In film scores, he is best known for his work in the DC Extended Universe beginning with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with Hans Zimmer, contributing to the theme song for Wonder Woman, as well as the scores for Deadpool and Mad Max: Fury Road.
Holkenborg was born in Lichtenvoorde, Gelderland, Netherlands. Classically trained by his mother – herself an accredited music teacher – Holkenborg started playing piano when he was four years old, drums when he was eight, and guitar at 12. Influenced by the psychedelic-pop of Pink Floyd and King Crimson, he took up the bass by age 14. After taking a job at a local music store selling keyboards and other digital gear, he began to have an appreciation for the combination of electronic and organic sounds. It was shortly after he discovered synthesizers that he joined the Dutch New Wave ensemble Weekend at Waikiki as a multi-instrumentalist and producer, touring extensively with the band, including through parts of the former Soviet Union, from 1988 to 1991. He also contributed to their final album, Sputnik. In 1993, Holkenborg produced Almost a Dance by Dutch metal band The Gathering, and later that year went on to form the industrial rock band Nerve with Phil Mills. After signing with label Play It Again Sam in 1992 and releasing two LPs – Cancer of Choice (1993) and Blood & Gold (1994) – he continued as a producer, working with hardcore and metal bands like Sepultura, Fear Factory, and Dog Eat Dog, while simultaneously licensing some of his instrumental electronic tracks for racing video games like The Need For Speed and Test Drive 5. It was during this time that he also began scoring the Dutch feature film, Siberia, which would be released by Warner Brothers Netherlands.
In collaboration with Harry Gregson-Williams, he contributed additional music to the Tony Scott film Domino (2005), and served as the composer on the Dutch film Blind, which was nominated for Best Original Music Score at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2007 and received the Grand Prix award for Best Original Music Score at the 2008 Aubagne International Film Festival. Holkenborg continues to work in the film and television industry, collaborating with composer Hans Zimmer on Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. The film marks the fourth scoring collaboration between Holkenborg and Zimmer, including Megamind (2010), Inception (2010) and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012). Since moving into Zimmer's Remote Control Productions studio, the two have worked together on many other musical projects, including Man of Steel, the reboot of the Superman franchise, and a remix of that year's Academy Awards theme song. Holkenborg has provided music for the films Kingdom of Heaven, Domino, DOA: Dead or Alive, Shark Tale, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury, The Animatrix, and Resident Evil, and has had his original music featured in a number of major motion pictures, including Blade ("Dealing with the Roster") and The Beach ("Synaesthesia"). In 2013, he composed the music for the Relativity Media film Paranoia. Shortly after, he was brought in by Zack Snyder, the producer of 300: Rise of an Empire, to create the score for the film. He is credited as the composer for the 2014 film Divergent, with Hans Zimmer credited as "Executive Producer" for the soundtrack. He is a member of the Magnificent Six, a collaborative group of five other musicians, consisting of Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, Johnny Marr (from The Smiths), Michael Einziger (from Incubus), Andrew Kawczynski, and Steve Mazzaro. The "supergroup" of artists ranging from diverse backgrounds teamed up to compose the score for the Marvel comic reboot's second feature film of the original Spider-Man trilogy The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He was the primary composer for the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road and the 2016 film Deadpool, and was co-composer for the film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, along with Zimmer. Holkenborg's theme music for Wonder Woman was used in the film of the same name. Zimmer was replaced by Junkie XL to write and compose the music for Justice League releasing in 2017. Holkenborg was later replaced by Danny Elfman, brought up by Joss Whedon.[2] On 8 December 2017 Holkenborg was revealed to be composing the score for the 2018 film Alita: Battle Angel, based on the manga Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro.
To go along with his numerous artist albums and EPs, Holkenborg has been creating original music for video games since the mid-90s. In addition to composing the soundtrack for Xbox racing games Forza Motorsport and Quantum Redshift, Holkenborg is responsible for the SSX Blur soundtrack. He has also licensed a number of his album tracks for video game use. "Future in Computer Hell (Part 2)", "Synasthesia", and "Dance USA"—all taken from his album Big Sounds of the Drags—were licensed to the racing video game TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed (2002). The title track for Today is featured on the soundtrack for the video games Burnout Legends and Burnout Revenge, while "More"—taken from his fifth album, Booming Back at You—is featured on the soundtrack to EA Games' Need for Speed: ProStreet, which also includes a full score from Holkenborg. His cover of Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Cities in Dust" is featured on Electronic Arts' Burnout Paradise. He has written additional music for and licensed music to The Matrix: Path of Neo, Destroy All Humans!, The Sims 2: Nightlife, The Sims 3, Need for Speed: Underground, Need for Speed: Carbon, FIFA 08, and FIFA Street 3, among others. He composed the soundtrack for EA's Darkspore.
