Bryan Ferry – ‘Lyrics’ (2022)
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera, Paul Thompson and Andy Mackay joining forces with Brian Eno and Graham Simpson in recording and releasing the debut album of British rock band Roxy Music.
The anniversary is being marked by an international tour including all the above mentioned members with the exceptions of Eno and Simpson. In addition 15 August saw publication of ‘Lyrics’ a handsome, 308 page hardbound volume celebrating the songwriting talents of lead vocalist Bryan Ferry, encompassing Roxy Music’s two pre-LP singles and eight studio albums as well as Ferry’s nine solo LPs issued between 1973 and 2014, a total of 139 songs. In this review I focus on the 74 Roxy Music tunes (72 LP and 2 non-LP) included.
The volume opens with an insightful introduction by James Truman, who met Ferry as a young reporter for Melody Maker, followed by a short author’s note by Ferry. The lyrics begin with Roxy Music’s two pre-album singles, ‘Virginia Plain’ and ‘Pyjamarama’, before moving to the nine tracks which composed the group’s June 1972 self-titled debut album. The singles charted at #4 and #10 respectively on the UK charts, while the LP peaked at #10. ‘Roxy Music’ contained no singles, although ‘Virginia Plain’ was added to later pressings, but is highlighted by ‘Re-Make’/’Re-Model’, ‘Ladytron’ and ‘The Bob (Medley)’. March 1973 sophomore album ‘For Your Pleasure’ reached #4 on the UK charts, creeping to #193 on the US Billboard Hot 200, while ‘Do The Strand’, with unique lyrics such as “The Sphynx and Mona Lisa, Lolita and Guernica did the strand” garnered airplay for the band, but failed to chart when issued as a single. Other notable tunes are ‘Editions Of You’, ‘The Bogus Man’, with lyrics about a stalker, and the title track. November 1973 saw the release of long player ‘Stranded’ which topped UK charts, edging to #186 in the US. The album includes such notable tracks as ‘Street Life’, a #9 UK hit single, ‘Amazona’ and the epic, seven minute ‘Mother Of Pearl’ considered by many as Ferry’s masterpiece, with the lyrics “it’s the same old story, all love and glory, it’s a pantomime, if you’re looking for love in a looking glass world it’s pretty hard to find, oh mother of pearl I wouldn’t trade you for another girl”, which was used in an episode of US sitcom ‘How I Met Your Mother’ in 2006. November 1974 saw the release of ‘Country Life’ which hit #3 on the UK album charts and was Roxy Music’s break in the US reaching #37. The LP had a UK hit single ‘All I Want Is You’ (#12) as well as the notable ‘The Thrill Of It All’ with the passage, “the time has come, it’s getting late, it’s now or never, don’t hesitate, or stall when I call, don’t spoil the thrill of it all” which incredibly failed to chart. ‘Siren’ released in October 1975 reached only #4 in the UK and #50 in the US despite the success of ‘Love Is The Drug’ which peaked at #2 in the UK and gave the band its only Top 40 US hit to date, reaching #30 with lyrics such as “oh-oh, get that buzz, love is the drug I’m thinking of, oh-oh, can’t you see? Love is the drug for me”, while ‘Both Ends Burning’ gave the group a #25 hit in the UK. It would be three and a half years before Roxy Music would issue another studio album, with Ferry releasing two solo albums and Roxy Music marking time issuing the live ‘Viva’ and a ‘Greatest Hits’ album before ‘Manifesto’ hit record shops in March 1979. The LP would yield three UK hit singles, ‘Trash’ (#40), ‘Dance Away’ (#2, #44 in the US) and ‘Angel Eyes’ (#40). ‘Manifesto’ itself topped at a somewhat disappointing #7 on the UK album charts, but was the band’s highest charting to date in the US, reaching #23. May 1980 saw the appearance of ‘Flesh and Blood’, a gold mine of UK hit singles, all Ferry compositions, with ‘Over You’ and ‘Oh Yeah’ reaching #5 each and ‘Same Old Scene #12. None of the songs charted in the US, but did gain radio airplay, with the album topping the UK charts and hitting #35 in the US. May 1982 saw the release of Roxy Music’s eighth and to this point final studio album ‘Avalon’, another UK chart topper that stalled at #53 in the US. Once again, the album would provide the band with a trove of UK hit singles, with the classic ‘More Than This’ reaching #6 with Ferry observing “more than this, you know there’s nothing more than this, tell me one thing more than this, ooh there’s nothing”, the immaculate, romantic title track reaching #13, in which Ferry muses “now the parties over, I’m so tired, then I see you coming out of nowhere, much communication in a motion without conversation or a notion….Avalon”, and the intimate ‘Take A Chance With Me’ peaking at #26. During its impressive run all eight of Roxy Music’s studio albums reached the top 10 in the UK, three topping the charts and six reaching the top 5. As for the singles, Ferry penned six top 5 and nine top 10 UK hits, with a full dozen reaching the top 20 and fifteen hitting the top 40. Ironically, the band’s only #1 single was a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ released in February 1981. The group hasn’t fared so well in the US, with ‘Love Is the Drug’ (#30) their sole top 40 hit, and only three albums reaching the top 40, with ‘Manifesto’ the highest performing at #23. However, the band has garnered lots of airplay and Ferry’s reputation as a singer/songwriter is unquestioned worldwide. ‘Lyrics’ presents his entire body of work, including his six post-Roxy Music solo long players, the latest being 2014’s aptly titled ‘Avanmore’. Methodically reading Ferry’s lyrics chronologically or simply perusing them, one cannot help but be impressed and gain great respect for his ability to write wonderfully melodic, commercially accessible tunes on a wide range of topics. Due in large part to Ferry’s writing Roxy Music was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2019, while Ferry himself was made an Honorary Doctor of Music by Newcastle University in 2014, after being awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2011 and receiving the French honour of l’Ordre des Arts et des Letters in 2012.
‘Lyrics’ includes an index of song titles as well as a unique “index of first lines” that will aid readers in locating individual tunes and is a thoughtful convenience. The volume will interest Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry fans as well as fans of rock music of the 1970s and 1980s and beyond and comes highly recommended. Perhaps Ferry’s words on the book’s back cover sum it up his worldview best, “In every dream home a heartache, And every step I take Takes me further from heaven, Is there a heaven?, I’d like to think so.”
Kevin Rathert
Bryan Ferry – ‘Lyrics’ (Chatto & Windus 2022)
