Deep Forest is a musical group consisting of two French musicians, Michel S… Read Full Bio ↴Deep Forest is a musical group consisting of two French musicians, Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet. They compose a new kind of world music, sometimes called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with electronic sounds and dance beats or chillout beats. Their sound has been described as an "ethno-introspective ambient world music". They were nominated for a Grammy Award in 1994 for Best World Music Album, and in 1995 they won the Award for the album Boheme. The group also became World Music Awards Winner - French group with the highest 1995 world sales. Their albums have sold over 10 million copies.

Michel Sanchez came up with the idea of mixing Baka Pygmy chants with modern music after hearing on-site recordings of these tribes. Along with Eric Mouquet they created the project Deep Forest. Their first self-titled album (nominated for a Grammy) was released in 1992, with Sweet Lullaby being the smash single which would put Deep Forest on the musical map (UK Top 10 hit). The song "Sweet Lullaby" is adapted from a traditional song from the Solomon Islands. The album Deep Forest was dance-driven and the samples were heavily digitised and edited. It was re-released as a limited edition in 1994 under the name World Mix.
For their second album Boheme, Eric and Michel left behind the sounds of the forest and ventured into Eastern Europe bringing tender, lonesome Hungarian and Gypsy chants with upbeat, yet sad, music. The chants were no longer brief, instead extended phrases had been sampled from Hungarian, Russian and Transylvanian sample CDs. Marta Sebestyen performed on this album.
The duo also performed and produced the remixes for the Youssou N'Dour single "Undecided" in 1994, with guest vocals by Neneh Cherry (who featured on n'Dour's break-through single "Seven Seconds"). That same year Deep Forest made remixes for Jon Anderson's "Deseo", Apollo 440's "Liquid Cool" and Cesária Évora's "My Fatigue is Endless". In 1996 Deep Forest collaborated with Peter Gabriel on the song While the Earth Sleeps, which was written for the film Strange Days.
The follow-up third album, Comparsa, contained sounds and chants from Madagascar and Cuba. The music is often upbeat and celebratory. The last song from the album Media Luna, which was also released as a single, features a duet of Syrian and Spanish singers Abed Azrei and Ana Torroja from Spanish band Mecano. The duo collaborated with Joe Zawinul during the recording of the album. A recording of their live concert in Japan was also released on a CD called Made in Japan. Although all the songs featured in the show are from the previous three albums, they have new often-longer arrangements and all the chants are performed and reinterpreted by live performers.

In 1999 Deep Forest worked with Cheb Mami and Catherine Lara on the song "L'Enfant Fleur" which had been composed for Sol En Si (a French charity which helps HIV families).

In 2000, Deep Forest released a music for the movie Le Prince du Pacifique, Pacifique. It mixes pacific and island beats with electronic music. Music Detected was the title of their fifth much-anticipated official Deep Forest album which saw the duo turn its attention to the Far East and the Orient for inspiration. It also signalled a change in musical style for Deep Forest, from dance to a more rock-influence.
In 2008 Eric Mouquet released Deep Brasil, this album is a collaboration with Brazilian artist Flavio Dell Isola Amazonia.
In 2009, 2010 Eric Mouquet went on tour and prepared the upcoming album Deep Africa.
This album should be released in summer 2011 and will feature lot of African artists, Lokua Kanza, Blick Bassy, Oliza, Wasis Diop, Zama Magudulela, and Wes's brother, Dany Dikoume.

Never Let Go
Deep Forest Lyrics

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You've been gone for a while now
I'm getting used to it somehow
You showed me just what I need
By leaving me here on my knees
I'm looking for you in them
I know you're out there somewhere
I want to know you again
Or just for the first time, I guess

Show me the way where I don't have to let go
Uphold your legacy without hitting new lows
I thought I found you
I swear I saw you
It's all gone now
Back in the clouds
A glimpse of heaven
Surprised to find in
Her hazel eyes
They'll never be mine
I thought I found you
I swear I saw you
It's all gone now
Back in the clouds
A glimpse of heaven
Surprised to find in
Her hazel eyes
They'll never be mine
Show me the way where I don't have to let go
Hold on to memories without hitting new lows

Show me the way where I don't have to let go
Uphold your legacy without hitting new lows

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Deep Forest's song Never Let Go expresses the feeling of longing for someone who has left or is absent. The singer acknowledges their absence and is slowly getting used to living without them, but desires to have them back in their life again. The line "You showed me just what I need by leaving me here on my knees" can be interpreted as the singer realizing that their absence has made them appreciate the importance of the individual in their life. The singer is actively searching for the person, but can only catch glimpses of them - in the clouds, in her hazel eyes - but struggles to grasp onto them entirely.

The repeated lines "Show me the way where I don't have to let go" and "Uphold your legacy without hitting new lows" suggest that the singer wants to keep their memories and relationship alive, without experiencing further pain or deterioration. The line "Hold on to memories without hitting new lows" highlights that the singer is not ready to let go of the memories they have shared with the person, and hopes to keep those memories intact.

Overall, "Never Let Go" conveys a sense of longing for an absent person, the struggle to hold onto memories and the desire to reconnect without experiencing further pain.

Line by Line Meaning

You've been gone for a while now
It has been a long time since you left

I'm getting used to it somehow
I am slowly becoming accustomed to your absence

You showed me just what I need
You taught me what I really require

By leaving me here on my knees
You left me alone and helpless

I'm looking for you in them
I am searching for you in others

I know you're out there somewhere
I believe that you still exist somewhere

I want to know you again
I wish to understand you once more

Or just for the first time, I guess
Perhaps I never really knew you

Show me the way where I don't have to let go
Guide me to a path where I won't have to accept your departure

Uphold your legacy without hitting new lows
Remember and honor you without causing further harm or suffering

I thought I found you
I believed that I had discovered you