Holkenborg is an associate professor at the ArtEZ Conservatorium, one of the major art institutes in the Netherlands, where he teaches producing, remixing, and music composition. He resides in Venice, Los Angeles, California. He uses the name JXL in cases where the term "Junkie" might cause offense. Holkenborg says of his name: "I called myself Junkie XL from the point of view that once you're completely overworked, you never want to go there again. The 'XL' stands for expanding limits; broadening up your vision."
Between These Walls
Junkie XL Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Without receiving
So much that I had to give
Between these walls
There were a lot of things that I could
Have done differently
But it ain't about the way I live
It's the hard that comes
Comfort, feed, embrace, love and protect me
In that what I'm here for?
You said you'd be here for me
No matter what
How come you feel so cold everytime
You step into this room
Why does it feel so cold?
It's in your mind
In the spring of '75
That's when god made a mistake
He took me here to the wrong side
I bet you did the best you could
But never good enough
Cause it's the hard that comes
Comfort, feed, embrace, love and protect me
In that what I'm here for?
You said you would die for me
Remember
How come you feel so cold everytime
You step into this room
Why does it feel so cold?
I'm freezing
Stuck here with this broken heart
All I can do
Is hoping for a full recovering
Why did you have me in the first place?
Well...comfort, feed, embrace, love and protect me yeah
Comfort, feed, embrace, baby just respect me
How come you feel so cold everytime (just respect me, just respect me)
Comfort, feed, embrace, baby love me, baby love me, love me yeah
Do you love me yeah? D'you love me yeah?
The song "Between These Walls" by Junkie XL features lyrics that explore the emotions and experiences of feeling trapped, isolated, and unloved within a certain space. The singer begins by reminiscing fondly on the life they used to lead within the walls surrounding them. It's clear that they had much potential and love to give, but for some reason were not able to fully express these aspects of their personality. The lyrics express a sense of disappointment and regret that this person couldn't become all they were meant to be. Throughout the song, the singer pleads with someone (potentially a partner, friend or family member) to provide them with the love, care and attention they need, but it seems that whoever they're reaching out to is distant and unfeeling towards them. As the song progresses, the singer becomes more resigned to their situation, almost pleading for basic human respect and acknowledgement.
The song seems to express a deep sense of disconnection and a desire for love and human connection that isn't being fulfilled. The use of the phrase "Between These Walls" is a metaphor for being trapped or stuck in a situation that you can't escape from. The lyrics convey the idea that despite our best intentions or actions, we can still end up feeling isolated and unloved. The final lines of the song are especially poignant, as the singer desperately begs for love and respect, while also questioning whether they are deserving of it.
Line by Line Meaning
Between these walls I used to live
I used to live between these walls
Without receiving
I didn't receive anything
So much that I had to give
I had a lot to give
Between these walls
I was trapped in this place
There were a lot of things that I could Have done differently
I regret not doing things differently
But it ain't about the way I live
It's not about my lifestyle
It's the hard that comes
It's about the difficulties I face
Comfort, feed, embrace, love and protect me In that what I'm here for?
Am I here just to be comforted, fed, embraced, loved, and protected?
You said you'd be here for me No matter what
You promised to always be there for me
How come you feel so cold everytime You step into this room
Why do you seem distant every time you come here?
Why does it feel so cold?
Why does this place feel so empty?
It's in your mind
The feeling of emptiness is all in your head
In the spring of '75 That's when god made a mistake
I was born in the wrong place at the wrong time
He took me here to the wrong side
I was brought to a place where I didn't belong
I bet you did the best you could But never good enough
I know you tried your best but it wasn't enough
Cause it's the hard that comes
It's difficult to overcome these challenges
You said you would die for me Remember
You promised to always be there for me, even to the point of sacrificing your life
I'm freezing
I'm feeling cold and alone
Stuck here with this broken heart
I feel trapped and heartbroken
All I can do Is hoping for a full recovering
All I can do is hope to fully recover from this pain
Why did you have me in the first place?
Why did you bring me into this world?
Well...comfort, feed, embrace, love and protect me yeah
I guess it was to provide me with comfort, food, love, and protection
Comfort, feed, embrace, baby just respect me
But now I just want to be respected
How come you feel so cold everytime (just respect me, just respect me)
Why do you seem so distant every time I ask for respect?
Comfort, feed, embrace, baby love me, baby love me, love me yeah Do you love me yeah? D'you love me yeah?
I still crave comfort, food, and love, but I also want to know if you truly love me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANOUK TEEUWE, TOM HOLKENBORG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind