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.
J'Croise Aux Hébrides
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mort de soif dans le désert de Gaby
Respectez une minute de silence
Faites comme si j'étais pas arrivé
Je croise des gimmicks
Je croise mon public
Je croise aux Hébrides
Je croise des surplus
De collector
Made in URSS
Et personne remarque
Déjà de son vivant il s'accordait mal
Moi je suis d'accord, faut savoir bluffer
Pour un gaucher porter à droite
Vous parlez d'un sublime handicap
Je croise des dealers
Je croise des thrillers
Je croise des killers
Je croise des criseurs
Je croise des actrices
Sans scénar'
Dans des bars
Et personne
Remarque
In Alain Bashung's song "J'Croise Aux Hébrides," the lyrics depict a sense of disillusionment and detachment from the world around him. The opening lines "Je dédie cette angoisse à un chanteur disparu / Mort de soif dans le désert de Gaby" (I dedicate this anguish to a disappeared singer / Dead of thirst in the desert of Gaby) pay tribute to a singer who has passed away, highlighting the feeling of loneliness and desperation. He then asks for a minute of silence, suggesting that he feels invisible and unnoticed by others.
The repetition of the phrase "Je croise" (I come across/I meet) throughout the song emphasizes his encounters with various elements of his career and life. He encounters gimmicks, his audience, the Hébrides (a group of islands off the west coast of Scotland), and the zenith (a reference to performing at the highest point of success). However, despite crossing paths with all these things, he feels overlooked, as expressed in the line "Et personne remarque" (And nobody notices).
The second verse delves into the theme of disconnection further, with the mention of a deceased person who had difficulty fitting in during his lifetime. Bashung relates to this by expressing agreement in the need to bluff and adapt to survive. The line "Pour un gaucher porter à droite / Vous parlez d'un sublime handicap" (For a left-handed person to carry on the right / You talk about a sublime handicap) highlights the challenges of conformity and adapting to societal expectations.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of longing for recognition and a feeling of being adrift in a world that doesn't fully understand or appreciate him. It captures a feeling of isolation, despite being surrounded by people and elements of his career.
Line by Line Meaning
Je dédie cette angoisse à un chanteur disparu
I dedicate this anguish to a departed singer
Mort de soif dans le désert de Gaby
Died of thirst in Gaby's desert
Respectez une minute de silence
Respect one minute of silence
Faites comme si j'étais pas arrivé
Act as if I hadn't arrived
Je croise des gimmicks
I cross paths with gimmicks
Je croise mon public
I encounter my audience
Je croise aux Hébrides
I cross paths in the Hebrides
Je croise au zénith
I cross paths at the zenith
Je croise des surplus
I come across surplus
De collector
Of collectors'
Made in URSS
Made in USSR
Et personne remarque
And no one notices
Déjà de son vivant il s'accordait mal
Already in his lifetime, he didn't fit in
Moi je suis d'accord, faut savoir bluffer
As for me, I agree, you have to know how to bluff
Pour un gaucher porter à droite
For a left-handed person to wear on the right
Vous parlez d'un sublime handicap
You're talking about a sublime handicap
Je croise des dealers
I come across dealers
Je croise des thrillers
I come across thrillers
Je croise des killers
I come across killers
Je croise des criseurs
I come across cruisers
Je croise des actrices
I come across actresses
Sans scénar'
Without a script
Dans des bars
In bars
Et personne
And no one
Remarque
Notices
Lyrics © SM PUBLISHING FRANCE, ALLO MUSIC EDITIONS, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alain Bashung, Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
philippe bernard
« J' dédie cette angoisse à un chanteur disparu
Mort de soif dans le désert de "Gaby"
Respectez une minute de silence
Faites comme si j'étais pas arrivéééééé...
(...)
Et personne remaaaaaaaaaaarque... »
*
"J'Croise aux Hébrides" (Alain Bashung / Serge Gainsbourg)
Extrait de l'album "Play Blessures" (1982)
Thomas Boulard
Plus de 30 ans que cette chanson est pour moi une des plus belles oeuvres de la musique contemporaine.
Fleur de sel
Souvenir magique, cet album incomparable !
Thomas Boulard
Une de mes préférées!:)
Maurice Boyer
Que de souvenirs à l'écoute de cette chanson !!! qu'elle était belle notre France en ce temps là.
MHV
Bah bah qu'est-ce que c'est que cette nostalgie à la noix ? C'est nous qui étions jeunes, voilà tout. En 82 le gouvernement socialiste commence à faire de l'oeil au grand capital. C'était beau ça ? Y a qu'à voir le résultat aujourd'hui. Tout vieux qui regarde sa jeunesse trouve qu'il vivait dans un beau pays.
Rooo
Magnifique !
michel vansteenberge
C'est pas possible , comme c'est beau !!!!!!!!
lionel beaulaton
top titre!!!
vespistico2
album culte de cold wave
philippe bernard
« J' dédie cette angoisse à un chanteur disparu
Mort de soif dans le désert de "Gaby"
Respectez une minute de silence
Faites comme si j'étais pas arrivéééééé...
(...)
Et personne remaaaaaaaaaaarque... »
*
"J'Croise aux Hébrides" (Alain Bashung / Serge Gainsbourg)
Extrait de l'album "Play Blessures" (1982)