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.
Après d'apres hostilités
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu me prenais la main et tu m'emmenais
Sur le mont Valérien me faire voir
Les galaxies
Me faire écouter
Les comètes
Tu me disais
Préconisais
C'était quand je voulais
Où je voulais
Je n'étais plus ta risée
Après d'âpres hostilités
Tu m'arrivais comme un torrent
Dans l'estuaire
Tu me disais
C'est des ragots
Du fiel
Le venin d'un ver de terre
J'irai en découdre
Avec ce tissu de mensonges
Abattons la cloison
Arrachons les plinthes
La citadelle
Au créneau
A l'assaut de l'euphorie
C'est pas le fruit d'une mûre réflexion
Mais plutôt une pulsion
Sans nom sans définition
Mon unique solution
Pure laine coton
C'est pas le fruit
C'est pas la saison
C'est pas la raison
Après d'âpres hostilités
Tu me prenais la main et ça tournait
Tu me disais
C'est la faute au cerveau
Ces faux départs
Drapés dignes
Reprenons les grandes manoeuvres
La tenue léopard
Je ne suis là que pour toi
Je ne suis là que pour toi
J'ai fait un songe
Une hypothèse
Un projet de baise
C'est pas le fruit d'une mûre réflexion
Mais plutôt une pulsion
Sans nom sans définition
Mon unique solution
Pure laine coton
C'est pas le fruit
C'est pas la saison
C'est pas la raison
The song "Après d'âpres hostilités" by Alain Bashung talks about the ups and downs of a relationship. The song is about reconciliation after a period of hostility between the two lovers. The singer recalls how, after their arguments and fights, his partner would take his hand and take him to Mont Valérien to watch the galaxies and listen to the comets. This simple gesture helped them forget their problems and reconcile.
The relationship is portrayed as tumultuous and unstable, with the couple going through cycles of fighting, breaking up, and then reconciling. The singer talks about how his partner would come back to him like a torrent in the estuary and how they would plan to fight the lies and gossip surrounding them, symbolized by tearing down walls and rushing towards euphoria.
The song is a mix of poetry and symbolism, with the use of cosmic imagery and metaphors. In the end, the singer talks about a dream or a mere impulse for sex, as if to show that even at the end of the day, their relationship is still driven by primitive desires, rather than deep emotional connections.
Line by Line Meaning
Après d'âpres hostilités
After intense hostilities
Tu me prenais la main et tu m'emmenais
Sur le mont Valérien me faire voir
Les galaxies
Me faire écouter
Les comètes
You took my hand and led me to Mont Valérien to show me galaxies and let me listen to comets
Tu me disais
Préconisais
Des caresses volubiles
C'était quand je voulais
Où je voulais
Je n'étais plus ta risée
You would suggest and give me affectionate touches whenever and wherever I wanted, and I was no longer your laughingstock
Tu m'arrivais comme un torrent
Dans l'estuaire
Tu me disais
C'est des ragots
Du fiel
Le venin d'un ver de terre
J'irai en découdre
Avec ce tissu de mensonges
You came to me like a torrent in the estuary and told me that it was just gossip and the venom of a worm. You promised to fight against the fabric of lies
Abattons la cloison
Arrachons les plinthes
La citadelle
Au créneau
A l'assaut de l'euphorie
Let's tear down the walls, remove the baseboards, attack the citadel, and storm the ramparts of euphoria
C'est pas le fruit d'une mûre réflexion
Mais plutôt une pulsion
Sans nom sans définition
Mon unique solution
Pure laine coton
C'est pas le fruit
C'est pas la saison
C'est pas la raison
It's not the result of mature reflection, but rather an unnamed and undefined impulse that is my only solution. It's not the fruit, the season, or the reason
Après d'âpres hostilités
Tu me prenais la main et ça tournait
Tu me disais
C'est la faute au cerveau
Ces faux départs
Drapés dignes
Reprenons les grandes manoeuvres
La tenue léopard
Je ne suis là que pour toi
Je ne suis là que pour toi
After intense hostilities, you would take my hand, things would spin, and you'd say "it's the brain's fault." We made false starts, draped ourselves in dignity, and resumed our grand maneuvers. In leopard print attire, I am only here for you
J'ai fait un songe
Une hypothèse
Un projet de baise
C'est pas le fruit d'une mûre réflexion
Mais plutôt une pulsion
Sans nom sans définition
Mon unique solution
Pure laine coton
C'est pas le fruit
C'est pas la saison
C'est pas la raison
I had a dream, a hypothesis, a plan to have sex. It's not the result of mature reflection, but rather an unnamed and undefined impulse that is my only solution. It's not the fruit, the season, or the reason
Contributed by Harper S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alain B.
on La fille de la maison des dunes
Elle verra la vie qu’il me faut
Dans du marc de thé chaud
Car elle sait tous les secrets du tarot
Je me noie dans ses cheveux noirs
(je) Suis enfin au pouvoir
Car elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
Elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
Je me vois comme un bout d’étoile
Dans sa boule de cristal
Et je ne vois pas bien ou est le mal
Où est le mal
D’accord elle est un peu sorcière
La fille aux mains de pierre
Mais elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
Elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
Plus je me la mets dans la tête
Plus j’deviens une sorte de mouette
Plus je vole dans son monde de flou
Plus je m’éloigne de vous
Je me brûle à son soleil noir
Terriens, bonsoir…
Oui elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
Elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
…