After growing up in a small town on the coast of Brittany, in 1955 Barrière enrolled in the École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers in Angers. As a student he bought a guitar and started to write songs. On graduating in engineering in 1960, he moved to Paris to take up employment, and started to perform in the evenings at small clubs around the capital. He won a song contest in 1961 with the self-penned song "Cathy"; his style was chanson-based with no concession to the burgeoning yé-yé scene, but nonetheless he was soon signed to a recording contract and started to release singles regularly, enabling him to give up his job and make at least a modest living from music.
In 1963, Barrière was chosen to represent France at the eighth Eurovision Song Contest in London. His song Elle était si jolie came 5th out of the 13 entries.
Elle était si jolie turned out to be by far the biggest seller of Barrière's career to that point. He released his first album, Ma vie, in 1964 and the title-track, Ma Vie became a huge hit. In 1965 he was offered, and accepted, a leading role in a heist thriller, "Pas de panique", alongside Pierre Brasseur. This would be his only venture into acting, but his singing career reached its peak in the latter part of the decade with a string of hits making him one of France's biggest stars and a sell-out live attraction.
Barrière had gained a reputation for being uncompromising and at times difficult to work with. In the early 1970s he left his record company to set up his own label. He kept his fanbase, which ensured his records and concerts continued to provide a good living, despite his being overlooked by sections of the French broadcast media. "Tu t'en vas", a 1975 duet with fellow Eurovision veteran Noëlle Cordier, topped the French chart, and was the third biggest-selling single of the year in Switzerland.
Barrière married in 1975 and he and his wife opened a nightclub-restaurant in a converted castle in Brittany. Although it proved a successful and popular venue, Barrière soon found himself facing severe tax problems, a result of dubious advice. In 1977 he took his family to the USA, where they remained for four years.
After spending four years living in the USA, Barrière returned to france in 1981 and made several comeback attempts, to little avail. After another period spent overseas, this time in Quebec, the family were back in Brittany when Barrière's career was unexpectedly rejuvenated by the 1997 release of a CD containing remastered versions of his old hits, which proved to be a money-spinner. Shortly afterwards, Barrière released an album of new material, which also sold well.
He published an autobiography in 2006 and continues to release both retrospective and newly-recorded albums.
http://www.alainbarriere.com/
Partir
Alain Barrière Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sachant seulement un matin qu'il faut partir
Ignorant tout de ce que sera l'avenir
Partir au loin pour un ailleurs
Partir
Pour d'autres cieux, d'autres soleils, d'autres matins
Partir comme une ombre brisée sur le chemin
Partir
Quitter sa ville, son village, sa maison
Quitter sa terre, ses racines, ses chansons
Partir pour un monde meilleur
Partir
Fuyant l'enfer, l'intolérable, la folie
Pour garder comme un semblant de sens à sa vie
Partir en y laissant son coeur
Partir
Le coeur à l'agonie, le coeur brisé
En infidèle, en clandestin, en accusé
Partir avant le petit jour
Partir
Pour que l'espoir encor'survive dans nos coeurs
Pour juste un peu de liberté et de chaleur
Peut-être encore un peu d'amour
Partir
Quitter sa ville, son village, sa maison
Quitter sa terre, ses racines, ses chansons
Partir pour un monde meilleur
Partir
Pour que l'espoir encor'survive dans nos coeurs
Pour juste un peu de liberté et de chaleur
Partir au loin pour un ailleurs
Partir pour oublier la peur
Partir
The song "Partir" by Alain Barrière talks about the act of leaving or departing, without knowing what the future holds. It acknowledges the difficulties of leaving behind familiar places, people, and experiences, but also highlights the hope of finding something better through departure. The song talks about the uncertainty that comes with leaving, as well as the pain and heartbreak that can accompany it.
The lyrics suggest that departing may be necessary to escape a difficult or intolerable situation, whether it be an emotional state or a physical place. The song also expresses the need for freedom and love, and how departure can hopefully lead to a life with more of both. Although departure may be difficult, the song suggests that it is necessary to survive and thrive in life.
Overall, "Partir" is a poignant and introspective song that encourages listeners to take the leap and move forward in life, even if it means leaving behind parts of themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Sachant seulement un matin qu'il faut partir
Realizing one morning that one must leave
Ignorant tout de ce que sera l'avenir
Unaware of what the future will hold
Partir au loin pour un ailleurs
Leaving to go far away, to another place
Partir pour d'autres cieux, d'autres soleils, d'autres matins
Leaving for different skies, suns, and mornings
Partir comme une ombre brisée sur le chemin
Leaving like a broken shadow on the road
Partir en y laissant son coeur
Leaving behind a piece of one's heart
Quitter sa ville, son village, sa maison
Leaving one's town, village, and home behind
Quitter sa terre, ses racines, ses chansons
Abandoning one's land, roots, and songs
Partir pour un monde meilleur
Leaving for a better world
Fuyant l'enfer, l'intolérable, la folie
Escaping hell, the intolerable, and insanity
Pour garder comme un semblant de sens à sa vie
To keep a semblance of meaning in one's life
Le coeur à l'agonie, le coeur brisé
The heart in agony, the heart broken
En infidèle, en clandestin, en accusé
As an unfaithful, clandestine, accused person
Partir avant le petit jour
Leaving before the break of dawn
Pour que l'espoir encor'survive dans nos coeurs
So that hope may still survive in our hearts
Pour juste un peu de liberté et de chaleur
For just a little freedom and warmth
Peut-être encore un peu d'amour
Perhaps even a little bit of love
Partir au loin pour un ailleurs
Leaving far away for another place
Partir pour oublier la peur
Leaving to forget the fear
Partir
Leaving
Contributed by Annabelle V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Maria De Jesus Martinez Guerrero
Chanson plein de sentimients
purés, vrais,paroles ....ecrit avec le coeur, revés,
Merci .3,3,3.
Gérald André
Alain Barrière est juste magique,unique et exceptionnel!!!!!! Cette chanson est l'une de ses plus belles... Merci à lui et à tous ceux et celles qui pensent à lui,qui l'écoutent jour après jour et qui l'aiment!!!!!!!!! Et salut à tous ceux et celles qui ont laissé un super commentaire:-)))))))))
Ninel19prof275
Quelle voix !
Nora Aubertin
Alain a toujours chanter avec son coeur,personne peux le renplacer
danielle borgonovo
J'en pleure, parce que ca me rappelle notre exode, ou mes grands parents ont quitte leur pays, et sont morts peu apres. Je ne cesse de penser a eux, et aux milliers d'autres compatriotes qui ont tant souffert.
Jo Canton
On croirait que ces paroles ont été écrites pour moi, tellement elles correspondent à ce que j'ai vécu, à savoir l'exil avec le départ sans retour de mon pays l'Algérie...
gigi guignard
tres emouvant donne des frissons superbe chanson
Ana Poliakow
Alain uno de los mas grandes canta/autor y un gran poeta !
Anto20220
J'ai également cette compilation, Alain a jalonné MA VIE. J'ai connu Alain dés le début, et depuis il ne m'a plus quitté. Merci Alain..
Nathalie nath
toujours de superbes chansons j'adore ce grand Mr de la chanson😍