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.
Imbécile
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dans le fond des asiles
Pour le trouver l'amour fou, imbécile
René retourne au pieu
Vampire système PAL
Tu seras jamais écuyère
Le tutu te va mal
C'est pas mes oignons
À la queue comme tout le monde
Je vais compter jusqu'à trois
Ça fait mouche sous les bras
Y'a pas de quoi faire un drame
Débile crédite débite
C'est en réclame
Lalala crédite lalala débite
Imbécile, Fatima a tout vu
Elle va tout dévoiler
Avale le microfilm
Et brosse tes pellicules
Remets le champ' dans la glace
Pas envie de m'étendre
Attraction internationale
Vous pouvez faire la chambre
Lalala crédite lalala débite
Imbécile t'as encore été traîner
Dans le fond des asiles
Pour le trouver l'amour fou, imbécile
Le Jivaro fait plus de réduction
Déchiré, acculé, en été j'ai un doute
J'allume un éclaireur ou je me paye un scout
Lalala débite lalala crédite
The song "Imbécile" by Alain Bashung is a sarcastic and cynical commentary on modern society and its obsession with consumerism and materialism. The lyrics are spoken from the perspective of an observer who sees society as being full of "imbeciles" who are more concerned with their own petty desires and pleasures than anything else. The first verse is directed at someone who is looking for love in all the wrong places, someone who keeps going back to the "asiles" or asylums, which could symbolize either mental institutions or seedy bars/clubs. The observer is essentially calling him an idiot for not being able to find love anywhere else.
The second verse is a criticism of the media and advertising industry. The lines "Ça fait mouche sous les bras" and "Débile crédit débite" suggest that the media is preying on people's insecurities and weaknesses, using fear and manipulation to convince them to buy things they don't need. The line "Avale le microfilm et brosse tes pellicules" is a reference to the spy genre, implying that the media is spying on people and collecting information about them for their own purposes.
The chorus is a repetition of the lines "Lalala crédite lalala débite," which could be interpreted as a commentary on the mindless repetition of consumerist slogans and jingles.
Overall, "Imbécile" is a scathing critique of modern society and its values, suggesting that people are becoming more and more shallow and obsessed with material possessions, while losing sight of what's truly important.
Line by Line Meaning
Imbécile t'as encore été traîner
You foolish person, you've once again gone to the bottom of the asylums
Dans le fond des asiles
You went deep into the asylums
Pour le trouver l'amour fou, imbécile
You did that to find true love, you foolish person
René retourne au pieu
René is going to bed
Vampire système PAL
The PAL system vampire
Tu seras jamais écuyère
You'll never be a horse-riding performer
Le tutu te va mal
The tutu doesn't suit you
C'est pas mes oignons
It's none of my business
J'étais là avant toi
I was here before you
À la queue comme tout le monde
In the line like everyone else
Je vais compter jusqu'à trois
I'll count to three
Ça fait mouche sous les bras
It's sweaty under the arms
Y'a pas de quoi faire un drame
There's no need to make a big deal out of it
Débile crédite débite
Stupidity debits and credits
C'est en réclame
It's in the advertisement
Lalala crédite lalala débite
Lalala credits, lalala debits
Imbécile, Fatima a tout vu
Foolish person, Fatima saw everything
Elle va tout dévoiler
She's going to reveal everything
Avale le microfilm
Swallow the microfilm
Et brosse tes pellicules
And brush your dandruff
Remets le champ' dans la glace
Put the champagne back into the ice bucket
Pas envie de m'étendre
I don't feel like going into detail
Attraction internationale
International attraction
Vous pouvez faire la chambre
You can have the room
Imbécile t'as encore été traîner
You foolish person, you've once again gone to the bottom of the asylums
Le Jivaro fait plus de réduction
The Jivaro doesn't give discounts anymore
Déchiré, acculé, en été j'ai un doute
Torn, cornered, in the summer, I have a doubt
J'allume un éclaireur ou je me paye un scout
I turn on a searchlight or I pay for a scout
Lalala débite lalala crédite
Lalala debits, lalala credits
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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
…