Singer/ guitarist Boyer and bassist Resende formed the pop combo as students at the University of Rouen, sharing an affinity for indie music, new wave and sixties pop. Taking their name from a souvenir t-shirt given to Boyer's father in 1980, the duo recruited guitarist Mederic Gontier, and with the addition of drummer Sylvain Marchand a year later, the lineup was complete. The foursome released a self-produced and self-financed EP, "20 Minutes" (Bobby Records 1996) which resulted in them signing a deal with French label Atmospheriques.
In 1998, the band flew to NYC to record their first album “Puzzle” with Andy Chase. Featuring contributions from Eric Matthews and Adam Schlesinger, "Puzzle" was mixed in Sweden with Tore Johansson. The record, released between the end of 1999 & early 2000 received much praise from the press (band of the week in Melody Maker in Spring 1999), and saw the band touring the world to promote it. “Puzzle” eventually went gold in Japan. Of all the singles taken from the album, "Heartbeat" was the most successful. Tahiti 80's US label, Minty Fresh, released a mini LP called "Extra Pieces", which included B-sides, remixes & other rarities.
In 2001, the band re-united with Andy Chase to record a more experimental follow up album: “Wallpaper For The Soul”. The sessions took place in Rouen, NYC, Etretat, London & Portland (Oregon). Collaborators on this effort include mixer Tony Lash and Let It Be arranger Richard Hewson. “Wallpaper For The Soul” was released in 2002, garnered good reviews (it was selected as one of Uncut’s top 10 albums of the year) and was followed by another mini album "A piece of Sunshine" made up of out-takes from the prolific album sessions.
Following that, Xavier Boyer selected songs for a compilation called "A Piece of Gold” on behalf of the band. Featuring various artists such as Todd Rundgren, The Small Faces, Donald Byrd....) it was only released in Japan for copywrite reasons.
For their third album, from 2003 – 2004, Tahiti 80 spent several months at their own recording studio, the Tahitilab. The way of working was different this time: as opposed to "Puzzle" & "WFTS", the songs were mostly improvised and written in the studio. The soul journey which began on songs like "Heartbeat" and "1,000 Times" matured on "Fosbury". They collaborated with Neal Pogue (co-production & mix) and Serban Ghenea (mix), respectively Outkast’s and NERD’s sound engineers, with British singer Linda Lewis duetting on "Your Love Shines". And "Better Days Will Come" was featured in the first episode of the fourth season of Smallville (an American television series) in September, 2004.
Between tours, Boyer & Resende produced a couple of albums by friends (Fugu, Calc) whilst Xavier Boyer - under the anagram pseudonym Axe Riverboy - recorded the somewhat folk-influenced solo album "Tutu To Tango".
In 2007, the band transferred to Universal's Barclay label and in 2008, they went back to the Tahitilab to record "Activity Center". It was described by the critics as a back to basics album, with a rawer sound and a rock production style. Sylvain Marchand wasn't involved as a drummer as ear problems which had plagued him for years, prevented him from recording his drum parts. Drums were subsequently played by Julien Barbagallo with percussion by Raphael Leger (respectively Tahiti 80's live keyboardist/percussionist and drummer). To promote the album, the band explored new territories (Taiwan, South America) and they even licensed the album for release in the US on their own imprint "Human Sounds" (a reference to "Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys).
In 2010, Tahiti 80 will record their 5th album for release on their own label.
Happy End
Tahiti 80 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please don't ask me what to do
I'm not sure I'm the one you want to please
I think it's you, I guess you know it too
Do you really try to change things,
Improve them?
Sometimes I feel, you just do the opposite
And every time we go out of phase
I act if I hadn't noticed it
Hoping everything will go away, with a wave
Of the hand and a happy end
Do you really try to change things,
Improve them?
Sometimes I feel, you just do the opposite
I know how the story ends,
We are so predictable
But each time your love for me dies a little more
And every time we go out of phase
I act if I hadn't noticed it
Hoping everything will go away, with a wave
Of the hand and a happy end
Make me happy
And every time we go out of phase
I act if I hadn't noticed it
Hoping everything will go away, with a wave
Of the hand and a happy end
Hoping everything will go away
With a wave of the hand
I know you understand
That we all deserve
Just a happy end
The song "Happy End" by Tahiti 80 portrays the complicated emotions that arise when a relationship starts to crumble. The singer realizes that they are not sure what would truly make them happy and instead implores their partner to take control and make the necessary changes. However, they begin to question if their partner truly wants to improve things, or if they are simply doing the opposite. The singer is aware that the end of their relationship is inevitable but chooses to ignore it and hope that everything will simply disappear, leaving them with a "happy end."
The lyrics are full of conflicting feelings and unresolved emotions. The singer wants to be happy and content in their relationship, but they are also aware that their partner is not living up to their expectations. The repetition of the lines "And every time we go out of phase, I act if I hadn't noticed it" reveals that the singer has been aware of the issues in their relationship but has chosen to ignore them in the hope of a "happy end." The final lines, "Hoping everything will go away with a wave of the hand and a happy end, I know you understand that we all deserve just a happy end," suggest that the singer has accepted the end of their relationship and simply wants to move on.
Overall, "Happy End" is a poignant exploration of the complicated emotions surrounding a failing relationship. The lyrics are full of raw and honest emotions that many people can relate to, making it a powerful and insightful song.
Line by Line Meaning
When you want to make me happy
When you want to make me happy, don't ask me what to do because I'm not sure if I'm the one you really want to please, I believe it's you, and I think you know it too.
Do you really try to change things, improve them?
Do you genuinely attempt to make things better and improve them, or do you sometimes feel like you do the opposite?
Sometimes I feel, you just do the opposite
There are instances that I feel like you just do the opposite of trying to change and improve things.
And every time we go out of phase, I act if I hadn't noticed it
Whenever we become out of tune with each other, I pretend that I haven't noticed it at all.
Hoping everything will go away, with a wave of the hand and a happy end
In hopes that everything will go back to normal with just a simple gesture and a happy resolution.
I know how the story ends, We are so predictable
I am familiar with how our story culminates because we are so predictable and follow a pattern.
But each time your love for me dies a little more
Unfortunately, every time your love for me fades away just a little more.
Make me happy
Please make me happy.
Hoping everything will go away, with a wave of the hand and a happy end
In hopes that everything will go back to normal with just a simple gesture and a happy resolution.
Hoping everything will go away, with a wave of the hand, I know you understand that we all deserve just a happy end
Looking forward that all problems will just fade away with a simple gesture, I know you understand that we all deserve to have a happy ending.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MEDERIC CHARLES DENIS GONTIER, RESENDE PEDRO CARLOS DA SILVA, SYLVAIN EDMOND MARCEL MARCHAND, XAVIER ANDRE MARIE BOYER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind