On his own and with groups such as Air, Starwalker, and Tomorrow's World, J… Read Full Bio ↴On his own and with groups such as Air, Starwalker, and Tomorrow's World, Jean-Benoît Dunckel is a mastermind of stylish, sensual, and ethereal pop. Before becoming a professional musician, he studied math and physics and played in the band Orange, which also counted Nicolas Godin among its members. Once Orange disbanded, Dunckel and Godin formed Air in 1995 and the duo soon earned acclaim for 1998's debut album Moon Safari and the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's 2000 film The Virgin Suicides.

While he and Godin worked with Charlotte Gainsbourg on her 2005 album 5:55, Dunckel embarked on a solo career, choosing the moniker Darkel as a twist on his surname, which means "dark" in German. Darkel's self-titled 2006 album shared the hazy atmosphere and lush synth passages as his Air work, but also explored Dunckel's fondness for more straightforward pop and rock. In 2009, he composed the score for the film Cyprien.

When Air went on hiatus following 2012's Le Voyage Dans la Lune, Dunckel founded the sci-fi pop act Tomorrow's World with New Young Pony Club's Lou Hayter, and Starwalker, a duo with Bang Gang's Bardi Johannsson. He also returned to Darkel with 2015's Man of Sorrow EP and composed the soundtrack for the film The Summer of Sangailé. In 2016, Air reunited for a tour supporting the career retrospective Twentyears. In 2018, Dunckel released H+, his first album under his own name.

The Garden
JB Dunckel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I wanna be free but i'm walking in chains
I wanna be brave but I remain a slave
Slave to the slave
Be slave to the light
Slave to the slave
Slave to money
Do I need all these little things?
But I can't leave away

Do I believe what i say?
In my soul, there's the truth of my life
A place to arise

Imagine what I could do
Imagine what I could do

I wanna be brave but I remain a slave
I claim to be free, but it feels like I'm in jail
Slave to the slave
Be slave to the light
Slave to the slave
Life has a puzzling grace
Let's open the garden gate
Scared of his burning eyes
It's time to say goodbye
In heaven, high above in the sky
A place to arise
Imagine what I could do, in my garden
Imagine what I could do, in my garden
Forget about tomorrow, in my garden
My child with a smiling face, in my garden

A place to arise, in my garden
Imagine what I could do

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Garden by JB Dunckel are a reflection on the conflicting desires for freedom and bravery, and the struggle against being enslaved by external and internal factors. The artist wants to be free, but feels constrained by chains that limit his ability to be brave and break free from his own limitations. He recognizes that he is a slave to various things in life, including money, and questions if he really needs all the little things that tie him down. The chorus repeats the lines "Slave to the slave, be slave to the light," which is a reminder that even in his quest for freedom, he is still at the mercy of external forces like light, and also internal ones like the burning eyes he is scared of. However, there is hope, as the artist feels that deep within him lies the truth of his life, and a place to arise.

The second half of the song is more optimistic, as the artist imagines a garden where he can truly be himself and do whatever he wants. The garden is a metaphor for a place of personal growth and creativity, where he is no longer constrained by his chains and can imagine what he could do. He is no longer a slave to the slave, but has found a way to be free and brave. The repeated line "A place to arise" reinforces the idea that the garden represents a place of personal transformation and renewal.

Overall, The Garden explores themes of personal freedom, bravery, and the search for an authentic self. It recognizes the struggles and limitations we all face, but also offers the hope of personal growth and transformation through introspection and creativity.

Line by Line Meaning

I wanna be free but i'm walking in chains
I desire freedom, but I feel constrained and limited

I wanna be brave but I remain a slave
I aspire to be brave, but I feel enslaved

Slave to the slave
Enslaved by those who are themselves enslaved

Be slave to the light
Embrace the light and be guided by it

Slave to money
Enslaved by the pursuit of wealth

Do I need all these little things?
Do I really require all these trivial possessions?

But I can't leave away
But I cannot detach myself from them

Do I believe what i say?
Do I genuinely believe in what I say and stand for?

In my soul, there's the truth of my life
The essential truth of my existence lies within my soul

A place to arise
A locale to emerge and develop

Imagine what I could do
Consider what I could accomplish