In 2001, she started her singing career in the blues band "Fifty Fingers". She sang in musical groups in Angoulême, especially in a jazz quintet. She became one of the four singers of Izar-Adatz (Shooting Star), a variety band which consisted of sixteen people with whom she toured for two years, especially in the Midi-Pyrenees and the Basque Country. She worked in the studio as a chorister in Toulouse and performed with many singers including Maeso, Art Mengo, Vladimir Max, Jean-Pierre Mader and Serge Guerao.
In May 2010, French magazine Telerama announced: "Rumor has swelled in recent weeks: Zaz is a sacred voice, and she will be the revelation of the summer!". On 10 May 2010, Zaz released her first album. It contains songs written by herself ("Trop sensitible") and co-composed ("Les Passants", "Le Long de la route", "Prends garde à ta langue", "J'aime à nouveau", "Ni Oui Ni Non"). Kerredine Soltani produced the album under Play On label, and wrote and composed the hit single "Je veux". The pop singer Raphaël Haroche wrote her songs "Éblouie par la nuit", "Port Coton" and "La Fée". In 2010, she signed a contract for her tours with Caramba and publisher Sony ATV. She was invited to many TV shows (such as Taratata or Chabada) and was featured in several programs on the radio.
Zaz then toured France (Paris, La Rochelle, Montauban, Saint-Ouen, Chateauroux, Landerneau, Fécamp...), performed at the Francofolies of Montreal (Canada), Monthey (Switzerland), Brussels, Berlin, and Milan... In autumn Zaz topped the charts in Belgium, Switzerland, and Austria. Matthieu Baligand, her manager and producer at Caramba Entertainment, explained to Liberation: "We talk a lot of her right now and people are waiting her at the turn... Despite the demand, it seems preferable to do her first tour in fifty small places which will render her credible. Zaz is a popular, intuitive artist, who is familiar with music, who can sing, but doing a quality show is something else (...)." In November 2010, the debut album Zaz became double platinum, and she was awarded "Revelation Song" by the Academy Charles Cros. Zaz also won the European Border Breaker Awards: she was named the French artist most played abroad in 2010. According to a survey published by L'Internaute, Zaz was the most favorite singer of the French in the 2010 ranking.
Discography:
2010: Zaz
2011: Sans Tsu-Tsou
2013: Recto Verso
2014: Paris
2016: Sur La Route
2018: Effet Miroir
2021: Isa
2022: Isa (Nouvelle édition)
Sous le ciel de Paris
Zaz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
S'envole une chanson
Hum hum
Elle est née d'aujourd'hui
Dans le cœur d'un garçon
Sous le ciel de Paris
Marchent des amoureux
Hum hum
Leur bonheur se construit
Sur un air fait pour eux
Sous le pont de Bercy
Un philosophe assis
Deux musiciens, quelques badauds
Puis les gens par milliers
Sous le ciel de Paris
Jusqu'au soir vont chanter
Hum hum
L'hymne d'un peuple épris
De sa vieille cité
Près de Notre Dame
Parfois couve un drame
Oui mais à Paname
Tout peut s'arranger
Quelques rayons
Du ciel d'été
L'accordéon
D'un marinier
L'espoir fleurit
Au ciel de Paris
Sous le ciel de Paris
Coule un fleuve joyeux
Hum hum
Il endort dans la nuit
Les clochards et les gueux
Sous le ciel de Paris
Les oiseaux du Bon Dieu
Hum hum
Viennent du monde entier
Pour bavarder entre eux
Et le ciel de Paris
A son secret pour lui
Depuis vingt siècles il est épris
De notre Île Saint Louis
Quand elle lui sourit
Il met son habit bleu
Hum hum
Quand il pleut sur Paris
C'est qu'il est malheureux
Quand il est trop jaloux
De ses millions d'amants
Il fait gronder sur nous
Son tonnerre éclatant
Mais le ciel de Paris
N'est pas longtemps cruel
Pour se faire pardonner
Il offre un arc-en-ciel
In this song, Zaz describes the joys of Paris and the different types of people and emotions that can be found there. The song begins with the idea that a song is rising up into the Parisian sky. The song was created today in the heart of a boy. The city is not just a place, but it can evoke feelings and the music can reflect them. The line "Leur bonheur se construit sur un air fait pour eux" (Their happiness is built on a tune made for them) emphasizes the idea of a song being able to capture the emotions and create a sense of joy for a couple.
In the second verse, Zaz describes a philosopher sitting under the bridge, along with a few musicians and some passersby. But the city is so large that there are thousands of people who sing until evening. They sing the hymn of a beloved people and their old city. There is a sense of belonging and pride in their city, and the notion that love and music bring people together.
The third verse brings up a darker tone - near Notre Dame, a tragedy can occur. However, in Paris, anything can be fixed. The lyrics hint at hope with the rays of the summer sky and the accordion played by a sailor. There is a sense of resilience in the face of hardship. The final line is a reminder that hope blooms under the Parisian sky.
Line by Line Meaning
Sous le ciel de Paris
Under the sky of Paris, where everything happens
S'envole une chanson
A song takes flight, fills the air with love and dreams
Elle est née d'aujourd'hui,
Dans le cœur d'un garçon
Born today in the heart of a boy, an ode to Paris
Marchent des amoureux,
Leur bonheur se construit
Sur un air fait pour eux
Lovers walk, their happiness builds on a melody made for them
Sous le pont de Bercy,
Un philosophe assis,
Deux musiciens, quelques badauds,
Puis les gens par milliers
Under the bridge of Bercy, a philosopher sits, two musicians, some passersby, then thousands of people
Jusqu'au soir vont chanter,
L'hymne d'un peuple épris,
De sa vieille cité
Until nightfall they will sing, the anthem of a people in love with their old city
Près de Notre Dame,
Parfois couve un drame,
Oui mais à Paname,
Tout peut s'arranger
Near Notre Dame, sometimes drama looms, but in Paname, everything can be resolved
Quelques rayons,
Du ciel d'été,
L'accordéon,
D'un marinier
A few rays from the summer sky, the accordion of a boatman
L'espoir fleurit,
Au ciel de Paris
Hope blossoms under the sky of Paris
Coule un fleuve joyeux,
Il endort dans la nuit,
Les clochards et les gueux
A joyful river flows, lulls the beggars to sleep at night
Les oiseaux du Bon Dieu,
Viennent du monde entier,
Pour bavarder entre eux
God's birds come from all over the world to chatter among themselves
Et le ciel de Paris,
A son secret pour lui,
Depuis vingt siècles il est épris,
De notre Île Saint Louis
And the sky of Paris has a secret, for twenty centuries it has been in love with our Saint Louis Island
Quand elle lui sourit,
Il met son habit bleu,
Quand il pleut sur Paris,
C'est qu'il est malheureux
When she smiles at him, he puts on his blue coat, when it rains in Paris, it's because he's unhappy
Quand il est trop jaloux,
De ses millions d'amants,
Il fait gronder sur nous,
Son tonnerre éclatant
When he gets too jealous of his millions of lovers, he makes his thunder roar over us
Mais le ciel de Paris,
N'est pas longtemps cruel,
Pour se faire pardonner,
Il offre un arc-en-ciel
But the sky of Paris is not cruel for long, to make up for it, he offers a rainbow
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, PREMIERE MUSIC GROUP, Tratore, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jean Drejac, Hubert Giraud
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind