At least three different groups have performed under the name Nouvelle Vagu… Read Full Bio ↴At least three different groups have performed under the name Nouvelle Vague:
1) a project created by French musicians Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux and a number of female singers
2) a Japanese pop-R&B band
3) a Berlin-based multimedia music project founded by actress Betty la Gachette and musician & video-editor Renault Schubert.

1) Nouvelle Vague (France) is a project created by French musicians Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux and a number of female singers, including Camille, Alexandra Pavlou of Spring and Suburbia, Mélanie Pain, Marina Céleste & Phoebe Killdeer of Phoebe Killdeer and the Short Straws. The group's albums consist in bossa nova fashioned covers of (primarily) New Wave songs (hence the name "Nouvelle Vague"). The covers include songs by Dead Kennedys, The Smiths, Joy Division, Public Image Ltd., Depeche Mode and Bauhaus. Each singer only performed songs they were not previously familiar with, to ensure that each cover would have an individual interpretation.

With a name that means "new wave" in English and "nova onda" in Portuguese (which is the meaning for "bossa nova", a new music "fashion"), Nouvelle Vague's moniker neatly sums up the group's concept: remaking classic new wave singles with a Brazilian pop twist. Libaux played with various French pop bands during the '90s and began working with Collin in 1998. For Nouvelle Vague, Collin and Libaux recruited half a dozen French and Brazilian vocalists who were unfamiliar with the original versions of songs like Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and XTC's "Making Plans for Nigel" to ensure that their renditions had their own identity. Nouvelle Vague was released in Europe in 2004 and received U.S. distribution in spring 2005, which coincided with tour dates in locales as far-flung as Shanghai, New York, Los Angeles, and Rio de Janeiro. Nouvelle Vague's second album, Bande à Part, arrived in summer 2006. The following year, the team returned with Coming Home, a collection of songs from films given the Nouvelle Vague treatment. Nouvelle Vague presents New Wave, a collection of covers by new wave artists, also arrived in 2007.

One of the singers involved in the project has released solo work as Camille.

Official site / MySpace

2) Nouvelle Vague (Japan) is a Japanese band whose pop-R&B sound is beautifully arranged and fronted by the soulful vocals of diva Ricca. Other members of the band include Koyama (keyboards) and Try (bass).

2) Nouvelle Vague (Germany) was a Berlin-based multimedia music project founded by actress Betty la Gachette and musician & videoeditor Renault Schubert.
A final decision to change the name was reached in 2004, after french project Nouvelle Vague becomes successful. The new name is: FILM2
Official site

Fade to Grey
Nouvelle Vague Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

One man on a lonely platform
One case sitting by his side
Two eyes staring cold and silent
Shows fear as he turns to hide

Ah, ah, we fade to grey
Ah, ah, we fade to grey

Feel the rain like an English summer
Hear the notes from a distant song
(Spoken in background:
Un homme dans une gare desolee
Une valise a ses cotes
Deux yeux fixes et froids
Montrent de la peur lorsqu'il
Se tourne pour se cacher)

Stepping out from a backdrop poster
Wishing life wouldn't be so dull

(spoken in background:
Sent la pluie comme un ete anglais
Comme les notes d'une chanson lontaine
Sortant de derriere d'un poster
Esperant que la vie ne fut si longue)

Ah, ah, we fade to grey
Ah, ah, we fade to grey

Overall Meaning

These lyrics depict a lonely man sitting on a platform with a suitcase by his side, staring out with cold and silent eyes. He shows fear as he turns to hide from something unseen. Then comes the chorus, "Ah, ah, we fade to grey," which could refer to the man's state of mind or his surroundings. The lyrics continue to describe the rain falling like an English summer, and the notes of a distant song. The man steps out from a backdrop poster, clearly wishing for excitement in his life as the mundane feels overwhelming.

Overall, the song could be interpreted as a commentary on the monotony of everyday life and the desire for something more. The image of a solitary man on a dreary platform, accompanied only by his suitcase, emphasizes the loneliness and isolation many people feel in their day-to-day lives. The chorus, "Ah, ah, we fade to grey," adds a layer of melancholy and resignation to the song, as if the singer has accepted that this is just how life is.

Line by Line Meaning

One man on a lonely platform
A man standing alone on the edge of a platform, feeling isolated and lost.

One case sitting by his side
A suitcase placed next to him, symbolizing his journey and departure from the current place.

Two eyes staring cold and silent
The man has a blank expression on his face, with emotionless and silent eyes.

Shows fear as he turns to hide
He feels scared and vulnerable, and turns away to avoid being seen.

Ah, ah, we fade to grey
We slowly disappear into nothingness, lost in memories and thoughts.

Feel the rain like an English summer
The rain is falling softly, reminiscent of a gentle English summer day.

Hear the notes from a distant song
Faint music can be heard from a distance, adding to the melancholic mood of the scene.

Un homme dans une gare desolee
A French translation of the first verse of the song, describing a man standing in a lonely station.

Une valise a ses cotes
The man has a suitcase placed next to him, ready to leave the place and embark on a journey.

Deux yeux fixes et froids
The man's eyes are staring fixedly, without any expression, showing his detachment from the surroundings.

Montrent de la peur lorsqu'il Se tourne pour se cacher
The man turns around and hides, indicating that he is afraid and doesn't want to be seen.

Stepping out from a backdrop poster
Someone is emerging from behind a poster or a background, adding a surreal element to the scene.

Wishing life wouldn't be so dull
They wish for a more exciting and fulfilling life, free from boredom and monotony.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Chris Payne, Midge Ure, Billy Currie

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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One man on a lonely platform
One case sitting by his side
Two eyes staring cold and silent
Show fear as he turns to hide
Ah, we fade to grey
Ah, we fade to grey
Feel the rain like an English summer
Hear the notes from a distant song
Stepping out from a back shop poster
Wishing life wouldn't be so long