Antonius Tom Holkenborg (born 8 December 1967), known by his stage name Jun… Read Full Bio ↴Antonius Tom Holkenborg (born 8 December 1967), known by his stage name Junkie XL and occasionally JXL, is a Dutch composer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, producer, and engineer. Originally known for his trance productions, he has moved to producing electronica and big beat music and film scores. Junkie XL is best known for his remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation", which became a worldwide hit in 2002.

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."

Broken
Junkie XL Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

fading out
holding on
the innocent weep
luck's run out
left this hole inside of me

crying out
screaming down

as the echoes within
the cat is out
no more secrets left to keep

the feelings gone
we've swallowed the sun
one by one
the moment has come
the feelings gone
we've swallowed the sun
and waived goodbye to love again

staring down
tears roll down
and land at your feet
broken clouds
a canvas torn for all to see

[refrain]
[refrain]

fading out
holding on

Overall Meaning

Junkie XL's song "Broken" featuring Grant Nicholas explores the emotions that surface when a relationship comes to an end. The first verse depicts the aftermath of a breakup where the singer is left feeling empty and despondent. The line "fading out, holding on" suggests that the singer is trying to hold onto the last remnants of the relationship, even though it is slipping away. The image of "the innocent weep" adds a poignant touch, as it highlights the collateral damage that often results from a breakup.

The chorus which goes "the feelings gone, we've swallowed the sun" signifies a sense of finality, that the relationship and its emotions have come to an end. The phrase "swallowed the sun" is an interesting metaphor that suggests the singer has taken in everything that the relationship had to offer, even its brightest and most fiery moments, and now it is gone. The final line "waived goodbye to love again" connotes a sense of resignation and bitterness, suggesting that the singer has been through this before and is not looking forward to going through it again.

The second verse shifts the focus to the aftermath of the breakup, with the singer trying to come to terms with the reality of the situation. The visual of "broken clouds, a canvas torn for all to see" emphasizes the visible and emotional damage that has been done. Overall, "Broken" is a well-crafted and emotionally charged song that speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak.

Line by Line Meaning

fading out
The end is near, and things are fading away.

holding on
Despite everything, I am still trying to hold on.

the innocent weep
Even those who are not guilty, are suffering and crying.

luck's run out
Fortune is not favoring me anymore.

left this hole inside of me
It feels like a loss, and I have an empty feeling inside.

crying out
I can't hold back the tears anymore.

screaming down
I feel like screaming out loud.

as the echoes within
I can hear the echoes of the pain and sadness within me.

the cat is out
The secret is out, and there is no going back.

no more secrets left to keep
All the secrets are revealed and are out in the open.

the feelings gone
The emotions have faded away.

we've swallowed the sun
We have consumed all the light and warmth in our lives.

one by one
One after the other, all hope is lost.

the moment has come
The time has come, and it's too late to turn things around.

and waived goodbye to love again
We have given up on love and have said our final farewell.

staring down
Looking straight ahead with a heavy heart.

tears roll down
Tears continue to fall down our face.

and land at your feet
The tears fall and land at your feet.

broken clouds
The clouds are shattered, and the sky is gloomy.

a canvas torn for all to see
Everyone can see the pain and suffering clearly.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTONIUS J. B. TOM HOLKENBORG, GRANT NICHOLAS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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