When Alain Bashung was one year old he was sent to the Strasbourg area, in Wingersheim, to stay with his grandparents. He spent his childhood in the country in a conservative environment. When he was five years old he discovered Music most notably Kurt Weill, as he played harmonica. He was also a Choirboy in the church at Wingersheim and played basket-ball. At School he was regarded serious child.
He returned to Paris in 1959, where he discovered the great names of Chanson Française, the radio, American Rock with Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley. Whilst studying to become an accountant, he started a short lived Band with friends “les Dunces” whose style swong between Folk and Rockabilly. He quickly dropped his studies.
Bashung started a band with musicians met in Royan, a new band playing in Restaurants, Hotels and most of all the American bases. his career started with some difficulties with the release of his first single at 19 years of age “Pourquoi rêvez-vous des États-Unis ?” in 1966. He released a dozen singles, one using the pseudonym David Bergen, and two others. In 1971/1972 under the pseudonym "Hendrick Darmen" compositor and singer of the band “Monkey Bizness”. He wrote a number of songs for stars of the time like Noël Deschamps, but doesn't appear to have reached success.
In 1973, he played Robespierre in the Musical “La Révolution française” written by Claude-Michel Schönberg. He met Dick Rivers the singer of Les Chats Sauvages, for whom he composed and produced music.
He met musician Andy Scott and the songwriter Boris Bergman, and in 1977 wrote his first innovative LP “Romans photos”, though it was a Commercial failure in the context of Punk storming music.
In 1979, he released “Roulette russe”, a very dark and more Rock orientated album.
He confirmed his talent with critical acclaim and public success in 1981, with the rock influenced album “pizza”, mainly with one single from the album “Gaby, oh Gaby” that finally got Bashung success in the charts in 1981 followed by the single “Vertige de l'amour”, and started touring the bigger venues Notably “l'Olympia” in Paris.
In 1982, Bashung collaborated with Serge Gainsbourg on the complex album “Play blessures”, that did not achieve commercial success.
In 1983, he confused his fan base with an album deviating from the previous rock style, “Figure imposée”. In 1985, he came back with a number of titles written for “SOS Racisme” (anti-racism organisation).
In 1986, he released “Passé le Rio Grande”, which won him a “Victoire de la Musique”. Two singles achieved some success over the airwaves: “Malédiction” and “L'arrivée du tour”. However the album itself did not sell much.
In 1992, he started a long partnership with writer Jean Fauque, for “Osez Joséphine”, an album which also contains some cover of classic Rock such as “Night in White Satin”. His fan base grew and the album sold 350 000 copies. In 1994, he followed up with “Chatterton,” collaborating with Sonny Landreth, Ally McErlaine, Link Wray, Marc Ribot and Stéphane Belmondo. The key single extracted from this album is “Ma petite entreprise.” He started a two-year tour that results in the 1995 live album, “Confessions publiques.”
After recording a duet with Brigitte Fontaine "City" for her album "Les Palaces", Bashung returned to the musical world following a stint acting and in 1998 with “Fantaisie militaire”. While making this album in collaboration with Rodolphe Burger, Les Valentins and Jean-Marc Lederman. He will receive three Victoires de la Musique for the Album in 1999.
In 2002, he released the “L'imprudence” album to further critical acclaim. During the same year, he recorded with his wife, actress and comedian Chloé Mons “le Cantique des cantiques”. They created this title for their wedding in 2001, on a music written by Rodolphe Burger and on the basis a a new translation of the “Cantique des cantiques” from the Bible by the Author Olivier Cadiot.
In 2004, he released live double album “La tournée des grands espaces."
In 2005, for the twentieth Victoires de la Musique, he received an award for the best album of the last 20 years for “Fantaisie militaire.”
In the beginning of 2007, he participates in the tour “Les Aventuriers d'un autre Monde” with Jean-Louis Aubert (Téléphone), Cali, Daniel Darc, Richard Kolinka (Téléphone) and Raphaeël.
In March 2009, he recieved three Victoires de la Musique for his last album "Bleu Pétrol".
He passed away on March 14th, 2009 of complications of metastatic lung cancer.
Animal on est mal
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a le dos couvert d'écailles
On sent la paille
Dans la faille
Et quand on ouvre la porte
Une armée de cloportes
Vous repousse en criant :
" Ici, pas de serpent ! "
Animal, on est mal. Animal, on est mal. Animal, on est mal.
On a deux cornes placées
Sur le devant du nez.
On s'abaisse.
On s'affaisse.
On a la queue qui frise.
On a la peau épaisse.
On a la peau grise
Et quand on veut sortir
Avec une demoiselle,
On l'invite à dîner.
Quand elle vous voit,
Que dit-elle ?
" Il ne vous manque qu'une bosse.
Vade retro, rhinocéros ! "
Animal, on est mal Animal, on est mal Animal, on est mal
On assiste à l'opération de la girafe.
La voilà qui se retrouve le cou plein d'agrafes.
Elle appelle au secours
On veut lui mettre un pantalon
Mais il est trop court
Animal, on est mal
On pond ses oeufs dans le sable
Et quand on passe à table
Les chevaux-vapeurs
On pris peur
De se retrouver loin de leur étable.
Animal, on est mal Animal, on est mal Animal, on est mal
Et si on ne se conduit pas bien
On revivra peut-être dans un peau d'un humain
Animal, on est mal
Animal, on est mal
Et Dieu reconnaîtra les siens...
The song Animal on est mal by Alain Bashung is a somber reflection on the indignities of being an animal, metaphorically speaking. The lyrics describe a creature with a scaly back, a frizzy tail, and thick, gray skin. This animal is ostracized by society, feared and rejected by potential mates, and ultimately destined to live a life of loneliness and isolation. The animal is also powerless and vulnerable, subject to the whims of human captors who ignore its cries for help and force it to undergo degrading medical procedures.
The animal imagery in the song is not only symbolic but also serves as a metaphor for the human condition. The song critiques how society marginalizes those who are different or perceived as inferior, treating them as outcasts and denying them basic rights and dignity. The lyrics also hint at the possibility of reincarnation, with a warning that if we don't behave well in this life, we may come back as animals ourselves.
Overall, the song is a lament for the struggles and injustices faced by those who are marginalized and oppressed in society, whether human or animal.
Line by Line Meaning
Animal, on est mal
Things are not going well for us animals
On a le dos couvert d'écailles
Our backs are covered in scales
On sent la paille, Dans la faille
We can feel the straw and the cracks
Et quand on ouvre la porte, Une armée de cloportes Vous repousse en criant : " Ici, pas de serpent ! "
And when we try to enter a place, we are met with hostility from others who are afraid of us
On a deux cornes placées Sur le devant du nez. On s'abaisse. On s'affaisse.
We have two horns on our nose, but we feel defeated
On a la queue qui frise. On a la peau épaisse. On a la peau grise
Our skin is tough and gray, and our tails curl
Et quand on veut sortir Avec une demoiselle, On l'invite à dîner. Quand elle vous voit, Que dit-elle ? " Il ne vous manque qu'une bosse. Vade retro, rhinocéros ! "
When we try to court a lady, she is unimpressed and even repulsed by our appearance
On assiste à l'opération de la girafe. La voilà qui se retrouve le cou plein d'agrafes. Elle appelle au secours On veut lui mettre un pantalon Mais il est trop court
We witness the distressing sight of a giraffe undergoing surgery, but the attempts to make her well don't fit her right
On pond ses oeufs dans le sable Et quand on passe à table Les chevaux-vapeurs On pris peur De se retrouver loin de leur étable.
We lay our eggs in the sand, and even other animals are afraid of us at mealtimes
Et si on ne se conduit pas bien On revivra peut-être dans un peau d'un humain Animal, on est mal Animal, on est mal Et Dieu reconnaîtra les siens...
If we don't behave ourselves, we may be reborn as humans - a warning about the consequences of our actions
Contributed by Carson V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
JR BOUCHARD
Sublime
Sandra Ostinelli
J’adore . Une chanson encore d’actualité.
Janine Blanchet
oh oui !!! mais quel refuge
franck auger
Le Maitre des mots... et du son !
Sylvie Thierry
P... N !! je ne pensais pas avoir tant vieilli !!! mais la chanson elle n'a pas pris une ride, preuve - s'il en est encore besoin - du talent, du génie de G MANSET !!
Le Kroll
Je découvre, et j'aime beaucoup !
Domi Dupraz
Merci
serge lhuillier
Le grand Gérard Manset.
Laia Mayer
"Et si l'on ne se comporte pas bien / On reviendra peut-être dans la peau d'un humain".
Provent Jean-Charles
Unique artiste.