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.
Le Grand Sommeil
Étienne Daho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rien à faire
Sans moi le monde peut bien tourner
À l'envers
Engourdi par le sommeil et prisonnier de mon lit
J'aimerais que cette nuit
Dure toute la vie
En partant tu m'as mis le cœur
À l'envers
Sans toi la vie est devenue
Un enfer
Entortillé dans mes draps
Je crois me souvenir de toi
Lorsque tu disais tout bas
Que tu n'aimais que moi
Entortillé dans mes draps
Je crois me souvenir de toi
Lorsque tu disais tout bas
Que tu n'aimais que moi
Tout ce qui se passe au dehors
M'indiffère
Que le monde saute ce n'est pas
Mon affaire
Dans ces draps bleus traîne encore l'odeur de tes cheveux
Ce bleu infiniment bleu que j' trouvais dans tes yeux
Lorsque je rêve tu es tout
Près de moi
C'est la seule façon de rester
Avec toi
C'est la raison pour laquelle je n'veux plus quitter mon lit
Pour qu'enfin toutes les nuits durent toute la vie
C'est la raison pour laquelle je n'veux plus quitter mon lit
Pour qu'enfin toutes les nuits durent toute la vie
The lyrics to Étienne Daho's song Le Grand Sommeil convey a sense of longing for a lost love and a desire to escape reality through sleep. The singer is unable to wake up and is indifferent to the outside world, as he is trapped in his own bed, both physically and emotionally. He wishes for the night to last forever, as it is the only way to be with his lost love once again. The color blue, which represents sadness and melancholy, is prevalent throughout the lyrics, from the blue sheets to the blue color in the eyes of the lost love.
The line "Sans moi le monde peut bien tourner à l'envers" (Without me, the world can turn upside down) suggests the singer's resignation to his place in the world without his love. He is unable to function without her, and the world seems meaningless to him. The imagery of being "entortillé dans mes draps" (tangled up in my sheets) emphasizes his physical entrapment, while the memory of his lost love's voice saying "que tu n'aimais que moi" (you only loved me) reinforces the emotional entrapment. The repetition of the final verse, "C'est la raison pour laquelle je n'veux plus quitter mon lit / Pour qu'enfin toutes les nuits durent toute la vie" (That's why I don't want to leave my bed anymore / So that every night lasts a lifetime), highlights the singer's desire for eternal escape and his inability to move beyond his grief.
Line by Line Meaning
Je ne peux plus me réveiller
I am unable to wake up from my slumber
Rien à faire
There's nothing to be done
Sans moi le monde peut bien tourner
The world can turn without me
À l'envers
Upside down
Engourdi par le sommeil et prisonnier de mon lit
Numb with sleep and trapped in my bed
J'aimerais que cette nuit
I wish this night
Dure toute la vie
Would last my entire life
En partant tu m'as mis le cœur
When you left, you turned my heart
À l'envers
Upside down
Sans toi la vie est devenue
Life without you became
Un enfer
A hell
Entortillé dans mes draps
Entangled in my bed sheets
Je crois me souvenir de toi
I believe I remember you
Lorsque tu disais tout bas
When you whispered softly
Que tu n'aimais que moi
That you loved only me
Tout ce qui se passe au dehors
Everything that happens outside
M'indiffère
Doesn't matter to me
Que le monde saute ce n'est pas
If the world jumps, it's not
Mon affaire
My concern
Dans ces draps bleus traîne encore l'odeur de tes cheveux
The scent of your hair still lingers in these blue sheets
Ce bleu infiniment bleu que j' trouvais dans tes yeux
That infinitely blue color I found in your eyes
Lorsque je rêve tu es tout
When I dream, you are everything
Près de moi
Close to me
C'est la seule façon de rester
It's the only way to stay
Avec toi
With you
C'est la raison pour laquelle je n'veux plus quitter mon lit
That's why I don't want to leave my bed anymore
Pour qu'enfin toutes les nuits durent toute la vie
So that finally every night lasts a lifetime
C'est la raison pour laquelle je n'veux plus quitter mon lit
That's why I don't want to leave my bed anymore
Pour qu'enfin toutes les nuits durent toute la vie
So that finally every night lasts a lifetime
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Etienne Daho
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind