| Roxy Music – Manifesto Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| @[mirandajune:15935] I think "angel eyes" is superficial, and was definitely a nod to the disco years, but understood in the context of the whole album , juxtaposed with "Trash" and "My little girl" then it is apparent that the song is exploring opposites and asks the eternal question about the human condition- to which the song has no answer. | |
| Roxy Music – Manifesto Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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MANIFESTO MANIFESTO, song and album. Roxy Music have had their share of accolades for their music, but are vastly underrated as lyricists. I'm starting with "Manifesto" for the sole reason that I believe it did not have the critical acclaim it deserves. MANIFESTO ( Ferry/Manzanera) title track and album. I was a Roxy fan from the outset, and even into the "crooning years" but initially could not get along with "Manifesto". But persistence has its rewards. The title track "Manifesto", which critics dismiss as too long, is in fact a perfect example of form reflecting content. The insistent drum beat in the long preamble, overlaid by a discordant guitar is ominous and tells us we are not about to hear about some boy meets girl thing. The whole song ( and indeed album) is an examination of opposites, a juxtaposition of determinism/free will. A "life around the corner, that takes you by surprise" is pitted against a "life and time by numbers". A safe life following societal norms is pushed against the man "who will not be tied down" In the conclusion we have, "I am that I am from out of nowhere to fight without a cause," - the absolute essence of the human condition- we know not how we came to this life, yet there is the compulsion to question and to strain to break our chains. If there is a deity, then according to the song it is not a beneficent one: "I am for the man who drives the hammer To rock you 'til the grave His power drill shocks A million miles away," Ultimately there are no answers to these questions. There is just the compulsion to ask them: "Question what you see And when you find an answer Bring it home to me." And so it is for much of the remainder of the album. "Trash" is the next track, immediately followed by "Angel Eyes", two very differing interpretations of women, one idealised, one outright rebellious. ( "Trash" is harsh and grating, the overly smooth "Angel Eyes" is harmonious- content dictating form yet again.) To return to "Trash" we have the dichotomy yet again: "Are you customised or ready made?" , which I take to mean are people born with a certain destiny which predicts their behaviour, or are our actions a result of our experiences? (Interestingly, Bowie in "Rebel Rebel" embraces the woman described in "Trash", whereas Ferry has neither encouragement nor judgement) And so to the final song in this "trilogy"- "My little girl"- a melodious, almost elegiac sound. But we are tricked because "my little girl" is possibly "a woman of the world"- the angel/ whore dichotomy yet again. I am aware that "Manifesto" had lukewarm critical reception, but I would urge everyone to give it another try. |
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