ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Eddi Reader - Singer/songwriter
In her warm, glorious voice, Eddi Reader sings thoughtful songs about love, longing and introspection.

Why you should listen

Scotland-born Eddi Reader was an '80s pop star in the UK, where her band Fairground Attraction had a #1 hit with the supercatchy "Perfect." Now, as a solo artist, her sounds has matured; quiet acoustic arrangements and gentle harmonies put her lush voice front and center. TED Music Director Thomas Dolby calls her his favorite singer of all time.

Albums such as Candyfloss and Medicine and Angels & Electricity established her as a thoughtful songwriter and interpreter, with an affinity for wistful songs of longing and loss -- and a nice sideline in what used to be called "message" songs, which call to the listener to think about war and peace, the Earth and our place in it.

Reader has also become a noted interpreter of the poems of Robert Burns. Her latest album, Peacetime, offers a compelling mix of Burns lyrics, traditional folk tunes and new songs written by Reader and her longtime songwriting partner, Boo Hewerdine. Fun fact: The title song on the album, "Peacetime," Eddi first learned backstage at her 2003 TED performance.

More profile about the speaker
Eddi Reader | Speaker | TED.com
Thomas Dolby - Electronic music pioneer
Thomas Dolby has spent his career at the intersection of music and technology. He was an early star on MTV, then moved to Silicon Valley, then went back on the road with his album, "A Map of the Floating City."

Why you should listen

Perhaps best known for blinding us with science, Thomas Dolby has always blurred the lines between composition and invention. As a London teenager, Tom Robertson was fascinated with the convergence of music and technology. His experiments with an assortment of keyboards, synthesizers and cassette players led his friends to dub him “Dolby.” That same fascination later drove him to become an electronic musician and multimedia artist whose groundbreaking work fused music with computer technology and video. Two decades, several film scores, five Grammy nominations and countless live-layered sound loops later, it's clear Dolby's innovations have changed the sound of popular music.

In the 1990s, Dolby re-created himself as a digital-musical entrepreneur, founding Beatnik, which developed the polyphonic ringtone software used in more than half a billion cell phones. From 2001 to 2012, Dolby served as TED's Music Director, programming great music for the TED stage, assembling a wide variety of house bands and collaborations to play between speakers. At TED2010, backed by the string quarter Ethel, he premiered the song "Love Is a Loaded Pistol," from his sweeping, A Map of the Floating City. The album marked his return to recording and touring after a 15-year hiatus, and used seriously retro technology -- '40s-era oscilloscopes and Royal Navy field-test equipment -- to control modern synthesizers, in shows at once nostalgic and cutting edge.

In 2014, Dolby took on a new name: professor. He was named the Homewood Professor of the Arts at Johns Hopkins University, teaching the course "Sound on Film."

More profile about the speaker
Thomas Dolby | Speaker | TED.com
TED2003

Eddi Reader: "What You've Got"

Filmed:
515,331 views

Singer/songwriter Eddi Reader performs "What You Do With What You've Got," a meditation on a very TED theme: how to use your gifts and talents to make a difference. With Thomas Dolby on piano.
- Singer/songwriter
In her warm, glorious voice, Eddi Reader sings thoughtful songs about love, longing and introspection. Full bio - Electronic music pioneer
Thomas Dolby has spent his career at the intersection of music and technology. He was an early star on MTV, then moved to Silicon Valley, then went back on the road with his album, "A Map of the Floating City." Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

