Paradise Is You

Album: Trouble in Paradise (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds La Roux's Elly Jackson in tropical paradise away from her beloved. However, without her lover, the palm-lined beach is "nothing nice."
  • The song is a track from La Roux's Trouble In Paradise album. Jackson explained its title to NME: "There are lot of themes to the record and I think that 'Trouble In Paradise' is a nice umbrella title," she said. "In songs I like the juxtaposition between dark and light. It's that feeling you get when you're in a club and there's a tune that's essentially a happy tune, but there's something about it that's melancholy – whether it's a chord, or one part of the melody, or one line of the lyrics – and it makes you feel like you could cry, but also run at the same time. That's what really gets me – that mood – and that's what the record tries to capture."
  • This track and the rest of the album's sunny atmosphere comes from growing up in Brixton, where La Roux still lives. (A large percentage of Brixton's population is of African and Caribbean descent). "I never really felt it came out on my first record," she told The Independent, "but I've always been fascinated by Caribbean culture."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Tomlin

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.

John Kay of Steppenwolf

John Kay of SteppenwolfSongwriter Interviews

Steppenwolf frontman John Kay talks about "Magic Carpet Ride," "Born To Be Wild," and what he values more than awards and accolades.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."