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.
Les Lacs Du Connemara
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Des landes de pierres
Autour des lacs, c'est pour les vivants
Un peu d'enfer, le Connemara
Des nuages noirs qui viennent du nord
Colorent la terre, les lacs, les rivières
C'est le décor du Connemara
Au printemps suivant, le ciel irlandais était en paix
Maureen a plongé nue dans un lac du Connemara
Sean Kelly s'est dit "je suis catholique", Maureen aussi
L'église en granit de Limerick, Maureen a dit "oui"
De Tipperary, Barry-Connelly et de Galway
Ils sont arrivés dans le comté du Connemara
Y avait les Connors, les O'Connolly, les Flaherty du Ring of Kerry
Et de quoi boire trois jours et deux nuits
Là-bas, au Connemara
On sait tout le prix du silence
Là-bas, au Connemara
On dit que la vie, c'est une folie
Et que la folie, ça se danse
Terre brûlée au vent
Des landes de pierres
Autour des lacs, c'est pour les vivants
Un peu d'enfer, le Connemara
Des nuages noirs qui viennent du nord
Colorent la terre, les lacs, les rivières
C'est le décor du Connemara
On y vit encore au temps des Gaëls et de Cromwell
Au rythme des pluies et du soleil
Aux pas des chevaux
On y croit encore aux monstres des lacs
Qu'on voit nager certains soirs d'été
Et replonger pour l'éternité
On y voit encore
Des hommes d'ailleurs venus chercher
Le repos de l'âme et pour le cœur, un goût de meilleur
L'on y croit encore
Que le jour viendra, il est tout près
Où les Irlandais feront la paix autour de la Croix
Là-bas, au Connemara
On sait tout le prix de la guerre
Là-bas, au Connemara
On n'accepte pas
La paix des Gallois
Ni celle des rois d'Angleterre
The song Les lacs du Connemara by Michel Sardou paints a vivid picture of the landscape of Connemara, a region in western Ireland. The opening lines describe the burnt land and stony moors that characterize the area, with dark clouds blowing in from the north to color the land, lakes, and rivers. The region is described as being something of a hell for the living due to its harsh environment. The song then shifts to a narrative about a group of people who come to Connemara during the spring, including Maureen, who strips naked and jumps into a lake. Sean Kelly, who is also there, declares himself Catholic, as does Maureen. The scene then shifts to their wedding in a granite church in Limerick. The lyrics detail the arrival of various groups of people from different regions of Ireland, including Tipperary, Galway, and Kerry, as well as the consumption of large quantities of alcohol.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that Connemara is a place where people still hold onto the old ways of life, rooted in Gaelic traditions, and beliefs in lake monsters that haunt the area. The song suggests that despite the harsh conditions and the history of conflict in Ireland, there is a possibility of peace, symbolized by a future day when the Irish will unite around the cross. Ultimately, the song presents Connemara as a place of beauty, spirituality, and mystery.
Line by Line Meaning
Terre brûlée au vent
The wind scorches the earth
Des landes de pierres
Stony wastelands surround it
Autour des lacs, c'est pour les vivants
The lakes are a place for the living
Un peu d'enfer, le Connemara
The Connemara is a bit of hell
Des nuages noirs qui viennent du nord
Black clouds come from the north
Colorent la terre, les lacs, les rivières
They color the land, lakes, and rivers
C'est le décor du Connemara
It's the landscape of the Connemara
Au printemps suivant, le ciel irlandais était en paix
The following spring, the Irish sky was at peace
Maureen a plongé nue dans un lac du Connemara
Maureen dove naked into a Connemara lake
Sean Kelly s'est dit "je suis catholique", Maureen aussi
Sean Kelly said "I am Catholic", Maureen too
L'église en granit de Limerick, Maureen a dit "oui"
In the granite church in Limerick, Maureen said "yes"
De Tipperary, Barry-Connelly et de Galway
From Tipperary, Barry-Connelly, and Galway
Ils sont arrivés dans le comté du Connemara
They arrived in the county of Connemara
Y avait les Connors, les O'Connolly, les Flaherty du Ring of Kerry
There were the Connors, the O'Connollys, the Flahertys from the Ring of Kerry
Et de quoi boire trois jours et deux nuits
And enough to drink for three days and two nights
Là-bas, au Connemara
There, in Connemara
On sait tout le prix du silence
They know the value of silence
On dit que la vie, c'est une folie
They say life is madness
Et que la folie, ça se danse
And that madness can be danced
On y vit encore au temps des Gaëls et de Cromwell
They still live there during the time of the Gaels and Cromwell
Au rythme des pluies et du soleil
To the rhythm of the rain and the sun
Aux pas des chevaux
At the pace of horses
On y croit encore aux monstres des lacs
They still believe in lake monsters
Qu'on voit nager certains soirs d'été
That are seen swimming on certain summer evenings
Et replonger pour l'éternité
And diving back for eternity
On y voit encore
They still see
Des hommes d'ailleurs venus chercher
Men from elsewhere who have come to find
Le repos de l'âme et pour le cœur, un goût de meilleur
Rest for their souls and a taste of something better for their hearts
L'on y croit encore
They still believe that
Que le jour viendra, il est tout près
The day will come, it is very near
Où les Irlandais feront la paix autour de la Croix
When the Irish will make peace around the cross
On sait tout le prix de la guerre
They know the cost of war
On n'accepte pas
They do not accept
La paix des Gallois
The peace of the Welsh
Ni celle des rois d'Angleterre
Nor that of the kings of England
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jacques Revaud, Michel Sardou, Pierre Delanoe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind