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

PARADE
Nouvelle Vague Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

They will show me what I want to see
We will watch without grief
We stay one step ahead of relief
You tell me that we've been praying
For a bright and clever hell
I think we've been forced to our knees
But I can't tell
Sometimes I forget that we're supposed to be in love

Sometimes I forget my position
Sometimes I forget that we're supposed to be in love
Sometimes I forget my position
It's so hot in here
What are they trying to hatch
We must not be frail, we must watch
Now that I'm out of touch with anger
Now I have nothing to live up to
I don't know when to stop joking
When I stop I hope I am with you
Sometimes I forget that we're supposed to be in love
Sometimes I forget my position
Sometimes I forget that we're supposed to be in love
Sometimes I forget my position
What on earth is the size of my life
Sometimes I forget that we're supposed to be in love
Sometimes I forget my position
Sometimes I forget that we're supposed to be in love

Sometimes I forget my position
And my position is omewhere between a waitress and this table

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of “Parade” by Nouvelle Vague speak to the strained and uncertain nature of a romantic relationship. The opening lines, “They will show me what I want to see, We will watch without grief,” suggest that the singers are willing to engage in a form of self-delusion in order to maintain the facade of their relationship. However, the repeated refrain, “Sometimes I forget that we're supposed to be in love, Sometimes I forget my position,” underscores the fact that this is ultimately a hollow experience.

Throughout the song, there is a pervasive sense of discomfort and unease. The lines “It's so hot in here, What are they trying to hatch” convey a feeling of paranoia and suspicion, while the lyrics “We must not be frail, we must watch” suggest a sense of mistrust among the singers. The verses also touch on themes of power dynamics and submission, as the line “I think we've been forced to our knees, But I can't tell” implies that one partner may be exerting control over the other.

Overall, “Parade” is a poignant commentary on the ways in which romantic relationships can become strained and unsettled. The lyrics are filled with uncertainty and doubt, suggesting that these feelings are intrinsic to the human experience of love.

Line by Line Meaning

They will show me what I want to see
Others manipulate my perspective of reality

We will watch without grief
We observe without feeling sorrow

We stay one step ahead of relief
We prevent ourselves from experiencing true comfort

You tell me that we've been praying
Someone informs me that we've been seeking divine intervention

For a bright and clever hell
We desire a version of hell that is intelligent and engaging

I think we've been forced to our knees
We have been compelled into submission

But I can't tell
Despite my intuition, I am uncertain

Sometimes I forget that we're supposed to be in love
I occasionally neglect our romantic relationship

Sometimes I forget my position
I am occasionally unsure of my role in our relationship

It's so hot in here
The temperature in our current location is high

What are they trying to hatch
I am curious about the intentions of others

We must not be frail, we must watch
We need to remain resilient and cautious

Now that I'm out of touch with anger
Since I am no longer in tune with feelings of hostility

Now I have nothing to live up to
I feel no pressure to meet any expectations

I don't know when to stop joking
I am unsure when to end my humorous remarks

When I stop I hope I am with you
When I cease joking, I desire to be with my romantic partner

What on earth is the size of my life
I am unsure of the magnitude of my existence

And my position is somewhere between a waitress and this table
My identity is somewhere between being a server and an inanimate object

Sometimes I forget that we're supposed to be in love
I sometimes overlook our romantic relationship

Sometimes I forget my position
I occasionally lose sight of my role in our relationship

Sometimes I forget that we're supposed to be in love
I sometimes neglect our romantic relationship

Sometimes I forget my position
I am sometimes unsure of my role in our relationship

Writer(s): Barry Anthony Adamson, Howard Devoto Copyright: Embassy Music Corp. O/B/o Mute Song

Contributed by Jeremiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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