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.
Bombez
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tes parties avec mes revenus
Que d'allées venues
Vers quel crayon s'est-elle taillée désormais
Que vais-je faire de cet abandon
À qui en faire don?
Prenez des forces bombez!
Bombez le torse bombez!
Ca c'est my way
I know, I know
Sa turne a l'air habitée
Alors qu'on sait que personne n'y vit
À qui se fier?
Bombez le torse bombez!
Prenez des forces bombez!
Ca c'est my way
Les paras sont normaux sous la tonnelle où rôde
Où rôde le Japon
Fidèle à ses traditions
Dans un dernier effort
L'empereur se soulève
Donne à boire au dragon
Et scrute les environs
Ah l'enfant que j'ai dans le dos
Fait se retourner tous les badauds
Piler les autos
Bombez le torse bombez!
Prenez des forces bombez!
Ca c'est my way
Ouistiti
T'as pas souri quand elle a ri
Tant pis
Les alterts et les égaux
Ca m'est égal ça m'est ego
Bombez le torse bombez!
The first lines of the song depict a relationship where the singer's partner knows everything about him, even his income and expenses. The relationship seems to be a transactional one as there are "comings and goings." The singer then wonders where his partner has gone to and what to do with this abandonment. The chorus, "Bombez le torse, bombez," which translates to "puff out your chest, puff out," is a call to arm. The singer urges listeners to take charge of their lives and move forward by taking control of their bodies.
The second verse is ambiguous in meaning. The singer refers to the place as "sa turne" or "his turn," which could mean a person's shift or someone's turn in life. It is clear that the place is empty, and no one lives there. The singer poses a question, "Whom can you trust?" It seems as though the singer is displaced and is struggling with his identity.
The third verse talks about normal soldiers at a garden who are loyal to the Japanese tradition. The last line depicts the emperor rising, giving the dragon a drink, and scanning the area as the singer's child in his back makes onlookers react.
The chorus remains the same throughout the song, which acts as a unifying message throughout the song. The call to action of taking charge of one's life and body is necessary to move forward despite uncertain or ambiguous circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah il sait tout mon petit doigt
My intuition tells me everything about you
Tes parties avec mes revenus
You enjoy my wealth and my life
Que d'allées venues
So many back and forths
Vers quel crayon s'est-elle taillée désormais
Which direction did she take now
Que vais-je faire de cet abandon
What will I do with this abandonment
À qui en faire don?
Who should I give it to?
Bombez le torse bombez!
Puff up your chest, puff up!
Prenez des forces bombez!
Gather strength and puff up!
Ca c'est my way
This is my way of doing things
I know, I know
I'm aware, I'm aware
Sa turne a l'air habitée
This neighborhood seems inhabited
Alors qu'on sait que personne n'y vit
Even though nobody seems to be living here
À qui se fier?
Who can I trust?
Les paras sont normaux sous la tonnelle où rôde
The paratroopers are normal under the arbor where they roam
Où rôde le Japon
As Japan roams around
Fidèle à ses traditions
Faithful to its traditions
Dans un dernier effort
In a last effort
L'empereur se soulève
The emperor rises
Donne à boire au dragon
Gives the dragon a drink
Et scrute les environs
And observes the surroundings
Ah l'enfant que j'ai dans le dos
Oh, the child on my back
Fait se retourner tous les badauds
Makes everyone turn their heads
Piler les autos
Causes a traffic jam
Ouistiti
Little monkey
T'as pas souri quand elle a ri
You didn't smile when she laughed
Tant pis
Too bad
Les alterts et les égaux
The alerts and the equals
Ca m'est égal ça m'est ego
I don't care about that, it's my ego
Bombez le torse bombez!
Puff up your chest, puff up!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALAIN BASHUNG, JEAN MARIE FAUQUE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Clement
l'album novice en lui même est un chef d'oeuvre
Richard Glaneux
Ah il sait tout mon petit doigt!! Toute son œuvre est un chef-d'œuvre !!!!
jeepeeone1954
Je ne connaissais pas alors que j'adore Alain!! Merci pour ce partage
Le Chat Qui Boit
+jeepeeone1954 : Oui, je trouve que cette chanson n'a pas du tout eu la reconnaissance méritée.
Je te conseille aussi l'écoute de la face B... Elle est vraiment pas mal non plus. Tu as le lien dans le commentaire ci-dessus.
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Sublime!
yvon mlacher
très bon souvenir aussi !
Le Chat Qui Boit
Pour la face B "Intrépide malgré la fièvre", c'est ici : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-J8ikL3bHg&feature=youtu.be
X YZ
T'es parti avec mes revenus.. hahaha