We've remarked before how astonishing Apple's musical output has been. This week, we have forced ourselves to listen to, and post, the very "best" of the company's output over the last few years. It was a shattering experience.
Power! Passion! Apple! . Rounding out the Apple crop with a screaming dance track
Please send any anthems, from any IT companies, to corpanthems@zdnet.co.uk.
Apple Breakthrough Lyrics
Do you remember yesterday? The dreams we dared, the beds we made? The bread we made along the way? To change the world
We held our flowers Like vases do And we survived And now we're baking fruit
Move higher and higher, You know that is true There's nothing can stop us Apple is baking fruit
Breaking every corner down Till everyone belongs You know It's been a dime of change And you know it's made of straw Oh we itch! We can't sit still We're retching out And we'll keep going till
We're going higher and higher, You know that is true Cause nothing can stop us Apple is baking fruit
Every chance you take Every change you make That's what dreams are made of! And we belong In a world that we made strong That's what Apple's made of! Made of!!
Higher and higher Where dreams come true! Higher and higher Over the moon! Higher and higher Apple is baking fruit!
Keep your eyes on The horizon That's what dreams are made of If we dare to dare And we dare to care That's what Apple's made of! Made of! And we belong in a world that we made strong That's what Apple's made of! Made of! Baaaaaaa-aaaaaaaked Fruit! Audio
This track, from Apple Developer Helper Volume I, is an absolute monster, and for our money the most pompous rubbish we have ever placed on the IT Anthems site (which long-time fans will know is saying something). Despite despite deeply committed performances, its five minutes feel more like three hours.
This must be the first time a complete transcription has been published, because no one can voluntarily have listened to the very end of this dire, but oh-so-sincerely performed rubbish.
But what does "the power to feel Bill" have to do with Apple's secret of success?
Lyrics
Ten years ago, something happened Something small Something most people didn't notice But it did touch a few of us Then a few more And a few more One ripple following another Each new wave gaining more distance than the last And still the ripples keep coming
When we started out Didn't have much to go on There was nothing in our pockets but a dream And in the silence of that first night We made the promise That we would make it right So we went down to the river And we watched the river flow All of us together Comin' up the long, long road.
Takin' every turn an' bend We were really sumthin' then! We were young and innocent As we watched ourselves fall And fly again!!!
And now the road, y'know Casts a shadow ten years long We can see the sunrise On a braaaaaaaaaand new dawn!
So look into my eyes As the sunrises behind us And pass it on, Like we did back then The secret of success This vision, this passion! This power to feel Bill!
This vow we made so long ago Like the river we would always flow Till far from where we've been Changing the world we're livin' in And ooooooh Apple Look around again Keep on changing Keep on changing things! The time has come again Through the triumph and the pain The world would never be the same And I'm ready The time has come again!
Cuz you can never tell the dancer From the dance! And you can never part the singer From his song! We've come so far together This must be -- where we -- Beloooo-ooong And like a canvas with no paint Like a stage that's dark and bare Like a sky without a star What are we without you there?
And oh, my friends, look around, again Now there's more of us, together Than there's ever been! Keep on changing! Keep on changing! Just Keep on changing! Keep on changing! Changing, man!
You know the last ten years was just... ... the beginning So we'll go down to the river And we'll watch the river flow All of us together Going down, the long, long road! Oooooooooooooooooooh! Audio (scroll down for the lyrics)
Here's a slice of history. The Apple II was, we are told, the first truly personal computer and a revolutionary idea. It was perhaps the supreme product of the era when personal computing was about bringing the unknown power of the silicon chip to the ordinary (well geeky) person.
This song dates from April 1984, when the Apple IIc was launched in San Francisco, at an event called "Apple II Forever" that is remembered as "part revival meeting, part sermon, part roundtable discussion, part pagan rite, and part county fair". The event even included a Californian speciality, a 6.1 Richter earthquake, participants recall.
Slightly less earth-shattering, perhaps, this song was part of the festivities. It was played first to the troops at internal events, and apparently went down so well, it got used in the public launch.
