In their native South Africa, there’s no rock band bigger than The Parloton… Read Full Bio ↴In their native South Africa, there’s no rock band bigger than The Parlotones. The Johannesburg-bred quartet have headlined the 20,000-seater Coca Cola Dome in their hometown in 2009, performed at the World Cup Kickoff Concert to an audience of a billion in 2010, and were handpicked by Coldplay to open the British band’s stadium shows in Johannesburg and Cape Town in 2011. Also last year, The Parlotones staged an original rock theater production, Dragonflies and Astronauts, which was broadcast live around the world in 3D via DIRECTV and in 2D on Facebook. (The 3D broadcast was so well received Stateside that the satellite provider scheduled 100 re-airings, while more than half of the worldwide viewership on Facebook hailed from the U.S.) Dragonflies and Astronauts wove a narrative through the band’s catalog, including 16 songs that were Top 40 hits in South Africa.

The Parlotones’ three studio albums —2005’s Radiocontrolledrobot, 2007’s A World Next Door To Yours, and 2009’s Stardust Galaxies, have racked up numerous platinum and gold certifications and South African Music Awards, while their three live CD/DVD packages (culminating in 2010’s Live Design) have cemented their reputation as a fiery force to be reckoned with onstage. Confronted with the sight of powerfully expressive frontman Kahn Morbee leading the band — which also includes guitarist Paul Hodgson, bassist Glen Hodgson, and drummer Neil Pauw — to soaring emotional heights during their Fall 2011 club tour of the U.S., the Boston Herald predicted that “The Parlotones could become huge here. Killers huge, Muse huge, Coldplay huge.” Filter magazine reckoned that “their earnestness, work ethic, and charm may be their biggest weapons.”

Those qualities will serve The Parlotones well in 2012 as they prepare to expand their loyal fanbase beyond South Africa and Europe (where they also have a devoted following) to the United States with the release of their new album Journey Through the Shadows, via their own Sovereign Entertainment label, on May 8th. “America dictates trends around the world,” Morbee says. “If you’re big there, the rest of the world listens. It has a ripple effect. We would be very proud to achieve success in the U.S. because very few artists from our country have managed it. I think for a long time, South Africans have had an inferiority complex in terms of our place in the world and our relative insignificance compared to the super powers. It would be nice to have a success story, especially in a nation that needs uplifting, and instill in folks back home that ‘can do’ belief.”

To achieve their goal, The Parlotones have crafted the kind of melody-minded arena-filling songs that transcend language and culture barriers on Journey Through The Shadows. First single “Save Your Best Bits,” with its theme of not allowing negative things from the past to affect the good parts of your soul, and the celebratory “I Am Alive” are about catharsis. They chase those moments of universal human experience when everyone in the room is uplifted by a shared emotion. “My goal is to connect with people across the world, and I think the human condition is very similar regardless of where you are,” Morbee says. “I think the theme of these songs is hope and that life is worth living regardless of its ups and downs.”

That theme informs the album’s title, Journey Through The Shadows, which, Morbee explains, is a metaphor for the human experience. “You’re not given a guidebook or map at birth that guarantees the smoothest path,” he says. “Ultimately, we all walk through with a candle that only allows us to see so far in front of ourselves. You never know what’s around the corner, so it’s an analogy for life.”

In keeping with The Parlotones’ big themes are big ideals. Ever since these four school friends formed the band in the Johannesburg suburb of Roodepoort in the late ’90s they have always aspired not only to have fun making music, but also to give back to their community. Over the years, they have raised funds and awareness for a variety of social and environmental organizations, lending their high profile to initiatives such as Live Earth, Earth Hour, The South African Broadcasting Corporation’s Carbon Free campaign, Nelson Mandela’s 46664, and Live Earth’s Run for Water, among others. They are also ambassadors for the anti-poaching organization Rhino Force, United Against Malaria, and several other non-profits that combat problems that acutely affect South Africa. In March 2012, they will join with Africa Unites for a climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise global awareness about ending violence against women and girls in Africa. The band sees the music and the activism, as well as their other creative business endeavors (the band has its own boutique wine label, which has released three highly successful blends) as one and the same: methods of expression, communication, and connection.

“People in the public eye have the ability to spread a message very quickly and effectively,” Morbee says. “So we try to do so when it concerns issues we feel strongly about. But we never want to come across as a band that's preaching. All we're really doing is drawing attention to causes that we support. South Africa is our home and home to our families and our friends. We certainly want to make sure they have a bright future. If we can get involved and encourage people to get involved, it can only have positive effects.”

