Lyrics: The definitive collection of the Roxy Music frontman's iconic lyrics

Bryan Ferry's evocative lyrics of aspiration and romantic longing, introduced by the author and published on the 50th anniversary of the first Roxy Music album.

Bryan Ferry's work as a singer and songwriter, both as a solo artist and with Roxy Music, is legendary.

Lyrics collects the words written for music across seventeen albums, from the first iconic Roxy album of 1972 via the masterpiece of Avalon to 2014's reflective Avonmore, introduced by the author, and with an insightful essay by James Truman.

All the classic Roxy anthems are here—'Virginia Plain,' 'Do the Strand,' 'Love is the Drug,' 'The Thrill of it All'—songs in which the real and the make-believe blend in a kaleidoscopic mix, shot through with cinematic allure. Also included are the evocative lyrics of romantic longing and lost illusions for which Ferry is rightly revered: 'Slave to Love,' 'Mother of Pearl,' 'More Than This.' As he writes in his preface, 'The low points in life so often produce the most keenly felt and best-loved songs.' And, it might be added, some of the best poetry.

Bryan Ferry is a singer, songwriter, and co-founder of the group Roxy Music, with whom he wrote and recorded eight acclaimed albums. He has released sixteen solo albums and is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential recording artists of all time. In 2011 Ferry was awarded a CBE and accepted the French national honour of Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2012. In 2014 he was made an Honorary Doctor of Music by the University of Newcastle. Roxy Music was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

The former editorial director of Condé Nast, James Truman met Bryan Ferry as a young reporter for Melody Maker. He lives in New York.