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.
C'Est Comment Qu'On Freine
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ça fait jamais qu'une borne que tu m'aimes
Je sais pas si je veux te connaître plus loin
Arrête de me dire que je vais pas bien
C'est comment qu'on freine
Je voudrais descendre de là
C'est comment qu'on freine
J'cherche un circuit pour que j'm'éclate
L'allume-cigare je peux contrôler
Les vitesses c'est déjà plus calé
C'est comment qu'on freine
Tous ces cosaques me rayent le canon
Je nage dans le goulag je rêve d'évasion
Caractériel je sais pas dire oui
Dans ma pauvre cervelle carton bouilli
C'est comment qu'on freine
Je m'acolyte trop avec moi-même
Je me colle au pare-brise ça me gêne
Ça sent le cramé sous les projos
Regarde où j'en suis je tringle aux rideaux
C'est qu'on freine
Je voudrais descendre de là
C'est comment qu'on freine
The song C'est Comment Qu'On Freine by Alain Bashung is a lament of a man who feels locked in a state of inertia and desperately wants to hit the brakes and get off the ride. The opening line "Pousse ton genou, j'passe la troisième" (Push your knee, I'm shifting to third gear) suggests that the man is driving a car and seeking to escape, but he is only one kilometre away from the person he loves, who is apparently sitting right next to him. He doesn't know if he wants to know this person any better, and he resents being told that he's not doing well. The repeated refrain of "C'est comment qu'on freine" (How do we brake) amplifies the sense of desperation and confusion.
The next verse introduces the image of a stunt driver racing on a track, with the man feeling like he's the one doing the flips and spins. He can control the cigarette lighter, but he can't get the gears to work smoothly. The line "Tous ces cosaques me rayent le canon" (All these Cossacks are scratching my barrel) adds to the feeling of oppression and confinement. The man is in a "gulag," dreaming of freedom, but unable to express himself or make clear decisions. The phrase "pauvre cervelle carton bouilli" (poor boiled cardboard brain) is particularly evocative, suggesting a sense of degradation and dissolution.
Line by Line Meaning
Pousse ton genou, j'passe la troisième
Accelerate harder while I shift gears up to third
Ça fait jamais qu'une borne que tu m'aimes
You've only been loving me for a short while
Je sais pas si je veux te connaître plus loin
I'm unsure if I want to know you any better
Arrête de me dire que je vais pas bien
Stop telling me that I'm not doing okay
C'est comment qu'on freine
How do we hit the brakes?
Je voudrais descendre de là
I want to get off from here
Cascadeur sous Ponce-Pilate
Stuntman under Pontius Pilate
J'cherche un circuit pour que j'm'éclate
I'm searching for a track to have fun on
L'allume-cigare je peux contrôler
I can control the cigarette lighter
Les vitesses c'est déjà plus calé
Shifting gears is already smoother
Tous ces cosaques me rayent le canon
All these troubles are scratching my barrel
Je nage dans le goulag je rêve d'évasion
I'm swimming in the Gulag, dreaming of escape
Caractériel je sais pas dire oui
I'm temperamental, I don't know how to say yes
Dans ma pauvre cervelle carton bouilli
In my poor cardboard brain
Je m'acolyte trop avec moi-même
I'm too close to myself
Je me colle au pare-brise ça me gêne
I'm sticking to the windshield, it's bothering me
Ça sent le cramé sous les projos
It smells burnt under the spotlights
Regarde où j'en suis je tringle aux rideaux
Look at where I am, I'm hanging on the curtains
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALAIN BASHUNG, SERGE GAINSBOURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marcelsylvoz3868
Quand des pros entrent en contact, voilà la naissance d'un chef-d'œuvre.
@MicheleBricke
Du grand Bashung, je l'adore, il est toujours là, il sait qu'on l'aime.... Merci Monsieur Bashung, je vous admirerai toujours...
@scrtboy34
ne freine pas grand , quand bashung et gainsbourg bossent ensembles ça donne ça, un monument émotionnel absolument intemporel
@victormartial2668
Un maître surréaliste, un poète déjanté , une étoile filante, une comète de l'alleluia....
@jeandubois2754
poète surréaliste, il a bcp d 'écho en belgique effectivement
@marcdelente2456
Alain Bashung est un génie éternel et intemporels pour des siecles.
@daufresnej
Voici les conditions de réalisation de l'album (décrites par Bashung ou collaborateurs). Vers 15 heures, Bashung et Gainsbourg se retrouvent au studio. Vers 17 heures, ils partaient boire un coup et ils revenaient vers 19-20 heures puis ils retravaillaient en studio jusqu'à environ minuit puis tournée des bars et ils finissaient tous les deux ''dans le caniveau", dixit Bashung. Ca a duré trois mois. Il n'est pas impossible qu'un certain nombre de prises aient été enregistrées entre 19h et 0h.
@lionelbeaulaton7610
une pépite ce titre!!!!!!!!
@stephrio4694
Oups! Une pépite à la Gainsbourg..
Énorme..😎👍🎤
@rivetrichard1625
du grand BASHUNG TU NOUS MANQUES MON POTE!