The Parlotones are excited to be representing their homeland and shining a spotlight on it in the process. “Every band dreams of making a living, touring, and having a large fan base around the world,” Morbee says. “Those were our aspirations from the beginning, but because the music market in South Africa wasn’t developed, they were very difficult to achieve. We had to pave our own way. For me the success is not in what we may eventually achieve but in actually taking the journey. Yes there's a lot of risk associated, but we’ve soaked up such a wealth of experiences that it makes it all worthwhile.”

Colourful
The Parlotones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tiny buttercup won’t you take my hand
Tiny buttercup when you’re feeling sad
Life doesn’t go according to plan
Close our eyes, take each other’s hands
In a world filled with shades of grey
We’ll colour it up and escape
To our perfect place
To our perfect place

Tiny buttercup don’t you dare look upset
Tiny buttercup your smile’s all I have
You say life’s like a rollercoaster
It’s up and down and you wish it were over
Just take my hand, close your eyes
We’ll escape to our perfect place
To our perfect place

Come on girl, take my hand
Come on girl, take my hand

And close your eyes
We’ll escape to our perfect place
To our perfect place

Tiny buttercup when you’re insecure
Together we are giants and our own cure
There’s monsters, monsters everywhere
Close your eyes they’re not there
Take my hand we’re in a better place
We’ve escaped to our perfect place
To our perfect place
To our perfect place

To our perfect place
To our perfect place

Overall Meaning

The song “Colourful” by the South African band The Parlotones is a beautiful love song with an uplifting and positive message. The lyrics tell a story of two people, referred to as “Tiny buttercup” and “girl,” who support each other through life’s challenges and find solace in each other’s company.

The song begins with the two characters holding hands and seeking comfort in each other when life doesn’t go according to plan. They shut out the world and escape to a “perfect place” that they’ve created for themselves. The mention of a grey world implies that the reality they’re escaping from is one lacking in color and vibrancy. The “perfect place” they’ve found represents a safe space where they can both be themselves and find happiness.

The second verse sees the characters facing their insecurities and the challenges of a scary and unpredictable world. The use of the metaphor “together we are giants and our own cure” suggests that they have each other’s backs and are stronger together. They close their eyes to the “monsters” that surround them, take each other’s hand, and escape once again to their perfect place.

Overall, the message of this song is one of hope and resilience in the face of adversity. The lyrics suggest that when life gets tough, having someone to hold your hand and share the burden can make all the difference. The “perfect place” symbolizes the importance of having a safe space where we can retreat to and find comfort and solace.

Line by Line Meaning

Tiny buttercup won’t you take my hand
The singer is asking the girl, who he refers to as 'tiny buttercup', to hold his hand

Tiny buttercup when you’re feeling sad
The singer is acknowledging the girl's emotions and offering comfort in her sadness

Life doesn’t go according to plan
The singer is referring to the unpredictability of life, which does not always align with our plans or expectations

Close our eyes, take each other’s hands
The singer suggests that by holding hands and closing their eyes, they can escape from reality and enter their own private world.

In a world filled with shades of grey
The singer describes the world as dull and monotonous, with no bright colors or excitement

We’ll colour it up and escape
The singer wants to add some color and vibrancy to their lives by escaping from the mundane world

To our perfect place
The perfect place is a metaphor for their ideal world where everything is perfect and peaceful

Tiny buttercup don’t you dare look upset
The singer is telling the girl not to be upset because he wants her to be happy

Tiny buttercup your smile’s all I have
The singer indicates that he values her smile because it is the one thing that brings him joy

You say life’s like a rollercoaster
The girl makes a comparison, saying that life is like a rollercoaster with its ups and downs

It’s up and down and you wish it were over
The girl is expressing her exhaustion from the ceaseless changes and unpredictability of life. She wishes for it to end

Just take my hand, close your eyes
The singer is again urging her to hold his hand and by closing her eyes, to escape from the chaotic world

Come on girl, take my hand
The singer is repeating his invitation to the girl, telling her to take his hand

Together we are giants and our own cure
By joining forces, the couple becomes stronger and can conquer their demons. They become their own solution to their problems

There’s monsters, monsters everywhere
The singer again describes the world as a frightening place, full of terrifying creatures

Close your eyes they’re not there
By closing their eyes, they diminish the monsters' presence and deny them the power to frighten them.

Take my hand we’re in a better place
The singer reassuringly promises that holding each other's hands brings them to a better place

We’ve escaped to our perfect place
The couple has entered their perfect place by holding hands and escaping from the real world.

To our perfect place
Repeating the final line to reinforce the idea of their ideal world.

Contributed by Tyler M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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