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.
Ca Cache Quekchose
Alain Bashung Lyrics
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Les fakirs traversent dans les clous
Tu m'as dit vas-y beau blond
Les lave-vaisselle ont plus de marques au cou
Ma bignole lit Rock et Folk
Ses bigoudis vont friser l'incident
Elle montre plus ses dentelles grises
En hurlant vive les sixties
Ça cache quekchose
Je l'entends plus crier mon nom
Ça cache quekchose
Attends-toi à des distorsions
Le lion de la Metro exagère
Il veut plus bouffer du Mayer
Bigophone on s'entend bien
Plus de faux-jeton je peux mettre le mien
Ça cache quekchose
Je l'entends plus crier mon nom
Ça cache quekchose
Attends-toi à des distorsions
Il fait lourd l'homme-poisson se les caille
Poupée ça me dit rien qui vaille
Et la grosse du Président
Tu crois qu'elle nous porte des collants
Ça cache quekchose
Je l'entends plus crier mon nom
Ça cache quekchose
Attends-toi à des distorsions
Ça cache quekchose
"C'est cache quekchose" by Alain Bashung is a playful and enigmatic song, with lyrics that are both surreal and whimsical. The song opens with the singer observing a strange and eerie calm, where even the fakirs are crossing the street like regular pedestrians. He then mentions his lover, who reads a rock and folk magazine, while her hair rollers seem to be on the verge of causing an accident. Interestingly, she shows less and less of her gray lace while screaming ‘long live the sixties.’
The chorus, "Ça cache quekchose" (It hides something), suggests that all is not as it seems, and that there is something hidden beneath the surface. The singer hears his name less and less, as if his lover is trying to keep something from him. He anticipates ‘distortions,' implying that whatever is hidden from him will ultimately cause a disruption in his life.
The second verse is equally surreal, mentioning a lion from a movie studio, who wants to eat more than just a particular brand of food. Then, the singer notes that he gets along well with Bigophone, presumably a friend who doesn't engage in deception like other people. The last lines are both cryptic and humorous, with the man describing the hot weather and questioning whether the President's large secretary wears stockings.
Overall, "Ça cache quekchose" by Alain Bashung is a lighthearted and mysterious song, with lyrics that skirt around the edges of the surreal and absurd, leaving the listener to guess at what might lie beneath the surface.
Line by Line Meaning
Tout est redevenu étrangement calme
Everything has strangely quieted down
Les fakirs traversent dans les clous
The fakirs are crossing the street properly
Tu m'as dit vas-y beau blond
You told me to go for it, handsome blond
Les lave-vaisselle ont plus de marques au cou
The dishwashers no longer have marks on their necks
Ma bignole lit Rock et Folk
My lady reads Rock and Folk
Ses bigoudis vont friser l'incident
Her curlers are about to cause trouble
Elle montre plus ses dentelles grises
She's no longer showing off her gray lace
En hurlant vive les sixties
While shouting long live the sixties
Ça cache quekchose
Something's being hidden
Je l'entends plus crier mon nom
I no longer hear her calling my name
Attends-toi à des distorsions
Expect some distortion
Le lion de la Metro exagère
The Metro lion is exaggerating
Il veut plus bouffer du Mayer
He wants to eat more Mayer
Bigophone on s'entend bien
We get along well with the Bigophone
Plus de faux-jeton je peux mettre le mien
I can no longer wear a fake mask, I have to be myself
Il fait lourd l'homme-poisson se les caille
It's hot, the fish man is cold
Poupée ça me dit rien qui vaille
Doll, something doesn't feel right to me
Et la grosse du Président
And the President's heavy woman
Tu crois qu'elle nous porte des collants
Do you think she's wearing stockings for us?
Lyrics © ALLO MUSIC EDITIONS, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alain BASHUNG, Boris BERGMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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
…