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.
In My Arms
Tahiti 80 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A guiding star in the night
It almost breaks my heart
To see how you tear yourself apart
And when I see you there
I wish I could hold you in my arms
You don't see the need to rearrange
The things that went wrong from the start
And still, every time it breaks my heart
And when I see you there
I wish I could hold you in my arms
And when I see you there
I wish I could hold you in my arms
The song "In My Arms" by Tahiti 80 is a poignant ballad about wanting to comfort someone who is going through a hard time, but not being able to. The first verse talks about how the person being sung to is always telling themselves that there is a light, a guiding star in the night - in other words, that things will get better. But the singer can see that despite this, the person is tearing themselves apart, and it almost breaks their heart to see it. The second verse talks about how despite this, the person being sung to doesn't see the need to change anything about their situation, even though it's been wrong from the start. Despite this, the singer still wishes they could hold the person in their arms and comfort them.
The song is all about the desire to help someone who is struggling, but feeling powerless to do so. The singer can see that something is wrong and wants to make it better, but ultimately can only offer emotional support. The lyrics are simple but affecting, and the gentle melody complements them perfectly, making for a beautiful and emotional song.
Line by Line Meaning
You say there'll always be a light
You believe that there is a source of hope and guidance in any situation
A guiding star in the night
A symbol of direction and purpose, even in the darkest of times
It almost breaks my heart
I feel a deep sense of sadness and sympathy
To see how you tear yourself apart
To watch you harm yourself through self-doubt and destructive behavior
And when I see you there
In the presence of your pain and struggle
I wish I could hold you in my arms
I feel a strong desire to comfort and support you physically and emotionally
I know your vision will never change
I understand that you have a deeply ingrained perspective that shapes your actions and decisions
You don't see the need to rearrange
You don't perceive the necessity to alter your current situation or mindset
The things that went wrong from the start
The initial missteps or challenges that set the course for the current difficulties
And still, every time it breaks my heart
Despite my understanding, it still pains me to see you struggle and suffer
And when I see you there
In the midst of your pain and sorrow
I wish I could hold you in my arms
I desire to provide you with comfort and shelter from your troubles
Contributed by Jonathan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.