Étienne Daho (born January 14, 1956 in Oran, Algeria) is a French singer-so… Read Full Bio ↴Étienne Daho (born January 14, 1956 in Oran, Algeria) is a French singer-songwriter and musician. Since the early 1980s, he has had an extensive and successful career in the French-speaking world, with a synth-driven and rock-influenced pop sound. He is known for his low, whispery singing style, similar to Leonard Cohen and Benjamin Biolay, and for his innovative and creative music videos. His main influence is Francoise Hardy.

Daho is best known in Britain for his appearence on the number 11 Saint Etienne hit single "He's On The Phone", which is an English-language adaptation of his 1984 French-language hit "Weekend à Rome". He also collaborated with Saint Etienne on the Resurrection EP, his album Eden, and his single "Le Premier Jour", itself based on the track "Ready or Not" from Sarah Cracknell's 1997 solo album "Lipslide".

He has worked with many other artists, such as Chris Isaak, Marianne Faithfull, Elli Medeiros, Astrud Gilberto, Vanessa Daou, the Swingle Singers, and more. His duet with Charlotte Gainsbourg, titled "If", was released in 2004.

His 1996 album Eden featured a mix of electronic-oriented songs, ranging from downtempo ballads to drum 'n' bass-influenced tracks, and HiNRG dance. Corps & armes (2000) saw Daho return to a more orchestral sound fuelled by traditional instruments, such as piano, acoustic guitar, and horns. In 2004, he released Réévolution, which featured a guitar-heavy rock sound.

In 2012, he produced and composed songs for French comedian/singer Lou Doillon for her first album Places.

Étienne Daho is one of the most influential French pop singers of the last four decades. His extensive work has seen him collaborate with many artists, and explore a wide range of musical styles.

Glad To Be Unhappy
Étienne Daho Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Look at yourself
If you had the sense of humor
You would laugh to beat the band

Look at yourself
Do you still believe in rumor
That romance is simply grand?

Since you took it right on the chin
You have lost that bright
Toothpaste grin

My mental state is all a jumble
I sit around and sadly mumble

Fools rush in, so here I am
Very glad to be unhappy

Unrequited loves a bore
And I've got it pretty bad
But for someone you adore
It's a pleasure to be sad

Like a straying baby lamb

With no mammy and no pappy
I'm so unhappy but oh, so glad

Overall Meaning

“Glad To Be Unhappy” by Étienne Daho is a cover of a Rodgers and Hart’s song popularized first in the 1930s. The song talks about the nature of romantic love and the paradoxical nature of being happy to be unhappy. The song’s first two stanzas invite the listener to inspect themselves – if they had a sense of humor, they would be able to laugh at themselves. The song seems to be suggesting that one can be self-deprecating about one’s love life if they are able to look at themselves through a humorous lens.

The following stanzas move from the general to the specific. They speculate about a person who has lost their romantic idealism, who no longer believes in the grandiloquent expressions of love, and who has been disappointed in love. Consequently, they seem to have lost their radiance, represented by their “bright Toothpaste grin”. The singer confesses to being in a mental state of flux - unhappy but accepting, jumbled but insightful. They then quote the proverb “Fools rush in, so here I am”, which means that they know they are making a mistake by pursuing happiness in love but they can’t stop themselves.

The song ends with a seeming contradiction- the singer is unhappy but is also glad to be in that position. They compare themselves to a “straying baby lamb with no mammy and no pappy”, which is both sad and cute. The song’s final lines suggest that there is a pleasure to being sad for the sake of someone else. This idea is rather puzzling, and the song leaves the listener with a lot to contemplate.

Line by Line Meaning

Look at yourself
Take a good, hard look at yourself

If you had the sense of humor
If you were able to find humor in your situation

You would laugh to beat the band
You would laugh uncontrollably

Do you still believe in rumor
Do you still believe in the idea

That romance is simply grand?
That romance is always wonderful?

Since you took it right on the chin
Since you were hit hard with a problem

You have lost that bright
You have lost your

Toothpaste grin
Wide, bright smile

My mental state is all a jumble
I am very confused and distressed

I sit around and sadly mumble
I sit around and speak quietly and sadly

Fools rush in, so here I am
I am now in this situation because I acted rashly