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."
Blue Perfect Sky
Junkie XL Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you and me alone again
hand in hand we stand under the perfect blue sky
waiting for the world...
hand in hand we stand below a perfect blue sky
you and me alone again
hand in hand we stand under the perfect blue sky
waiting for the world...
no endless time to dream
to fall in love
to ever get to know
a few short summer days
is all the sweetest life we ever live
a fleeting glimpse before we go
side by side we slide below a perfect blue sky
not sure where and not sure when
side by side we slide under the perfect blue sky
waiting for the world...
we always knew this day would come
too soon the perfect blue
to grey and black
and all at once is cold
the hopes we had to grow
to understand the reasons why
all gone
a million stories left untold
so hand in hand we stand below a perfect blue sky
you and me alone again
hand in hand we stand under the perfect blue sky
waiting for the world to end
In Perfect Blue Sky, Junkie XL and Robert Smith sing about two people together under a clear blue sky, "waiting for the world." The repetition of the line "hand in hand we stand below a perfect blue sky" emphasizes the unity of the two individuals, and their fleeting moment of happiness. The lyric "it's not as if we have that long, no endless time to dream" encapsulates the idea that life is short and they should make the most of their time together. The reference to "a few short summer days" represents the limited time they have to spend together, and the need to cherish every moment.
In the second verse, the lyrics convey a sense of inevitability, with the phrase "we always knew this day would come." The once-perfect blue sky becomes "grey and black," symbolizing the fading of their hopes and dreams. The couple is "waiting for the world to end," perhaps reflecting a sense of resignation or defeat. The song seems to suggest that life is fleeting and that happiness and love are elusive, but it is still worth appreciating the beauty of the world while it lasts.
Line by Line Meaning
hand in hand we stand below a perfect blue sky
We are standing together beneath an idyllic, blue sky.
you and me alone again
We are the only ones together in this moment.
hand in hand we stand under the perfect blue sky
We are holding hands underneath the flawless, blue sky.
waiting for the world...
We are waiting for a future that is uncertain.
it's not as if we have that long
We don't have an infinite amount of time.
no endless time to dream
There is a limit to how much time we have to fantasize.
to fall in love
To experience romance with someone.
to ever get to know
To possess knowledge of an individual in depth.
a few short summer days
The time we have to enjoy life's pleasures is brief.
is all the sweetest life we ever live
This small moment of joy is the best part of existence.
a fleeting glimpse before we go
A brief moment in time that will soon pass.
side by side we slide below a perfect blue sky
We are together, gliding under the serene, blue sky.
not sure where and not sure when
Uncertain of the place and time we will arrive at.
side by side we slide under the perfect blue sky
Together, we move below the ideal, blue sky.
waiting for the world...
We are waiting for a future that is uncertain.
we always knew this day would come
We were always aware that this point in time would arrive.
too soon the perfect blue
The beautiful, blue sky is disappearing too soon.
to grey and black
The sky is changing to hues of gray and black.
and all at once is cold
The change in weather is abrupt and chill.
the hopes we had to grow
Our aspirations to mature and evolve are dashed.
to understand the reasons why
To have the comprehension behind why events occur.
all gone
All of our desires and hopes are no longer relevant.
a million stories left untold
Countless tales that will never be narrated.
so hand in hand we stand below a perfect blue sky
Together we are underneath a flawless, blue sky.
you and me alone again
We are alone together in this moment.
hand in hand we stand under the perfect blue sky
We are holding hands underneath the ideal, blue sky.
waiting for the world to end
We are prepared for the end of the world.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTONIUS J. B. TOM HOLKENBORG, ROBERT JAMES SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind