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.
Ballad of the Big Machine
Émilie Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You never go where I want you to
Just like smoke just like wind
You escape to the big machine
I don't like what I see
Why don't you want to dance with me
At the end of the day
In this world nothing's real
All you see just happens in your head
Just like a dream
A very long night
Don't get me wrong
This time I'm here for you
For you
Baby please let me in
I can swear my hands are clean
You can fight but you can't win
Cause you belong to the big machine
In this world nothing's real
All you see just happens in your head
Just like a dream
A very long night
Don't get me wrong
This time I'm here for you
For you
Oh je sens toute ta peine
Tu n'en vois pas le bout
Laisse-moi prendre ta place
Ou j'en deviendrai fou
Baby please let me in
I can swear my hands are clean
The lyrics of Émilie Simon's "Ballad of the Big Machine" tell a story of a troubled relationship, where one partner feels exhausted by the other's constant lack of commitment and tendency to escape to somewhere else - in this case, the "big machine". The machine could be a metaphor for anything from a job to a vehicle to a larger concept like society or technology, but the important thing is that it's something the partner keeps running back to, leaving the other one feeling abandoned and frustrated. The chorus laments the fact that in this world, nothing is real and everything is just a construct of our own minds, including the things we use to escape like the big machine. However, the singer is still willing to fight for their relationship and reach out to their partner despite the difficulties.
Overall, the song paints a picture of the modern world and how it can sometimes make it difficult for individuals to connect and find meaning in their relationships. It's a story that many people can relate to, especially in an age where technology and social media can sometimes make us feel disconnected from the people we love.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby I'm tired, I'm tired of you
I'm exhausted from chasing after you, tired of trying to make you see things my way.
You never go where I want you to
You always elude me and never follow my lead.
Just like smoke just like wind
You're as elusive as smoke and wind, ephemeral and hard to hold onto.
You escape to the big machine
You're lost in the system, caught up in a larger mechanism that controls your actions.
I don't like what I see
I don't like the person you're becoming, the one controlled by an external force.
Why don't you want to dance with me
Why don't you want to engage in a mutual, intimate relationship with me?
At the end of the day
After all is said and done, when it's all over.
I will catch you anyway
I'll track you down and corner you, despite the odds against me.
In this world nothing's real
There's a sense of disillusionment with reality, perhaps because of the artificiality of modern life.
All you see just happens in your head
The meaning of life and the world around us is subjective, a product of our personal interpretation.
Just like a dream
The world feels ethereal and unreal, like an elusive dream that's hard to grasp.
A very long night
Perhaps referring to an extended period of struggle, hardship or depression that feels endless.
Don't get me wrong
Don't misunderstand my intentions or feelings.
This time I'm here for you
I'm here to try and help bring you back to reality, rather than being driven by the big machine.
Baby please let me in
Let me be a part of your life, let me try to help you escape or cope with the big machine.
I can swear my hands are clean
I'm not trying to manipulate or harm you, my intentions are pure.
You can fight but you can't win
Resisting the big machine is futile, as it's too powerful to overcome alone.
Cause you belong to the big machine
You're a part of the machine, you don't have the freedom or agency to escape it.
Oh je sens toute ta peine
Oh, I can feel all of your pain and suffering.
Tu n'en vois pas le bout
You can't see an end to your suffering, you can't see a way out.
Laisse-moi prendre ta place
Let me take your place, let me try to help you find a way out of your predicament.
Ou j'en deviendrai fou
Or else I'll lose my mind in trying to free you from the big machine.
Contributed by Evelyn T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
sophie leplus
j'ai adoré son énergie sincère, sa voix et son rythme ...bel accompagnement instrumental... j'en vx encore !
umt4lde
Muito bom
June H.
Wow quelle belle voix j'adore xxxx
Ka Long
superb
Uncommon Nonsense
excellent! now a vid with Charlie, please
Diego Manoel
<3
Universo Viral S.O.S
nice