Moving On

Album: La Petite Morte (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The lead single from James' La Petite Morte album, this was inspired by the death of lead singer Tim Booth's mother in 2012 as well as the loss of his best friend, Gabrielle.
  • The video was animated by Ainslie Henderson, who uses something as simple as ball of yellow wool to great effect. The animator was inspired by a phone conversation with Booth, when the singer described his mother's death as a birth. The animator recalled: "Some days later this conversation echoes around my mind while I'm listening to 'Moving On' I walk past a typical Scottish woollen knitwear shop. My eyes flit over a ball of wool in the window while the word 'unwinding' is sung."
  • Asked by HMV.com where the album title came from, Tim Booth replied: "My mum had died, who was one of the people I was closest to in the world, and a close friend had died in a short space of time, so the lyrical theme is around death and rebirth. Although the record is very uplifting, but death is the defining theme."

    "We wanted a title that reflected that but didn't sound too depressing," he continued. "We went through everything from 'Die!' to 'Death!', none of them sounded very appetising. I think this title was my suggestion, just because it had the pun on sexuality (La Petite Mort is also a French euphemism for an orgasm), so it sounded a bit more fun and not so depressing."

Comments: 1

  • Jimmy from ScotlandSongs a work of art well done
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Maxi Priest

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.

Charlie Benante of Anthrax

Charlie Benante of AnthraxSongwriter Interviews

The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.