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.
Blablas
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pour aller vider mes deux poubelles
Je pense à mes années qui filent
Et je pense aussi à elle
Je gamberge sur ma cage à lapins
Je gamberge sur tout, ça m'fait du bien
Je me fais des blablas et j'y crois
Je me fais des blablas
Et j'y crois ça m'aide à tenir
À ne pas souffrir
Je laisse la lumière allumée
Près de l'entrée de ma carrée
En rentrant mes poubelles vides
J'ai comme ça l'impression qu'elle est occupée
Je me fais un coup ou deux de télé
Elle gamberge sur rien et ça me fait du bien
Elle me fais des blablas et j'y crois
Elle me fais des blablas et j'y crois
Elle me fais des blablas et j'y crois
Ca m'aide à tenir
À ne pas souffrir
Ca m'aide à tenir
À ne pas souffrir
En parlant de politique
J'avais gâché notre pique-nique
Y a rien à faire d'un type comme moi
Et puis je mange avec les doigts
Te souviens-tu de ma cage à lapins
Te souviens-tu de tout, dis, es-tu bien
Tu te fais des blablas comme moi
Ce sont d'autres blablas et j'y crois
Tu te fais des blablas et t'y crois
Ca t'aide à tenir
À ne pas souffrir
Ca t'aide à tenir
À ne pas souffrir
The lyrics to Alain Bashung's song Blablas describe the singer's daily routine of taking out his trash while contemplating the passing of time and reminiscing about a past lover. He reflects on his mundane life and finds solace in his thoughts, allowing himself to make up stories and believe in them. He describes his apartment as a "cage à lapins" or rabbit cage, highlighting his feeling of confinement in his everyday life. His desire to believe in something gives him comfort and helps him cope with the pain of missing his former partner.
The singer then imagines his ex-partner in his apartment with him, leaving the lights on to give the impression that she is there. He watches television to distract himself and imagines his ex-partner doing the same. He acknowledges that he made mistakes in their relationship and ruined a picnic by bringing up politics. He questions his own worth and ability to be loved, but ultimately takes comfort in the fact that his ex-partner likely has her own "blablas" or stories she tells herself to cope with their separation.
Line by Line Meaning
En descendant mes six étages
Pour aller vider mes deux poubelles
Je pense à mes années qui filent
Et je pense aussi à elle
Je gamberge sur ma cage à lapins
Je gamberge sur tout, ça m'fait du bien
As I descend my six floors
To go empty my two bins
I think about the passing years
And I also think about her
I ponder about my rabbit's pen
I ponder about everything, it does me good
Je me fais des blablas et j'y crois
Je me fais des blablas et j'y crois
Je me fais des blablas
Et j'y crois ça m'aide à tenir
À ne pas souffrir
I make up stories and believe them
I make up stories and believe them
I make up stories
And I believe, it helps me cope
To not suffer
Je laisse la lumière allumée
Près de l'entrée de ma carrée
En rentrant mes poubelles vides
J'ai comme ça l'impression qu'elle est occupée
Je me fais un coup ou deux de télé
Elle gamberge sur rien et ça me fait du bien
I leave the light on
Near the entrance of my square
When I bring back my empty bins
So I have the impression that it's occupied
I watch a show or two on TV
She ponders about nothing and it does me good
Elle me fais des blablas et j'y crois
Elle me fais des blablas et j'y crois
Elle me fais des blablas et j'y crois
Ca m'aide à tenir
À ne pas souffrir
Ca m'aide à tenir
À ne pas souffrir
She makes up stories and I believe them
She makes up stories and I believe them
She makes up stories and I believe them
It helps me cope
To not suffer
It helps me cope
To not suffer
En parlant de politique
J'avais gâché notre pique-nique
Y a rien à faire d'un type comme moi
Et puis je mange avec les doigts
Te souviens-tu de ma cage à lapins
Te souviens-tu de tout, dis, es-tu bien
Speaking of politics
I had ruined our picnic
There's nothing to do with a guy like me
And then I eat with my fingers
Do you remember my rabbit's pen?
Do you remember everything, tell me, are you fine?
Tu te fais des blablas comme moi
Ce sont d'autres blablas et j'y crois
Tu te fais des blablas et t'y crois
Ca t'aide à tenir
À ne pas souffrir
Ca t'aide à tenir
À ne pas souffrir
You make up stories like me
They're other stories and I believe them
You make up stories and believe them
It helps you cope
To not suffer
It helps you cope
To not suffer
Contributed by Miles D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Christian Mela
Bien que Bashung n'appréciait pas cet album, au point de vouloir le rayer de sa discographie, on peut y trouver de véritables "perles".
Notamment cette chanson ou "C'est la faute à Dylan" et encore "Y'a des jours".
En tout cas, merci pour le partage et de ne pas oublier ce grand artiste.
Christian Mela
@Bruno Gaillardo
Merci à toi !
Je me suis abonné à ta chaîne.
Bruno Gaillardo
Merci pour ton com' ... j'aime toujours autant cette album et le deuxième aussi... je vais en reposter d'autre