Apple IIc was a full-strength Apple computer with 128k of memory, two serial ports and a mouse in an 11in by 12in box small enough to fit in a briefcase. Impressive stuff.
Like almost all slogans, Apple II Forever was actually the reverse of the truth. A few months before the launch, Apple had introduced the Macintosh and, while there were still plenty more things that could be done with the Apple II, the writing was on the wall. New Apple CEO John Sculley was making the company more corporate
Apple created a further Apple II version, the Apple IIc Plus in 1988, with a zippy 4MHz prorcessor and 3.5 in disk drives. This was the company's finest 8bit computer, and sold well. A 16 bit version, the Apple IIGS also did well, but was dropped in 1992 in favour of Macs.
Despite this, I am told there are many Apple IIs still in use today. It certainly has a loyal following, who also refer to the "Apple //" and the "Apple ][".
And while it may not have lasted forever, we know that Apple IIs will continue in use for a few more years yet -- if Hollywood is to believed. In 2010, the sequel to 2001, Roy Scheider is seen on a beach, using one fitted with an LCD screen.
You can find our more about the Apple II at AppleII.org, including pictures of an Apple II on its holidays up a mountain. A very complete history of the beast is at Apple2history.org
Which brings us to the song, which tells us how the Apple II makes life better and better, bringing a smile to children's faces. Ah well, no doubt it brings back happy memories to some.
Anthems fans, be warned! There are more Apple songs out there, and we plan to bring you more of them! This one was included on an Apple "Developer Helper" CD of the late 1980s. This delivered early releases of Apple software to developers, and filled up the extra space with some surprisingly good songs.
Please send any anthems, from any IT companies, to corpanthems@zdnet.co.uk. Surely the UK's Amstrad had a song for its own revolutionary CPC464 computer, also launched in 1984?
Lyrics
Remember how we started Not so long ago We dreamed of giving everyone A personal way to grow. Our dream became reality And now we're making.... .... History!
Take imagination, and let it lead the way To a new world of discovery Setting light, every day Bringing smiles to children's faces Opening doors to brand new places Chorus Apple II Forever! Making life better and better! Apple II Forever and ever Bringing the rainbow to you! Apple II! Forever! (Forever!)
Oooo-oooh yeah And now the world keeps changing And we'll be changing too Reaching out with new ideas And bringing them all to you! Our future keeps on growing and growing Our colours keep on showing and glowing Chorus Apple II Forever! Making life better and better! Apple II Forever and ever Bringing the rainbow to you! Apple II! Forever! (Forever!)
Apple II! Apple II! Leading the Way! Apple II! Apple II!
Apple II Forever! Making life better and better! Apple II Forever and ever Bringing the rainbow to you! Apple II! Forever! (Forever!)
(swoosh)
Apple II Forever! Making life better and better! Apple II Forever and ever Bringing the rainbow to you! Apple II! Forever! (Forever!)
Apple II Forever! (swoosh) Audio
And finally, a straightforward dance anthem.
Lyrics
Power! Passion! Eeek! Gasp! Apple! gasp! eek! Power! Passion! gasp! Say Power! Say Passion! Say Apple! Everybody say passion! It's the beginning of a new and excitingly different story What power do you bring here? Apple! Power! Passion! Everybody say Apple! Say Power! Say Passion! Say Apple! Everybody say passion! Everybody - everybody eek-gasp-eeeee! Say Power! Say Passion! Say Apple! Everybody say passion! Say Power! Say Passion! Say Apple! Everybody say passion! Say Power! Say Passion! Say Apple! Everybody say passion! What power do you bring here? 5-4-3-2-1
Audio
This track, from Apple Developer Helper Volume I, is an absolute monster, and for our money the most pompous rubbish we have ever placed on the IT Anthems site (which long-time fans will know is saying something). Despite despite deeply committed performances, its five minutes feel more like three hours.
This must be the first time a complete transcription has been published, because no one can voluntarily have listened to the very end of this dire, but oh-so-sincerely performed rubbish.
But what does "the power to feel Bill" have to do with Apple's secret of success?
Lyrics
Ten years ago, something happened