I’ve always loved Guerlain fragrances, for both women and men, so I was delighted when they approached me to collaborate on the music for the launch of a new scent.

L’Heure Bleue was being relaunched, with a new perfume creator bringing fresh life to its essence, and Guerlain wanted to use my song “Say It Ain’t So” in the campaign.

They chose the middle-eight section of the song, the “ooh babies” whose subtle, building intensity perfectly suited the mood they wanted to create for L’Heure Bleue.

The original lyrics, however, were written as a warning to people being manipulated by politicians, so creating new lyrics for this section of the song was an interesting challenge.

I was inspired by the magical idea of “the blue hour” and by Jacques Guerlain, the original creator of the fragrance, whose walks along the Seine just after sunset, a century ago, inspired the creation of L’Heure Bleue.

A beautiful new chapter for a song I wrote many years ago.

— Murray Head