In the 1960's, Arno travelled to Asia and made the ritual visit to Kathmandu. We also caught a glimpse of him singing in St. Tropez, on the Greek islands, or in Amsterdam. Undeniably turned onto music, he sang for the first time on stage during a summer music festival in Ostend in 1969. Following this he began his career in bands, among them FreckleFace between '72 and '75. He played the harmonica. After a unique album which they produced themselves, Arno left the group for another, Tjens Couter. It was in fact a duo with Paul Decouter. Like FreckleFace their repertoire was mostly rhythm 'n'blues and in any case, very Anglo-Saxon.
Around 1977, Arno and Decouter formed TC Bland with Ferre Baelen and Rudy Cloet. The group had a certain fame and toured around Europe a lot. But in '80, joined by Serge Feys on keyboards this group became TC Matic, one of the most innovative European rock groups of the period. Quickly Decouter was replaced by Jean-Marie Aerts, who would remain one of Arno's travelling buddies. Europeans, they were indeed that. Their tours took them regularly across Scandinavia, England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. During the summer of 1981, their first namesake album was released. Then, on EMI records, they recorded several albums, among them "L'Apache" in 1982. Some of their songs like "Elle adore le noir" or "Putain Putain" are still considered today as pillar compositions of that time.
In 1985, they were the opening act for the Simple Minds during their European tour. But '85 also marked the end of TC Matic who would forever cease to exist in '86.
Arno set out on a solo career with his first namesake album as early as '86. Recorded on a bet with the musicians from TC Matic and entirely composed by Arno, the album was primarily in English. One French song came out of the lot "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" whose only words are… "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" repeated a good forty times.
During the years spent with different groups, Arno made himself a solid name in the music scene. His talent as an artist is widely recognised. As for his wild personality full of ups and downs, it puts him among the most noticed of the rock scene. In his new solo life, Arno didn't have much difficulty asserting his talent on the music scene.
In 1988 he released a second album "Charlatan" which was still primarily in English. We found however "Le Bon Dieu" a sublime cover of the most famous Belgian singers Jacques Brel. Two years later, set up in Paris, he released "Ratata". From this record written almost entirely with Jean-Marie Aerts, we recall "Lonesome Zorro" and its heady melody maintained by its chorist Beverly Brown. On June 26, 1990, Arno went on the Parisian stage at the Cigale.
In '91, Arno works on his companion Marie-Laure Beraud's album. At the same time on his solo route he didn't look down upon the idea of doing some group work. So, in 1991, he found himself with Charles et les Lulus for an eponymous album. Surrounded by Roland Van Campenhout and Adriano Cominotto, he redid some blues classics by Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Rufus Thomas. From the blues he went straight to Nashville to record a new album in 1993 "Idiots Savants". After Brel, Arno borrowed "Les Filles du bord de mer" from another famous Belgian singer Adamo. This new cover confirmed his undeniable talent to give new life to old songs. This latest remains one of his flagship songs.
On February 16th, 1994 Arno stopped off at l'Elysee Montmartre in Paris.
After Charles et les Lulus, came a new group digression with Arno et les Subrovnicks in '94. Joined by old friends Adriano Cominotto (ex-Lulu), Rudy Cloet (ex-TC Matic) and Geoffrey Burton and Francois Garny, Arno recorded the album "Water" in the South West of France.
Still in '94 Arno got started in cinema soundtracks with "Personne ne m'aime" by Frenchwoman Marion Vernoux. The cinema milieu wasn't unknown to him because in '78 in Belgium he wrote the music for the film "Le Concert d'un homme seul".
After a 20-year career primarily in English, Arno released his first album fully recorded in French in 1995. Thirteen tracks co-written with Jean-Marie Aerts or Adriano Cominotto. We find the cover of Brel's "le Bon Dieu" as well as two new songs "Elle pense à lui" by Charlélie Couture and particularly "Comme à Ostende" written by Léo Ferré and Jean-Roger Caussimon. Arno reached the top of the charts with "Les Yeux de ma mere". The album favoured the mix of genres, from tango to jazz to blues to which Arno's voice always gives a special texture.
December 13th, Arno played the Bataclan in Paris before starting off his tour around France and Switzerland and before he took off for the United States where he sang in New York and Austin, Texas.
The following year we found Arno in the cinema world but this time as an actor. He played the homosexual swimming instructor in "Camping Cosmos" by Belgian director Jan Bucquoy who also directed "La vie sexuelle des Belges" which attracted a lot of attention. Back on stage in October '96 with an evening at the Olympia on the 7th. A live album was released the following year, "Arno (en concert à la Française)" which took the best moments from his tours. An album in English was also released in '97 "Give me the gift" but it was only destined for the American market. Finally in '97, French actor Michel Piccoli gave him a role in "Alors Voilà". Arno also wrote the soundtrack.
After Charles et les Lulus, Arno went to Charles and the White Trash Blues in 1998. Within this new occasional group, where we find guitarist Geoffrey Burton he gives us an album between blues and rock and whose covers, now part of his repertoire, go from the Kinks to Nina Simone. In '99 it's again with a cover song that we find him. But this time it's as a guest on the album by American Beverly Jo Scott, who lives in Belgium. Together they did an entertaining track which is a synthesis of "la Fille du Père Noël" by Dutronc and "Jean Genie" by Bowie.
