Its been 15 years since French electronic music trio Télépopmusik debuted with Genetic World (2001), and 'Breathe' is still their most prominent track. The 2003 remix of the track earned a Grammy nomination in the Best Dance Recording category in 2004, and has been used in two car advertisements (Mitsubishi and Peugeot).
Scottish singer Angela McCluskey lent her sumptuous vocals to the track, working harmoniously with the trio's acid house electronic jive to create the chill-out track of the decade (which clearly distinguished itself from the other French dance/house offerings at the time):
I brought you something close to meLeft with something youSee through your handsGive up my dreamsIt's nothing to do but believeJust believeJust breathe
McCluskey's vocals are breezy and sultry, but nevertheless carry enough weight to convey the wisdom of a lyrical persona who has learnt to step out of the hustle of daily existence and live purely for the present moment: 'I'm used to it by now...'
The song's theme is simple enough, but the music video (which features immaculate-looking people lounging by a picturesque swimming pool on a beautifully sunny day) takes on a crptic twist that boggled me for a while. This analysis of the video by seems convincing enough:
"In this video the only visually imperfect thing, the only thing that was trully human and truly real [the skinny man who killed the butterfly] got removed.
Do we want to be perfect or do we want to be human? We have to make our choice, because we cannot be both."
