic volumes to the'interpretation' of Jon's lyrics, as this American professor-cum-bassist (Bill Martin, I believe his name is) has done. (4) The only times I find Anderson totally unbearable is when he gets sentimental (e.g. 'Survival') or preachy ('Be honest with yourself, there's no doubt, no doubt', 'You've got to want to succeed' etc.). (5) As for Anderson's VOICE (which, to some people, is inextricably linked to his lyrics), well, my wife doesn't like it, many of my friends don't like it, and at first (i.e. for about two weeks in the spring of 1975) I myself found it odd, but I'm completely used to it now. And let's face it: much as I admire early 1970s Genesis, Jon Anderson's voice is a great deal more agile than Peter Gabriel's. Just compare the things Anderson does on 'Close to the Edge' (from a purely musical point of view, I mean) to any tune sung by Gabriel during the same period. That Anderson's HOT, man! |
Posted By: chessman
Date Posted: November 11 2006 at 10:36
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Got to vote for 'Awful' here. For me, Anderson has always been the weakest link in Yes. Not the greatest singer (though admittedly distinctive), his lyrics actually got worse over the years. At least on the first two albums you could understand them a little.
Of course, some people will doubtless say 'he is so deep, it takes a lot of reading and re-reading to get what he is on about.' Believe me, it doesn't. There is a big difference between deep and meaningless.
(And yes, I am a big Yes fan. Always been in my top five bands.)
 |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: November 11 2006 at 11:33
Now look what you've done! You've actually started to make me DOUBT what I just said!  Upon reflection, I realised that lines such as these are really rather awful:
'Kill or be killing faster sins correct the flow' 'Power spent passion bespoils our soul receiver' But at least they're not as bad as: 'As we strive for perfection, We live until we last. Where the new might grow with the old, Where the fool is oft times the wise. Everything has got to be evened out, Leaving us without a doubt.' What? Has Anderson actually found a DISCIPLE? I wonder who'll be the first to tell me where these lyrics come from. Hint: think 1975.
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Posted By: andu
Date Posted: November 11 2006 at 11:42
we should start a lyric trivia for forumanics  ------------- "PA's own GI Joe!" 
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Posted By: prog4evr
Date Posted: November 21 2006 at 01:38
The man is into desiring metaphysical experiences above the normal routine of human life. His ethereal (as some say, 'weird') attempt to put in words what he has experienced through Eastern religious dabblings or drug-induced hallucinative wanderings is merely his desire to share that experience with someone else who would be willing to try it as well. His listing in Siberian Khatru, including different eastern religious terms along with the term 'Christian' is his attempt and desire to find the common spiritual thread that, IHO, joins all humans together (one might be inclined to brand it New Age, but it really rises above that mediocre descriptive). IMO, the lyrics add so much to the songs that, without the lyrics, the songs would not be nearly as (dare I say it?) - progressive! |
Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: November 21 2006 at 01:46
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A super high pitched pretentious weirdo who sings about shining, flying, purple wolfhounds? I can't figure out if it's pointless or genius... ------------- "There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson |
Posted By: progadicto
Date Posted: November 21 2006 at 01:50
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For me Anderson Jon is one of the great lyricists on Prog scene... a real poet... ------------- ... E N E L B U N K E R... |
Posted By: A B Negative
Date Posted: November 24 2006 at 09:02
I didn't vote but I would have if one of the choices was "enjoyable nonsense"!  ------------- "The disgusting stink of a too-loud electric guitar.... Now, that's my idea of a good time." |
Posted By: yarstruly
Date Posted: November 24 2006 at 10:52
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With Jon...I think, people either GET IT or they don't....Mostly he is on a bit of a spiritual plane, lyrically...If you have no real knowledge of thip spiritual path, they make no sense..If you understand the path he is on, the lyrics make PERFECT sense! ------------- Facebook hashtags: #100greatestprogrockchallenge #scottssongbysong #scottsspotlight |
Posted By: bjl 2003
Date Posted: November 24 2006 at 11:18
| Anderson's voice is amazing, the kind of rare talent that only comes around once in a blue moon, and for me is a significant part of what makes Yes stand out even from among all the other prog greats. It also fits perfectly the ethereal Yes creations, and its pure, cristalline quality often forms a perfect contrast with the intensity and violence of some of the instrumental music (Gates of Delirium). As for the lyrics, well ... they remain totally unintelligible to most of us, although he does offer, as Bruford once said, the odd intelligible gem : Dreamer easy in the chair that really fits you. As Anderson himself readily admitted, though, the words were always intended primarily to sound good, no more : he tries to do with his voice what Howe or Wakeman did with their guitars or keyboards. Many of the classic Yes texts were (loosely) inspired by things Anderson read - bits of silly Eastern philosophy, and also works of literature : Close to the Edge, I seem to remeber reading, was supposed to have been based on Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, though you'd never guess this was the case listening to the album. The end product, I think, is actually quite pleasing, especially as he manages to come up with some interestingly imaginative images. I much prefer Anderson's ethereal but incomprehensible lyrics to his efforts to write songs which we can actually understand, which are invariably awful. |