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.
Cendrillon De Chinatown
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Faut pas traîner
Le bouge où ton père se came
C'est du passé
Car la Chine opaline
De son vieux cinéma parlant
M arie-Jeanne
L'ont endormie pour longtemps...
Longtemps
Tu te fends d'une robe longue
Sur le côté
Mais le monde de Suzie Wong
Il est râpé
Car la belle
Ô belle
De ce vieux cinéma dormant
L'Amérique
Boulimique
L'a engloutie pour longtemps...
Longtemps
Au milieu des Hills et de Beverly
Dans un ciné désert
Une chinoise de quinze ans vend du pop-corn
Dans un kimono vert...
Elle se voit déjà
Greta
Cendrillon de Chinatown
Et la Chine héroïne
Se perd derrière ses paravents
Je me mine
Je m'abîme
Mes rêves
N'en ont plus pour longtemps...
Longtemps
Pourtant...
Cendrillon de Chinatown
The French lyrics of Alain Bashung's "Cendrillon de Chinatown" convey the story of a girl who dreams of making it big in Hollywood but is trapped in her past and her heritage. The song opens with the line "Cendrillon de Chinatown, faut pas traîner" ("Cinderella of Chinatown, don't drag your feet"). The reference to Cinderella suggests that the singer is in a state of transformation or must work hard to attain her goals. The song goes on to describe her background, where her father's opium addiction has led her to desert a seedy lair in Chinatown, and escape to Hollywood.
The lyrics mention the "Chine opaline de son vieux cinéma parlant" ("opaline China of its old talking cinema") to paint a picture of Hollywood's obsession with a romanticised image of the Orient. The character of Suzie Wong, from the novel-turned-film "The World of Suzie Wong," is also mentioned as the singer's idol, and her kimono is characterized in the same breath. However, the song also highlights the loneliness and disillusionment of those who are trying to make it in Hollywood, with the singer's day-dream of being discovered wearing a green kimono and crowned as beautiful as Greta Garbo being sung to the backdrop of a deserted cinema where a fifteen-year-old Chinese girl sells popcorn.
Bashung's interpretation of the song is filled with nuances, imagery, and a particular gentle quality that elevates the story's tragic essence. The song's title switches the reference to the Chinese story of Cinderella, and the lyrics pay tribute to the fading glamour of Hollywood, quashed dreams, and the reality of the immigrant's experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Cendrillon de Chinatown
The singer of the song who is referred to as Cinderella of Chinatown.
Faut pas traîner
She can't linger.
Le bouge où ton père se came
The seedy joint where her father used to go to get his fix.
C'est du passé
It's all in the past now.
Car la Chine opaline
The opalescent China.
De son vieux cinéma parlant
From its old talking cinema.
Marie-Jeanne
Marijuana.
Opiomane
Opium addict.
L'ont endormie pour longtemps...
Put her to sleep for a long time...
Longtemps
For a long time.
Tu te fends d'une robe longue
She dons a long dress,
Sur le côté
On the side.
Mais le monde de Suzie Wong
But the world of Suzie Wong.
Il est râpé
Is worn out.
Car la belle
Because the belle,
Ô belle
Oh beautiful,
De ce vieux cinéma dormant
Of this old dormant cinema.
L'Amérique
America.
Boulimique
Is a glutton for consumption.
L'a engloutie pour longtemps...
Has swallowed it up for a long time.
Longtemps
For a long time.
Au milieu des Hills et de Beverly
In the midst of the Hills and Beverly.
Dans un ciné désert
In an empty cinema.
Une chinoise de quinze ans vend du pop-corn
A fifteen-year-old Chinese girl selling popcorn.
Dans un kimono vert...
In a green kimono...
Elle se voit déjà
She already sees herself,
Greta
As a famous actress like Greta Garbo.
Et la Chine héroïne
And the heroic China,
Se perd derrière ses paravents
Lost behind its screens.
Je me mine
I wear myself down,
Je m'abîme
I harm myself,
Mes rêves
My dreams,
N'en ont plus pour longtemps...
Don't have much time left.
Longtemps
For a long time.
Pourtant...
Yet...
Lyrics © ALLO MUSIC EDITIONS
Written by: Alain BASHUNG, Boris BERGMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aldriclegall6538
Merci à vous d'avoir téléchargé les chansons de cet album rare. Il manque 1 titre de cet album : Blablas. Ce serait vraiment sympa de votre part de le rajouter. En tout cas merci de cette bonne initiative.
@resistanceinfos981
un truc pour christophe çà ! planant