When Alain Bashung was one year old he was sent to the Strasbourg area, in Wingersheim, to stay with his grandparents. He spent his childhood in the country in a conservative environment. When he was five years old he discovered Music most notably Kurt Weill, as he played harmonica. He was also a Choirboy in the church at Wingersheim and played basket-ball. At School he was regarded serious child.
He returned to Paris in 1959, where he discovered the great names of Chanson Française, the radio, American Rock with Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley. Whilst studying to become an accountant, he started a short lived Band with friends “les Dunces” whose style swong between Folk and Rockabilly. He quickly dropped his studies.
Bashung started a band with musicians met in Royan, a new band playing in Restaurants, Hotels and most of all the American bases. his career started with some difficulties with the release of his first single at 19 years of age “Pourquoi rêvez-vous des États-Unis ?” in 1966. He released a dozen singles, one using the pseudonym David Bergen, and two others. In 1971/1972 under the pseudonym "Hendrick Darmen" compositor and singer of the band “Monkey Bizness”. He wrote a number of songs for stars of the time like Noël Deschamps, but doesn't appear to have reached success.
In 1973, he played Robespierre in the Musical “La Révolution française” written by Claude-Michel Schönberg. He met Dick Rivers the singer of Les Chats Sauvages, for whom he composed and produced music.
He met musician Andy Scott and the songwriter Boris Bergman, and in 1977 wrote his first innovative LP “Romans photos”, though it was a Commercial failure in the context of Punk storming music.
In 1979, he released “Roulette russe”, a very dark and more Rock orientated album.
He confirmed his talent with critical acclaim and public success in 1981, with the rock influenced album “pizza”, mainly with one single from the album “Gaby, oh Gaby” that finally got Bashung success in the charts in 1981 followed by the single “Vertige de l'amour”, and started touring the bigger venues Notably “l'Olympia” in Paris.
In 1982, Bashung collaborated with Serge Gainsbourg on the complex album “Play blessures”, that did not achieve commercial success.
In 1983, he confused his fan base with an album deviating from the previous rock style, “Figure imposée”. In 1985, he came back with a number of titles written for “SOS Racisme” (anti-racism organisation).
In 1986, he released “Passé le Rio Grande”, which won him a “Victoire de la Musique”. Two singles achieved some success over the airwaves: “Malédiction” and “L'arrivée du tour”. However the album itself did not sell much.
In 1992, he started a long partnership with writer Jean Fauque, for “Osez Joséphine”, an album which also contains some cover of classic Rock such as “Night in White Satin”. His fan base grew and the album sold 350 000 copies. In 1994, he followed up with “Chatterton,” collaborating with Sonny Landreth, Ally McErlaine, Link Wray, Marc Ribot and Stéphane Belmondo. The key single extracted from this album is “Ma petite entreprise.” He started a two-year tour that results in the 1995 live album, “Confessions publiques.”
After recording a duet with Brigitte Fontaine "City" for her album "Les Palaces", Bashung returned to the musical world following a stint acting and in 1998 with “Fantaisie militaire”. While making this album in collaboration with Rodolphe Burger, Les Valentins and Jean-Marc Lederman. He will receive three Victoires de la Musique for the Album in 1999.
In 2002, he released the “L'imprudence” album to further critical acclaim. During the same year, he recorded with his wife, actress and comedian Chloé Mons “le Cantique des cantiques”. They created this title for their wedding in 2001, on a music written by Rodolphe Burger and on the basis a a new translation of the “Cantique des cantiques” from the Bible by the Author Olivier Cadiot.
In 2004, he released live double album “La tournée des grands espaces."
In 2005, for the twentieth Victoires de la Musique, he received an award for the best album of the last 20 years for “Fantaisie militaire.”
In the beginning of 2007, he participates in the tour “Les Aventuriers d'un autre Monde” with Jean-Louis Aubert (Téléphone), Cali, Daniel Darc, Richard Kolinka (Téléphone) and Raphaeël.
In March 2009, he recieved three Victoires de la Musique for his last album "Bleu Pétrol".
He passed away on March 14th, 2009 of complications of metastatic lung cancer.
