Frou Frou created an impressive brand of vocal-driven, electronic pop. After the British duo had been collaborating for years without a record deal, the group's debut, Details, was completed for American release on MCA Records in 2002.
Heap and Sigsworth first worked together on Getting Scared from Heap's 1998 solo record, I Megaphone. After completing the promotion for that splendid debut, Heap was ready to begin work on a new project and the two hooked up again as Sigsworth had privately been compiling music specifically for Heap while producing other projects. The first track, conceived by the new, more formal (but as yet unnamed) pairing, eventually turned into Flicks from Details, which is perhaps Frou Frou's most Björk-reminiscent number.
Sigsworth grew up listening to eclectic female artists like Kate Bush, and along with Heap, developed an appreciation for classical music. He has specifically worked with Björk (Homogenic, Vespertine) and Madonna (What It Feels Like For A Girl) among many other significant '90s pop and electronic artists. Far from being the kind of campy moniker one might expect from a more sugary pop outfit, the name Frou Frou was decided upon when Francophile Sigsworth noticed the phrase in a Baudelaire poem. Apparently, when uttered in French, the phrase is meant to approximate the swishing of skirts as they swirl about the legs of comely dancing women, as in a burlesque performance.
Born composers, multi-instrumentalist Heap and studio/sound/producer/musician Sigsworth are credited with many side appearances in support of other artists, especially Sigsworth, who was often used as a bit of a song-fixer. While those aren't bad jobs to have, artists of Frou Frou's caliber need to step out on their own, and while Heap worked as a solo artist for a majority of her career, Sigsworth had never been so strongly identified with any previous project. Instead of relegating the male producer/writer to a barely credited back seat, as often happens with a female-fronted team effort, Frou Frou was conceived and honestly portrayed as a true collaboration, making it significant for its marketing truthfulness if nothing else.
Details has some relatively conventional pop moments like "It's Good to Be in Love", but more experimental cuts like "Only Got One" display a more definitive quality. The true accomplishment of Frou Frou (which is in evidence on just about every track the "band" created) is their uncanny ability to infuse highly manipulated, digitally crafted music with a warmth quite rare in pop and almost unheard of in music so technologically progressive. In the studio, Frou Frou achieved unique sounding beats for Heap's luscious voice via more-than-would-be-expected acoustic and natural instruments. These actual instrumental performances were recorded first, then heavily manipulated in an editing stage, giving the duo their own process and thus, their own sound. This approach made their music lush, dynamic, and more earthy when compared to typical electronic/dance and canned pop.
In November 2017, it was announced that Heap and Sigsworth would be reuniting to tour as Frou Frou in conjunction with an Imogen Heap solo tour in 2018. The duo released a live recording of "Guitar Song" on April 19, 2019. "Guitar Song" is one of two singles not released at the time of the band's initial break-up.
Let Go
Frou Frou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mmm are you in or out
Leave your things behind
'Cause it's all going off without you
Excuse me, too busy oh, writing a tragedy
These mishaps you bubble wrap when
You've no idea what you're like
(So let go) so let go
And jump in
Oh well whatcha waiting for
It's all right
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
(So let go) yeah let go
And just get in
Oh it's so amazing here
It's all right
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
It gains the more it give
And it rises with the fall
So hand me that remote
Can't you see that all that stuff's a sideshow
Such boundless pleasure
We've no time for later now
You can't await your own arrival
You've twenty seconds to comply
(So let go) so let go
And jump in
Oh well whatcha waiting for
It's all right
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
(So let go) yeah let go
And just get in
Oh it's so amazing here
It's all right
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
(So let go)
And jump in
Oh well whatcha waiting for
It's all right
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
(So let go) yeah let go
And just get in
Oh it's so amazing here
It's all right
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
Mmm the breakdown
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
Hey, the breakdown
So amazing, yeah
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
The Frou Frou song Let Go presents a call to action, urging the listener to leave routine behind and embrace life fearlessly. The lyrics immediately hook with the opening line 'Drink up baby doll' and the question that follows. It poses a choice, and challenges the listener to take action. The line 'leave your things behind 'cause it's all going off without you' emphasizes the transience of life and the imperative to act.
The chorus of the song focuses on the beauty found in failures and imperfections, singing 'it's all right, 'cause there's beauty in the breakdown'. This message is echoed throughout the song, suggesting that the hurdles and mishaps we go through in life are what make it meaningful – and it is only by giving ourselves to the moment that we can experience the depth and gravity of existence. There is a sense of urgency to the song, highlighted in the line 'you've twenty seconds to comply', which reinforces the message to let go and live fully.
Overall, Frou Frou's Let Go is a motivational and uplifting song that reminds us to cherish each moment and embrace the unpredictability of life. It encourages listeners to abandon fear and routine in favor of a life of adventure and spontaneity.
Line by Line Meaning
Drink up baby doll
Take a sip, my dear
Mmm are you in or out
Are you ready to join me or not?
Leave your things behind
You don't need anything with you
'Cause it's all going off without you
Life is going on, whether or not you're present
Excuse me, too busy oh, writing a tragedy
Sorry, I can't talk right now. I am too focused on creating a negative situation
These mishaps you bubble wrap when
You try to protect yourself from the inevitable mistakes
You've no idea what you're like
You don't fully understand your own personality or actions
(So let go) so let go
Release your inhibitions and fears
And jump in
Get involved and take action
Oh well whatcha waiting for
Why are you hesitating?
It's all right
Everything is going to be okay
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
Even when things fall apart, there can be something beautiful
(So let go) yeah let go
Really, just loosen up
And just get in
Participate in what's going on around you
Oh it's so amazing here
This experience is truly incredible
It's all right
It's okay to be vulnerable and take risks
It gains the more it give
The more you give, the more you receive
And it rises with the fall
There can be growth and progress after a difficult situation
So hand me that remote
Give me control so I can change the channel
Can't you see that all that stuff's a sideshow
Everything else is just a distraction from what really matters
Such boundless pleasure
There's so much happiness to be experienced
We've no time for later now
We need to live in the present moment
You can't await your own arrival
You can't wait for your own success to come to you
You've twenty seconds to comply
You need to act quickly and decisively
Mmm the breakdown
Even the worst parts have value
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
Again, there can be something lovely even in a negative situation
Hey, the breakdown
Another comment on how tough times can be worthwhile
So amazing, yeah
This experience is very special
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
One more reminder to look for the good in challenging times
Lyrics © WARP MUSIC LIMITED, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Guy Sigsworth, Imogen Jennifer Heap
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind