She began her musical education at a French conservatory at seven years old. By age 18, she was studying Musicology at the University in Montpellier, France, and then obtained her Master in Musicology at the Sorbonne in Paris. Émilie was intrigued by the idea of combining her traditional musical education with new music technologies and studio experimentations. She developed these interests into unique skills at the cutting edge new technology music school, the IRCAM in Paris, which to this day remains the only center in the world dedicated to contemporary musical research and production, bringing science and art together in order to widen instrumentation and rejuvenate musical language.
Here she met Cyrille Brissot who she still works with today to develop and build specific instruments adapted to Émilie’s needs, both in the studio and on stage, including the “Brissot” - a breathtaking arm controller that allows her to remotely control, modulate and transform her live voice through a series of controlled effects. Émilie uses a variety of other new technology devices including Yamaha’s “Tenori-on” and a variety of other new hardware and software. Émilie uses this technology to give herself a wide range of versatility on stage, including being able to control everything – from beats to multiple instruments to vocal harmonies and modulation simultaneously while alone on stage.
Shortly after Ircam, Émilie Simon signed a record deal with Barclay/Universal France. Since then, she has written, arranged, performed and produced her two records and the original music for the French (original) version of March of the Penguins. There, Émilie used many diverse and inventive techniques including rubbing pieces of ice together to produce beats and sounds, and blended them with her electronic machinery and inviting lyrics.
Despite garnering best album honors in the electronic category at France’s
“Victoires de la Musique” Awards for her debut, and being touted as one of the most promising female artists, the Montpellier-bred chanteuse is quick to champion her independence as an artist over such acclaim. “[Awards] are nice, but it’s like a cherry on top, really,” the singer/songwriter insists. “It’s great when you have the feeling you are doing something important or that you’re understood. But it doesn’t alter the way I work in any way. I’m always thinking back on what I have done, because I don’t want to be redundant. I want to make music without rules, without anybody telling me what I have to do.”
Émilie Simon first made her mark on the U.S. in the fall of 2006 with her debut U.S. release, The Flower Book on Nov. 7, 2006. Her plush, artful soundscapes had already yielded her significant praise and awards in her French homeland, as well as acclaim across the rest of Europe and Japan. Singing in both French and English, Émilie allows her music to flow naturally, rewarding her with devoted fans worldwide. A year and a half after The Flower Book’s release, Émilie is currently residing in New York City and writing her next record. She will be performing shows in NYC this Fall to preview her new material. Having always begun the creative process in the recording studio, and then following with live performances, Émilie is trying a new approach. For the new record, she will let the songs breathe and evolve in a live environment before heading into the studio.
Annie
Émilie Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tombe par hasard sur des amis
Il y a déjà bien longtemps
Qu’elle n’a vu personne
Pas depuis l’automne
Annie
Tombe amoureuse, un petit ami
Alors elle abandonne
Ce gentil bonhomme
Le temps passe et prend la petite Annie
Mais bien vite elle l'oublie
Elle n’a vraiment pas le temps pourtant elle s’ennuie
La petite Annie
Annie
Tombe par malheur dans les escaliers
Son important rendez-vous attendra, je crois
Elle ne se réveille pas
Annie
Sa tombe est bien rangée près des pissenlits
Il n’y a vraiment pas grand monde
Qui viendra en somme
Pour ne pas dire personne
Le temps passe et prend la petite Annie
Mais bien vite elle l'oublie
Elle n’a vraiment pas le temps pourtant elle s’ennuie
La petite Annie
The lyrics of Émilie Simon's song Annie tell the story of a woman named Annie. At the beginning of the song, Annie runs into some old friends after a long time of not seeing anyone. She has been alone since the fall and seems to have no meaningful connections in her life. However, shortly after this chance encounter, Annie falls in love with a man. Unfortunately, the relationship requires too much time and attention, so Annie decides to move on from him.
The song then fast forwards to Annie's death. She falls down the stairs and never wakes up, missing an important appointment. Her grave is visited by very few people, and she is mostly forgotten. Yet, even in death, Annie's restless spirit is characterized by a yearning for something she can't quite grasp. Throughout the song, Annie is portrayed as a woman who is always looking for something - whether it's love or fulfillment - but can never quite find it.
Line by Line Meaning
Annie
The singer of the song is introduced
Tombe par hasard sur des amis
Annie unexpectedly runs into some friends she hasn't seen in a long time
Il y a déjà bien longtemps
It has been a significant amount of time since Annie has seen anyone
Qu’elle n’a vu personne
Annie has not seen anyone for a while
Pas depuis l’automne
The last time Annie saw someone was during autumn
Annie
Reiteration of the singer's name
Tombe amoureuse, un petit ami
Annie falls in love with a boyfriend
Ça prend beaucoup trop de temps
Having a boyfriend takes up too much of Annie's time
Alors elle abandonne
Annie gives up on her boyfriend
Ce gentil bonhomme
Annie's former boyfriend is described as a nice guy
Le temps passe et prend la petite Annie
Time continues to pass and Annie grows older
Mais bien vite elle l'oublie
Annie forgets about her past experiences quickly
Elle n’a vraiment pas le temps pourtant elle s’ennuie
Annie doesn't have much free time, but she still feels bored
La petite Annie
Annie is referred to as 'the little Annie'
Tombe par malheur dans les escaliers
Annie has an accident and falls down the stairs
Son important rendez-vous attendra, je crois
Annie misses an important appointment, most likely as a result of her accident
Elle ne se réveille pas
Annie does not wake up from her accident
Annie
Reiteration of the singer's name
Sa tombe est bien rangée près des pissenlits
Annie's grave is well-kept and located near dandelions
Il n’y a vraiment pas grand monde
There aren't many people around Annie's grave
Qui viendra en somme
Summing up, there won't be many people coming to visit Annie's grave
Pour ne pas dire personne
To put it more bluntly, nobody will come visit Annie's grave
Le temps passe et prend la petite Annie
Time continues to pass and Annie remains dead
Mais bien vite elle l'oublie
Annie is quickly forgotten
Elle n’a vraiment pas le temps pourtant elle s’ennuie
Even though she doesn't have any time left, Annie is still bored
La petite Annie
The song ends with another reference to Annie as 'the little Annie'
Contributed by Aiden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.