La Nuit Je Mens
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sauter à l'élastique
Voleur d'amphores
Au fond des criques
J'ai fait la cour à des murènes
J'ai fait l'amour, j'ai fait le mort
T'étais pas née
À la station balnéaire
Tu t'es pas fait prier
J'étais gant de crin, geyser
Pour un peu je trempais
Histoire d'eau
La nuit je mens
Je prends des trains à travers la plaine
La nuit je mens
Je m'en lave les mains
J'ai dans les bottes des montagnes de questions
Où subsiste encore ton écho
Où subsiste encore ton écho
J'ai fait la saison
Dans cette boîte crânienne
Tes pensées
Je les faisais miennes
T'accaparer seulement t'accaparer
D'estrade en estrade
J'ai fait danser tant de malentendus
Des kilomètres de vie en rose
Un jour au cirque
Un autre à chercher à te plaire
Dresseur de loulous
Dynamiteur d'aqueducs
La nuit je mens
Je prends des trains à travers la plaine
La nuit je mens
Effrontément
J'ai dans les bottes des montagnes de questions
Où subsiste encore ton écho
Où subsiste encore ton écho
On m'a vu dans le Vercors
Sauter à l'élastique
Voleur d'amphores
Au fond des criques
J'ai fait la cour à des murènes
J'ai fait l'amour j'ai fait le mort
T'étais pas née
La nuit je mens
Je prends des trains à travers la plaine
La nuit je mens
Je m'en lave les mains
J'ai dans les bottes des montagnes de questions
Où subsiste encore ton écho
Où subsiste encore ton écho
La nuit je mens
Je prends des trains à travers la plaine
La nuit je mens
Je m'en lave les mains
J'ai dans les bottes des montagnes de questions
Où subsiste encore ton écho
Alain Bashung's song "La Nuit Je Mens" tells the story of the singer's adventurous life, full of daring feats and romantic entanglements. The lyrics paint a picture of a man who is constantly on the move, taking risks and pursuing pleasure. The chorus, "La nuit je mens" (I lie at night), suggests that the singer is not always truthful about his actions and intentions.
The first verse describes the singer's past experiences, such as bungee jumping in the Vercors mountains, stealing amphoras from hidden coves, and courting murenes (moray eels). The second verse describes a romantic encounter with a woman at a beach resort, where the singer is wearing rough gloves like a geyser. The bridge of the song suggests that the singer has a lot of unanswered questions about his life and relationships, and that he is haunted by the memory of a past lover whose echo still lingers in his mind.
The chorus repeats twice, emphasizing the idea that the singer is not always truthful about his experiences, and suggesting that his adventurous lifestyle is a way of escaping from reality. The song ends with a repetition of the opening verse, emphasizing the circular nature of the singer's life and the idea that he is stuck in a cycle of risk-taking and pleasure-seeking.
Line by Line Meaning
On m'a vu dans le Vercors
People have seen me in Vercors
Sauter à l'élastique
Jumping with an elastic cord attached to the body
Voleur d'amphores
Stealing amphoras in the depths of creeks
Au fond des criques
At the bottom of the coves
J'ai fait la cour à des murènes
I courted moray eels
J'ai fait l'amour, j'ai fait le mort
I made love and played dead
T'étais pas née
You were not born yet
À la station balnéaire
At the seaside resort
Tu t'es pas fait prier
You did not hesitate
J'étais gant de crin, geyser
I was harsh and explosive like a geyser
Pour un peu je trempais
I almost dove in the water
Histoire d'eau
Water story
La nuit je mens
At night, I lie
Je prends des trains à travers la plaine
I take trains across the plain
Je m'en lave les mains
I wash my hands of it
J'ai dans les bottes des montagnes de questions
I have mountains of questions in my mind
Où subsiste encore ton écho
Where your echo still lingers
Je prends des trains à travers la plaine
I take trains across the plain
Effrontément
Brazenly
Un jour au cirque
One day at the circus
Un autre à chercher à te plaire
Another day trying to please you
Dresseur de loulous
Tamer of rogues
Dynamiteur d'aqueducs
Blaster of aqueducts
On m'a vu dans le Vercors
People have seen me in Vercors
Sauter à l'élastique
Jumping with an elastic cord attached to the body
Voleur d'amphores
Stealing amphoras in the depths of creeks
Au fond des criques
At the bottom of the coves
J'ai fait la cour à des murènes
I courted moray eels
J'ai fait l'amour j'ai fait le mort
I made love and played dead
T'étais pas née
You were not born yet
La nuit je mens
At night, I lie
Je prends des trains à travers la plaine
I take trains across the plain
Je m'en lave les mains
I wash my hands of it
J'ai dans les bottes des montagnes de questions
I have mountains of questions in my mind
Où subsiste encore ton écho
Where your echo still lingers
La nuit je mens
At night, I lie
Je prends des trains à travers la plaine
I take trains across the plain
Je m'en lave les mains
I wash my hands of it
J'ai dans les bottes des montagnes de questions
I have mountains of questions in my mind
Où subsiste encore ton écho
Where your echo still lingers
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Alain Bashung, Edith Fambuena, Jean Marie Fauque, Jean-Louis Pierot
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alain B.
on La fille de la maison des dunes
Elle verra la vie qu’il me faut
Dans du marc de thé chaud
Car elle sait tous les secrets du tarot
Je me noie dans ses cheveux noirs
(je) Suis enfin au pouvoir
Car elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
Elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
Je me vois comme un bout d’étoile
Dans sa boule de cristal
Et je ne vois pas bien ou est le mal
Où est le mal
D’accord elle est un peu sorcière
La fille aux mains de pierre
Mais elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
Elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
Plus je me la mets dans la tête
Plus j’deviens une sorte de mouette
Plus je vole dans son monde de flou
Plus je m’éloigne de vous
Je me brûle à son soleil noir
Terriens, bonsoir…
Oui elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
Elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
…