Machine Messiah

Experience the powerful impact of Yes's "Machine Messiah," the epic opening track from their 1980 album Drama. Featuring Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, this progressive rock piece blends heavy, almost metallic riffs with complex arrangements, marking a distinct and dynamic shift in the band's legendary sound.

Kicking off the 1980 album Drama, "Machine Messiah" immediately announced a new era for Yes, featuring Trevor Horn on lead vocals and Geoff Downes on keyboards alongside stalwarts Howe, Squire, and White. The song opens with an uncharacteristically heavy, menacing guitar riff from Steve Howe, signaling a departure from their earlier sound, though the track retains progressive rock complexity through its multi-part structure and instrumental dexterity.

This ten-minute epic shifts dramatically between its powerful, heavy sections and more atmospheric, keyboard-driven passages. Trevor Horn's distinctive vocals deliver lyrics often interpreted as exploring themes of technology, control, and potential dystopian futures. "Machine Messiah" showcases the instrumental prowess of the band adapting to a new direction, standing as a key track defining the unique, potent sound of this 1980 Yes lineup.

SONG MEANING: "Machine Messiah" is often interpreted as exploring humanity's complex and potentially dangerous relationship with technology. The lyrics evoke themes of artificial intelligence, loss of control to machines, societal dependence on technology, and possibly a critique of a cold, mechanized future – a departure from Yes's earlier, more nature-based or spiritual lyrical focus.