“Armour” by A1
A1’s “Armour” is a love song which thematically is based on the motif of the vocalist likening romance to an act of war. Or viewed from a different angle, he understands that challenges lie ahead for himself and his sweetheart. But A1 is ready to remain by her side “with sword in hand”, as he puts it. Furthermore, presenting himself as her “armour” is a fancy way of putting forth that he is not going to allow anything to “harm (her)”. So in all, it feels as if the vocalist is trying to convince the addressee to feel secure in their relationship.
Brief history of A1
British-Norwegian 90’s band consists of Ben Adams (vocals), Christian Ingebrigsten (vocals, keyboard, guitar), Paul Marazzi (vocals) and Mark Read (vocals, keyboard). Ingebrigsten originates from Oslo, Norway while the other three are from England.
Formed in England, 1998, a1 released hits such as “Take On Me” (originally released by a-ha), self-written songs titled “Like A Rose”, “Same Old Brand New You” and “Summertime of Our Lives”. The group members always had some role to play in writing or producing of the songs for their albums. They have proudly owned eight top 10 UK singles and seven top 10 Norway singles, together with the release for three albums during the 00’s.
Marazzi left the group in 2002, only to return back in May 2018 right on time to participate in A1’s “20th Anniversary Reunion Tour” that had Southeast Asia as their first chapter of the tour.
Did A1 write “Armour”?
Written by the band members themselves, it was the only single they released in 2018.
Coming back as wiser men whilst still having looks to kill, “Armour” portrays a1 differently as compared to their debut albums in the 90s. Furthermore, with the return of Paul, this track is packed with emotions of being an armour for a loved one.
As the strong opening line goes “I’ll love you till kingdom come”, it shows an unending love perhaps for a partner, friend, or child. The track is filled with beautiful backing vocals and a clean tune that doesn’t let the lyrics drown in the beat but enhances every single word.
The most moving part of the song, in our opinion, would be “Nothing can harm you, I’ll be the armour for your heart” translating that a sheer amount of trust is needed between both parties to let go and accept being shielded.