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This song is one of Thomas' favorites,
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called "What You Do with What You've Got."
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♫ You must know someone like him ♫
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♫ He was tall and strong and lean ♫
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♫ With a body like a greyhound ♫
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♫ and a mind so sharp and keen ♫
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♫ But his heart, just like laurel ♫
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♫ grew twisted around itself ♫
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♫ Till almost everything he did ♫
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♫ brought pain to someone else ♫
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♫ It's not just what you're born with ♫
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♫ It's what you choose to bear ♫
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♫ It's not how big your share is ♫
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♫ It's how much you can share ♫
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♫ It's not the fights you dreamed of ♫
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♫ It's those you really fought ♫
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♫ It's not what you've been given ♫
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♫ It's what you do with what you've got ♫
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♫ What's the use of two strong legs ♫
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♫ if you only run away? ♫
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♫ And what's the use of the finest voice ♫
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♫ if you've nothing good to say? ♫
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♫ What's the use of strength and muscle ♫
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♫ if you only push and shove? ♫
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♫ And what's the use of two good ears ♫
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♫ if you can't hear those you love? ♫
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♫ What's the use of two strong legs ♫
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♫ if you only run away? ♫
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♫ And what's the use of the finest voice ♫
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♫ if you've nothing good to say? ♫
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♫ What's the use of strength and muscle ♫
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♫ if you only push and shove? ♫
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♫ And what's the use of two good ears ♫
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♫ if you can't hear those you love? ♫
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♫ Between those who use their neighbors ♫
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♫ and those who use the cane ♫
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♫ Between those in constant power ♫
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♫ and those in constant pain ♫
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♫ Between those who run to glory ♫
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♫ and those who cannot run ♫
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♫ Tell me which ones are the cripples ♫
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♫ and which ones touch the sun ♫
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♫ Which ones touch the sun ♫
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♫ Which ones touch the sun ♫
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(Applause) Thank you very much.
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▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Eddi Reader - Singer/songwriter
In her warm, glorious voice, Eddi Reader sings thoughtful songs about love, longing and introspection.

Why you should listen

Scotland-born Eddi Reader was an '80s pop star in the UK, where her band Fairground Attraction had a #1 hit with the supercatchy "Perfect." Now, as a solo artist, her sounds has matured; quiet acoustic arrangements and gentle harmonies put her lush voice front and center. TED Music Director Thomas Dolby calls her his favorite singer of all time.

Albums such as Candyfloss and Medicine and Angels & Electricity established her as a thoughtful songwriter and interpreter, with an affinity for wistful songs of longing and loss -- and a nice sideline in what used to be called "message" songs, which call to the listener to think about war and peace, the Earth and our place in it.

Reader has also become a noted interpreter of the poems of Robert Burns. Her latest album, Peacetime, offers a compelling mix of Burns lyrics, traditional folk tunes and new songs written by Reader and her longtime songwriting partner, Boo Hewerdine. Fun fact: The title song on the album, "Peacetime," Eddi first learned backstage at her 2003 TED performance.

More profile about the speaker
Eddi Reader | Speaker | TED.com
Thomas Dolby - Electronic music pioneer
Thomas Dolby has spent his career at the intersection of music and technology. He was an early star on MTV, then moved to Silicon Valley, then went back on the road with his album, "A Map of the Floating City."

Why you should listen

Perhaps best known for blinding us with science, Thomas Dolby has always blurred the lines between composition and invention. As a London teenager, Tom Robertson was fascinated with the convergence of music and technology. His experiments with an assortment of keyboards, synthesizers and cassette players led his friends to dub him “Dolby.” That same fascination later drove him to become an electronic musician and multimedia artist whose groundbreaking work fused music with computer technology and video. Two decades, several film scores, five Grammy nominations and countless live-layered sound loops later, it's clear Dolby's innovations have changed the sound of popular music.

In the 1990s, Dolby re-created himself as a digital-musical entrepreneur, founding Beatnik, which developed the polyphonic ringtone software used in more than half a billion cell phones. From 2001 to 2012, Dolby served as TED's Music Director, programming great music for the TED stage, assembling a wide variety of house bands and collaborations to play between speakers. At TED2010, backed by the string quarter Ethel, he premiered the song "Love Is a Loaded Pistol," from his sweeping, A Map of the Floating City. The album marked his return to recording and touring after a 15-year hiatus, and used seriously retro technology -- '40s-era oscilloscopes and Royal Navy field-test equipment -- to control modern synthesizers, in shows at once nostalgic and cutting edge.

In 2014, Dolby took on a new name: professor. He was named the Homewood Professor of the Arts at Johns Hopkins University, teaching the course "Sound on Film."

More profile about the speaker
Thomas Dolby | Speaker | TED.com