Hollywood in the 1980s was the port of call for post-punk bands who had made it. From Simple Minds to the Human League and Japan the call up for a film soundtrack was the sign that you were in the big league. Fresh off the flight to La La Land, you'd be recording a slice of Giorgio Moroder pop hysteria for a scene where a stripper with a perm was dancing for her life or Rocky Balboa was pounding the streets of Philadelphia.
Even this French man who loves to champion the musical underdog knew he had a challenge on his hands. He was no longer dealing with the cool, underground songs of his youth. He was dealing with records that sounded dated and cheesy - songs that even he wasn't a fan of.
But Collin is a cerebral, curious man and he wanted to prove that there was something more. Like a musical archaeologist he painstakingly dug through the layers of garish production to find the forgotten bones of the song beneath.
"Everything that was produced in the 80s sounds unfashionable now but if you take a song like Flashdance (What a Feeling) and really break it down to the chords, you find a classic harmony there. You can interpret the emotion in another way - maybe this girl is not winning but she has failed all her dance exams. You get a totally different feeling from it."
It may be hard to believe but Hollywood, Mon Amour will turn songs you had forgotten into songs you will love in love with. Where there was once a garish palette of squealing guitar solos and high-five vocals, Collin manages to find fragile colours and tender melancholy.
"I tried to imagine what these songs would sound like if they had been recorded 20 years before. I had to excavate and imagine what chords or harmonies might have been taken out in the production. I'm not really sure if I am trying to find the treasure underneath - I'm not sure some of these songs have treasure - but I have striven to create something new and interesting."
Some of the coolest young female singers around were queuing up to work with Collin including Skye from Morcheba, Brazilian hipster Cibelle and appropriately Hollywood's own rock chick, Juliette Lewis.
Collin is no one-trick pony, lazily grafting bossa nova beats onto 80s songs. He is serious about the philosophical investigation of his work, affectionate for the creativity and excitement of the decade of excess, and proud of how Hollywood Mon Amour opens up infinite musical possibilities, "In modern life you can't do anything new. In Hollywood right now, old films are continually being re-made. What I am doing is the same: I am playing with all of musical culture and recreating songs with sounds from other decades. It is a very post-modern way to work. I have proved I can do it with good songs so it was good to prove I could do it with bad songs. Maybe, in the end, people will realise that what it is they like is what I do."
Forbidden Colours
Hollywood Mon Amour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought all I needed was to believe
Here am I, a lifetime away from you
The blood of Christ, or the beat of my heart
My love wears forbidden colours
My life believes
Millions are willing to give their lives for you
Does nothing live on?
Learning to cope with feelings aroused in me
My hands in the soil, buried inside of myself
My love wears forbidden colours
My life believes in you once again
I'll go walking in circles
While doubting the very ground beneath me
Trying to show unquestioning faith in everything
Here am I, a lifetime away from you
The blood of Christ, or a change of heart
My love wears forbidden colours
My life believes
My love wears forbidden colours
My life believes in you once again.
The lyrics of Hollywood Mon Amour's song "Forbidden Colours" speak of the pain of separation from a loved one and the struggle to hold onto faith and belief despite the senseless passing of time. The wounds of the singer's unhealed hands serve as a physical reminder of the emotional pain that they continue to suffer. The singer had believed that all they needed was faith in their love, but find themselves a lifetime away from their partner, longing for their forbidden love.
The second verse of the song takes a spiritual turn, with a reference to the blood of Christ and the willingness of millions to give their lives for a higher cause. Despite this, the singer questions whether anything truly lives on after death. They reveal that they are learning to cope with the feelings that their separation arouses in them, burying themselves deep within as they try to hold onto their faith. The song ends with the singer doubting everything and going around in circles, but ultimately affirming their love and belief that their partner wears forbidden colours.
Line by Line Meaning
The wounds on your hands never seem to heal
You are still struggling with the pain and hurt that you have experienced.
I thought all I needed was to believe
I thought that just having faith in you would be enough to make everything okay.
Here am I, a lifetime away from you
I am far away from you, both physically and emotionally.
The blood of Christ, or the beat of my heart
My love for you is so strong that it feels like it comes from somewhere deep within me, like the very beat of my heart.
My love wears forbidden colours
My love for you is unconventional, perhaps even frowned upon by others, but it is still just as real.
My life believes
Despite the challenges and obstacles, I still have faith that things will work out.
Senseless years thunder by
Time seems to pass by quickly and without direction or purpose.
Millions are willing to give their lives for you
You are important and cherished by many, to the point where they would be willing to sacrifice themselves for your sake.
Does nothing live on?
Despite everything that has happened, is there still hope for a future, for something to continue on?
Learning to cope with feelings aroused in me
I am trying to come to terms with and manage the intense emotions that your presence and absence evoke within me.
My hands in the soil, buried inside of myself
I am grappling with deep, internal struggles and emotions that feel like they are rooted within me.
I'll go walking in circles
I feel lost and aimless, like I am just moving without purpose or direction.
While doubting the very ground beneath me
I am questioning the foundations of my beliefs and values, unsure of what I can truly trust or rely on.
Trying to show unquestioning faith in everything
Despite my doubts and fears, I am trying to maintain a sense of faith and trust in the world around me.
My love wears forbidden colours
My love for you may not fit within societal norms or expectations, but it is still valid and real.
My life believes in you once again
Despite everything, I still have faith and trust in you and our relationship.
Contributed by Ethan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ItsJd1232
Beautiful! This is my favourite song ever and i love what has been done to it! Wow!
@Raushanya
Beautiful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@dalbar72
Simply Amazing.
@janice0718z
Beautiful!!
@ScarletaA
Thank you......:)
@gallofranci
Stupendo!!!!!!
@PoseidonSCP
great!
@Pacodelp
cool version :)
@zephyrus9852
Buono
@nicck
It's not as interesting as the original, in my opinion.