Arno returned to the music news in August '99 with a new album entitled "A Poil Commercial". Recorded in Arno's habitual blues-rock vein, "A Poil Commercial" brought the singer's husky "whisky-and-cigarettes" vocals even further to the fore.
The singer followed on with a tour spread over the year 2000 and including 170 concerts. And, after a last concert in Prague, the Parisian Cité de la Musique gave him carte blanche to put on a show of his own choice. Alone on stage with his usual band, he gave a very warm and tasteful 'bal rock', which was grandly applauded by a public of loving fans. A month later a compilation summarising his 30-year career was released.
Arno stormed back into the music news on 26 February 2002 with an album full of tender rock ballads entitled "Arno Charles Ernest" (the singer's real name). The 15 tracks on the album, recorded in a more acoustic vein than usual, included a duet with Jane Birkin ("Elisa") and a cover of the Rolling Stones classic "Mother's Little Helper". Shortly after the album release Arno kicked off a new tour with a concert at the Olympia in Paris on 8 March 2002.
Arno, the insatiable wordsmith, was back at the forefront of the music scene in May 2004 with a second album written entirely in French. The album, entitled French Bazaar, was the 26th of his career. Shot through with the lucidity and acerbic wit with which Arno has made his name, French Bazaar proves that the Flemish singer – who has just turned 55 – is still full of life and vitality.
Lola Etc.
Arno Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que je me lave sous les bras
Y'a qu′un truc que je ne ferai pas
C'est lafter-shave et et a mme pour toi
Carla a lui plait pas
Quand j'lui parle pas
Elle me demande chaque fois
Dis-moi, quil n′y a que moi
Elga est une diva
Sur divan d′alpaga
Pour elle, la vie sans soie
Sans tralala n'est plus qu′un Sahara
Moi c'est Cinderella
Que je voudrais dans mes bras
Danseuse de Java
Doue pour le Kama Sutra
Au bord de la Volga
J′ai rencontr Olga
Mais Olga son dada c'tait pas moi
C′tait la vodka
Irma a je ne sais quoi
Que les autres n'ont pas
Mais celle-l est dj au cinma
D'un autre que moi
Mais celle-l est dj au cinma
D′un autre que moi
The song "Lola Etc." by Arno is about the different women that the singer has encountered in his life. The song starts off by stating that the singer washes under his arms for Lola, indicating his desire to impress her. He then goes on to say that he would do anything for her except wearing after-shave as it is not something that she likes. The next verse talks about Carla, who desires the singer's attention, constantly asking him to reassure her that he only has eyes for her. The following verse talks about Elga, who is depicted as a diva that requires luxury in her life, such as silk and extravagance.
Moving on, the song talks about the singer's desire for Cinderella, who is a skilled dancer. He also mentions her proficiency in the Kama Sutra, indicating his attraction towards her. The next verse introduces Olga, who the singer met by the Volga River. However, Olga's true passion was vodka and not the singer. Finally, the song mentions Irma, who the singer sees as different from other women, but is unfortunately already with another man and is now a movie star.
In summary, "Lola Etc." is a song about the different women that the singer has desired or encountered. The lyrics explore various aspects of relationships, such as the need for reassurance, the desire for luxury, and unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
Lola c′est pour toi
I do these things for Lola.
Que je me lave sous les bras
I take care of my hygiene for Lola.
Y'a qu′un truc que je ne ferai pas
There is only one thing that I won't do.
C'est lafter-shave et et a mme pour toi
I won't wear aftershave, especially for you.
Carla a lui plait pas
Carla doesn't like it.
Quand j'lui parle pas
When I don't talk to her.
Elle me demande chaque fois
She asks me every time.
Dis-moi, quil n′y a que moi
She wants me to tell her that she's the only one for me.
Elga est une diva
Elga is a diva.
Sur divan d′alpaga
Laying on an alpaca couch.
Pour elle, la vie sans soie
Life without silk is not worth living for her.
Sans tralala n'est plus qu′un Sahara
Without extravagance and luxury, life becomes barren like a desert.
Moi c'est Cinderella
I'm like Cinderella.
Que je voudrais dans mes bras
I want to hold her in my arms.
Danseuse de Java
A dancer from Java.
Doue pour le Kama Sutra
Skilled in the art of Kama Sutra.
Au bord de la Volga
On the banks of the Volga river.
J′ai rencontr Olga
I met Olga.
Mais Olga son dada c'tait pas moi
But Olga's interest wasn't me.
C′tait la vodka
It was vodka.
Irma a je ne sais quoi
Irma has something about her that I can't describe.
Que les autres n'ont pas
That others don't have.
Mais celle-l est dj au cinma
But she's already in the movies.
D'un autre que moi
With someone else other than me.
Mais celle-l est dj au cinma
But she's already in the movies.
D′un autre que moi
With someone else other than me.
Writer(s): Mirko Banovic, Arnold Hintjens, Geoffrey Burton, Marie Laure Mad Beraud
Contributed by Ava N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.