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.
Opium
Émilie Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Evaporée comme la fumée dans un nuage cendré
Mon opium pas de sérum, mon opium, opium
Mon opium pas de sérum, mon opium
Je laisse aller, me laisse inhaler les vapeurs dans les détails
Toute embuée, je pars en fumée comme un bon petit cobaye
Mon opium pas de sérum, mon opium, opium, opium
Je laisse aller, me laisse inhaler mon opium
Je laisse aller, me laisse inhaler mon opium
Je laisse aller, me laisse inhaler mon opium, opium
Je laisse aller, je laisse aller, je laisse aller
Je laisse aller... je laisse aller...
Je laisse aller, me laisse inhaler les vapeurs en profondeur
Ensommeillée je me laisse guider, j'avance en apesanteur
Mon opium pas de sérum, mon opium, opium, opium
Mon opium pas de sérum
Je laisse aller, je laisse aller, je laisse aller
Je laisse aller... je laisse aller...
The lyrics of Émilie Simon's song "Opium" describe the sensation of being intoxicated by opium. The singer allows themselves to inhale the fumes gradually and deeply, leading to a state of euphoria and weightlessness. The repetition of "mon opium" emphasizes the drug's grip on the singer, as if it has become their sole focus and escape from reality.
The use of metaphors, such as "evaporée comme la fumée dans un nuage cendré" (evaporated like smoke in an ashen cloud) and "embuée, je pars en fumée comme un bon petit cobaye" (foggy, I disappear like a good little guinea pig), further emphasizes the singer's disconnection from the real world as they become lost in their own drug-induced haze. The repetition of "je laisse aller" (I let go) emphasizes their surrender to the effects of the drug.
Overall, the lyrics of "Opium" depict the allure and danger of addiction, as well as the escape it can provide from the weight of reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Je laisse aller, me laisse inhaler les vapeurs en dégradé
I let go, let myself inhale the graduated fumes
Evaporée comme la fumée dans un nuage cendré
Dispersed like smoke in an ashy cloud
Mon opium pas de sérum, mon opium, opium
My opium, not a serum, my opium, opium
Je laisse aller, me laisse inhaler les vapeurs dans les détails
I let go, let myself inhale the detailed fumes
Toute embuée, je pars en fumée comme un bon petit cobaye
All steamed up, I disappear like a good little guinea pig
Mon opium pas de sérum, mon opium, opium, opium
My opium, not a serum, my opium, opium, opium
Je laisse aller, me laisse inhaler mon opium
I let go, let myself inhale my opium
Je laisse aller, me laisse inhaler les vapeurs en profondeur
I let go, let myself inhale the fumes deeply
Ensommeillée je me laisse guider, j'avance en apesanteur
Sleepy, I let myself be guided, I float forward
Je laisse aller, je laisse aller, je laisse aller
I let go, I let go, I let go
Mon opium pas de sérum
My opium, not a serum
Je laisse aller... je laisse aller...
I let go... I let go...
Contributed by Amelia E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.