Desplat has composed scores for a wide range of films, including low-budget independent productions and large-scale blockbusters, such as The Queen, The Golden Compass, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 & Part 2, The King's Speech, The Danish Girl, Moonrise Kingdom, Argo, Rise of the Guardians, Zero Dark Thirty, Godzilla, The Imitation Game, Unbroken, The Secret Life of Pets, and Isle of Dogs.
Desplat was born in Paris to a French father and a Greek mother. At the age of five, he began playing piano. He also became proficient on trumpet and flute. He studied with Claude Ballif and Iannis Xenakis in France and Jack Hayes in the U.S. Desplat's musical interests were wide, and he was also influenced by South American and African artists and teachers, among whom were Carlinhos Brown and Ray Lema.
Desplat has composed extensively for films, in France and in Hollywood - scores and incidental music for over 100 films including "Lapse of Memory" (1992), "Family Express" (1992), "Regarde Les Hommes Tomber" (1994), "Les Péchés Mortels" (1995), César-nominated "Un Héros Très Discret" (1996), "Une Minute de Silence" (1998), "Sweet Revenge" (1998), "Le Château des Singes" (1999), "Home Sweet Home" (2001), "Reines d'un Jour" (2001), the César-nominated "Sur mes Lèvres" (2002), "Rire et Châtiment" (2003), "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (2009), "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" (2010), "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (2011) and "The Danish Girl" (2015).
Desplat has composed individual songs that have been sung in films by such artists as Akhenaton, Kate Beckinsale, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Valérie Lemercier, Miosotis, Catherine Ringer and Renée Fleming. He has also written music for the theatre, including pieces performed at the Comédie Française. Desplat has conducted performances of his music played by the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Munich Symphony Orchestra. Desplat has also given Master Classes at La Sorbonne in Paris and the Royal College of Music in London.
In 2007, he composed the scores for Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass", Zach Helm's directorial debut "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" with American composer Aaron Zigman and the Ang Lee movie "Lust, Caution". Prior to these break-out works, he contributed scores for "The Luzhin Defence", "Girl with a Pearl Earring", "Syriana", "Birth", "Hostage", "Firewall", "Casanova", "Nid de Guêpes" and "The Painted Veil", for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music, and the 2006 World Soundtrack Award. He won the 2007 BMI Film Music Award, 2007 World Soundtrack Award, 2007 European Film Award, and received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score for "The Queen". He also won the Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Best Film Music in "De battre mon cœur s'est arrêté". In 2008 Desplat received his second Oscar nomination for David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Desplat received his third Oscar nomination and a BAFTA nomination for "Fantastic Mr. Fox" in 2010, both of which were won by Michael Giacchino for "Up".
Recently, Desplat has composed music for "Largo Winch", based on the Belgian comic; "Afterwards", a French-Canadian psychological thriller film directed by Gilles Bourdos in English; Anne Fontaine's "Coco avant Chanel" based on the life of designer Coco Chanel; Robert Guédiguian's "L'Armée du Crime"; "Chéri", reuniting him with director Stephen Frears, whom he collaborated with on "The Queen"; "Un Prophète" reuniting with director Jacques Audiard; "Julie & Julia" directed by Nora Ephron; "Fantastic Mr. Fox", directed by Wes Anderson and based on the novel by Roald Dahl; "The Twilight Saga: New Moon", directed by Chris Weitz; Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer"; "Tamara Drewe"; "The Special Relationship"; "The King's Speech", which earned Desplat his fourth Oscar nomination; and "Largo Winch II: The Burma Conspiracy".
In early 2011, Desplat began to write the music to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2". He reunited with director David Yates, who offered Desplat the opportunity to score the second part.
Desplat's upcoming projects include "The Tree of Life", directed by Terrence Malick (which he actually recorded in early 2010), "A Better Life" and "La Fille du Puisatier", Roman Polanski's "Carnage" and George Clooney's "The Ides of March".
Desplat started 2012 with "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" and continued with scores for "The Spider's House", the Florent Emilio Siri-directed biopic "Cloclo", Jacques Audiard's "De rouille et d'os", Ben Affleck's "Argo", DreamWorks Animation's "Rise of the Guardians", Matteo Garrone's "Reality", Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" and Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero dark Thirty".
Edward Leaves
Alexandre Desplat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would live a lie
For you deserve a love
This heart cannot provide
So I?ll wish you well
And be on my way
I?m not the one who could give you what you need
So I?ll bid you farewell but don?t you dare watch me leave
I didn?t mean to
Hurt you this way
But I?m not what you need
So I guess
I?ll just be on my way
One day you?ll wake up
And thank me for what I did
When you?re living your happy life
Behind your white fence, new husband and kids
Like a captured bird
Who yearns to sail the sky
I will unlock your cage now
So prepare to fly
And I?ll kiss the air
And hope it finds you well
Goodbye
I?m not the one who could give you what you need
So I?ll bid you farewell but don?t you dare watch me leave
I didn?t meant to
Hurt you this way
But I?m not what you need
So I guess
I?ll just be on my way
One day you?ll wake up
And thank me for what I did
When you?re living your happy life
Behind your white fence, new husband and kids
I didn?t meant to
Hurt you this way
But I?m not what you need
So I guess
I?ll just be on my way
One day you?ll wake up
And thank me for what I did
When you?re living your happy life
Behind your white fence, new husband and kids
So, I?ll kiss the air
And hope it finds you well
Goodbye
The lyrics of Alexandre Desplat's song "Edward Leaves" tell a story of a person who has come to the realization that they are not the right fit for their partner. They acknowledge that their heart cannot provide the love that their partner deserves, and as a result, decide to leave their partner. The song's protagonist acknowledges that they did not intend to hurt their partner in this way, but ultimately it is for the best. The singer provides their partner with a vision of a happy future, one where they can be with someone who compliments them better, and even thanks them for what they did in the end.
There is a sense of melancholy and heartbreak in the song, illustrated by the metaphor of a bird yearning to fly, but being held captive in a cage. The singer sees their partner as this bird and recognizes that they need to be set free, allowing them to fly and reach their full potential.
The song ultimately illustrates the bittersweet nature of letting go, and the hope that both individuals can move forward and build a happy life apart from each other.
Line by Line Meaning
If I stayed with you
If I stayed with you, I would be living a lie
I would live a lie
Staying with you would mean I wasn't being true to myself
For you deserve a love
You deserve someone who can provide you with the love you deserve
This heart cannot provide
But unfortunately, my heart cannot provide that type of love
So I'll wish you well
Therefore, I will wish you well
And be on my way
And continue on with my life without you
I'm not the one who could give you what you need
I'm not the right person to give you what you need from a relationship
So I'll bid you farewell but don't you dare watch me leave
So I'll say goodbye, but you can't try to make me stay
I didn't mean to hurt you this way
I didn't mean to hurt you by leaving, but it's for the best
But I'm not what you need
I'm not the right person to provide the love and support you need
So I guess I'll just be on my way
So I'll have to leave and find my own path
One day you'll wake up and thank me for what I did
But someday you'll realize that my leaving was for the better and be grateful
When you're living your happy life behind your white fence, new husband and kids
When you've moved on and found love and happiness with someone who can give you what you need
Like a captured bird who yearns to sail the sky
Leaving you is like a bird being released from captivity, now free to explore
I will unlock your cage now, so prepare to fly
I'm releasing you from the confines of our relationship so you can find the love you deserve
And I'll kiss the air and hope it finds you well
I'll say goodbye from a distance and hope that you're doing well
Goodbye
Farewell
Contributed by Liam G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.