He was bor… Read Full Bio ↴Michel Sardou (born January 26, 1947) is a French singer.
He was born in Paris, the son of Fernand Sardou and Jackie Rollin (Jackie Sardou). Contrary to what has been written at the beginning of his career, he is not the grandson of the dramatist Victorien Sardou.
He is known for songs dealing with various social and political issues, such as the rights of women in Islamic countries, clerical celibacy and colonialism. Another sometimes controversial theme found in some of his songs ("Les Ricains," for example) is respect and support for the culture and foreign policies of the United States. Another notable fact about his career is that he has focused his full attention on his homeland, ignoring the prospect of an international audience, although his 1981 single "Les lacs du Connemara" did manage to become a big international hit. A number of his hit songs were written in collaboration with Jacques Revaux, a few others (most notably "En chantant") with Italian singer Toto Cutugno.
Even in the 21st century, Michel Sardou remains immensely popular in France, selling out 18 consecutive dates at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in 2001, while his 2004 album "Du plaisir" went straight to the no. 1 spot on the French album charts.
He has been married three times, first to a French dancer, then to Babette (the mother of his children) and lastly to an lifelong friend who edits the French version of Vogue.
He is currently (2023) at the center of a controversy over a song he wrote fifty years ago: the lakes of Connemara. Juliette Armanet, a French pop starlet answering a question about a song that would made her leave a party and it was LES LACS DU CONNEMARA. Sardou, an idol of the French right, in spite of himself, is stuck between the left which finds him corny and the right which does not support that one attacks its institutions. Music is a strong force and nobody fights harder than those who LOVE certain songs. Amazingly this song has nothing to do with politics.
Io Domenico
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La neige et le feu réunis
Né d'un soldat de Syracuse
D'une bellissima d'Italie
Moi Domenico de Raguse
Mes jours se terminent aujourd'hui
Près d'une femme des Abruzzes
Qui m'a fait un enfant chaque année de sa vie
Io Domenico
Quand mon bateau franchissait la mer Tyrrhénienne
Un homme un nouveau
Naissait sous la bannière américaine
Io Domenico
Au plus profond de mes passions ou de mes haines
J'ai toujours juré fidélité à mes jeunes années
Io Domenico
Ma pauvreté je l'ai jetée comme une eau sale
J'ai changé de peau
Mais pas de sang pas d'accent pas d'étoile
A vous mes garçons
J'ai laissé mon nom
Mon violon
Et mes cigales
Et cette chanson
Que vous chanterez mon enterrement
Io Domenico
C'est moins que rien pour le tocsin du Val d'Amone
Rien qu'un Sicilien
Qui lui revient sans fleurs et sans couronnes
Toi Angélina
Que j'ai choisie qui m'a compris mieux que moi-même
Je te dis merci garde l'espoir et au revoir je t'aime
Gira giro tondo
Gira come gir'il mondo
Nel mio cuore
Gira hoi li hoi la
In Michel Sardou's iconic song Io Domenico, the lyrics paint a poignant picture of a man nearing the end of his life - Domenico de Raguse, born to an Italian mother and a soldier from Syracuse. He reminisces about his life, recounting his birth amid the meeting of snow and fire and his childhood spent in the Abruzzo region of Italy, where a woman bore him a child each year of her life. As the years progress, Domenico's travels take him to the shores of the Mediterranean, where a new life and identity await him, under the banner of America. He vows to his youth, promising always to be faithful to his passions and loves.
Amidst the nostalgia and bittersweetness of the song, Domenico reflects on his legacy - his violin, his cicadas, and this very song, which he bequeaths to his sons to sing at his funeral. He acknowledges that his life may have been insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but to those who knew him, he was a Sicilian who never forgot his roots.
In summary, Io Domenico is a touching tribute to a man who lived a full life, confronted challenges and difficulties but never forgot his identity and culture. The song explores themes of love, belonging, and mortality in a poetic and deeply personal way.
Line by Line Meaning
Moi Domenico de Raguse
My name is Domenico from Ragusa, a city in Italy.
La neige et le feu réunis
My personality is a mix of two opposing qualities - gentleness and passion.
Né d'un soldat de Syracuse
I was born to a soldier from Syracuse, a city in Sicily.
D'une bellissima d'Italie
My mother was a beautiful Italian woman.
Mes jours se terminent aujourd'hui
My time on Earth is coming to an end.
Près d'une femme des Abruzzes
I am spending my last days with a woman from Abruzzo, a region in Italy.
Qui m'a fait un enfant chaque année de sa vie
She gave birth to a child for me every year of her life.
Io Domenico
I am Domenico, proud of my heritage.
Quand mon bateau franchissait la mer Tyrrhénienne
I was born on a boat that crossed the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Un homme un nouveau
I became a new man with new opportunities by coming to America.
Naissait sous la bannière américaine
I was born again under the American flag.
Au plus profond de mes passions ou de mes haines
No matter how intense my emotions, I always remain loyal to my roots.
J'ai toujours juré fidélité à mes jeunes années
I remain true to the values I learned in my youth.
Ma pauvreté je l'ai jetée comme une eau sale
I have thrown away my poverty like dirty water.
J'ai changé de peau
Even though I've assimilated to American culture, I have never forgotten my past.
Mais pas de sang pas d'accent pas d'étoile
Despite changes in my life, I have not lost my identity, voice, or heritage.
A vous mes garçons
To my sons, I leave my name, my music, and this song to be sung at my funeral.
J'ai laissé mon nom
I leave behind my legacy.
Mon violon
I leave behind my passion for music.
Et mes cigales
I leave behind the symbol of my homeland, the cicadas.
Et cette chanson
And this song that encapsulates my life.
C'est moins que rien pour le tocsin du Val d'Amone
My life may be insignificant to some, but it mattered to me.
Rien qu'un Sicilien
I am just a man from Sicily, but I am proud of my roots.
Qui lui revient sans fleurs et sans couronnes
I am returning home empty-handed without impressive achievements or accolades.
Toi Angélina
To my beloved Angélina.
Que j'ai choisie qui m'a compris mieux que moi-même
You, who I chose and who understood me better than I understand myself, I offer my gratitude.
Je te dis merci garde l'espoir et au revoir je t'aime
Thank you, keep hope alive, and goodbye, my love.
Gira giro tondo
The world keeps spinning.
Gira come gir'il mondo
It turns like the world does.
Nel mio cuore
In my heart.
Gira hoi li hoi la
It keeps spinning, hoi li hoi la.
Contributed by Scarlett H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.