About the artist: David Sylvian (1958) is a British singer-songwriter and musician ,who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman of the New Romantics band Japan. Following their breakup, he embarked on a solo career, which has been described by AllMusic as "far-ranging and esoteric," and has included collaborations with artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Robert Fripp, Holger Czukay, and Fennesz. David Sylvian currently has one song in my list of about 200 best pop/rock songs of all time.
About the song: Forbidden colours has a complicated history. It was recorded for the 1983 movie Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, and was a hit single in several countries including the UK. A different version was recorded in 1984 and released as the B-side to the single Red Guitar from his first solo album Brilliant trees. This version, which was later included as a bonus track on the 1987 album Secrets of the beehive, is the one I prefer. At least two more versions have been recorded in later years. The song itself is beautiful, with a Japanese inspired melody that is one of the most haunting ever written. The text with its Christian references ("The wounds on your hands never seem to heal, I thought all I needed was to believe - Here am I, a lifetime away from you, the blood of Christ, or the beat of my heart") is thought provoking and poetic. Run time 5:59.
