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.
Kimono
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Du saké chaud à Osaka
Des guincheries avec les geishas
Japon t'es pas tout à fait ça
T'es pas tout à fait ça (Bis)
Une viking toute nue dans Stockholm
Et du sexe qui sent bon l'cadum
Suède t'es pas tout à fait ça
T'es pas tout à fait ça (Bis)
Un béret sur la Tour Eiffel
Du onze degrés à l'arc-en-ciel
Poule au pot qu'a perdu ses ailes
La France t'es pas tout à fait ça
T'es pas tout à fait ça (Bis)
Président Carter pour le foie
Une maffia sans un Sinatra
Des Manson et des lolitas
U.S. t'es pas tout à fait ça
T'es pas tout à fait ça (Bis)
Un para paré au combat
Un paria qui vit hors des lois
Et Paris qui tremble pour moi
Ma vie c'est pas tout à fait ça
C'est pas tout à fait ça
T'es pas tout à fait ça (Bis)
Kimono et coca-cola
Du saké chaud à Osaka
Des guincheries avec les geishas
Japon t'es pas tout à fait ça
T'es pas tout à fait ça
The lyrics of Alain Bashung's "Kimono" touch on the idea of cultural stereotypes and the way countries are often perceived through preconceived notions. The song lists different stereotypes associated with countries like Japan, Sweden, France, and the US, indicating that these stereotypes are not entirely accurate representations of what these countries are actually like. The song starts with the line "Kimono et coca-cola," which suggests a mix of traditional and modern culture in Japan, but the following lyrics indicate that Japan is not just about hot sake and geishas, and is more complex than that.
Similarly, the song talks about Sweden beyond just a viking culture and references the country’s popular alcohol, aquavit. For France, it goes beyond the Eiffel Tower and French cuisine and acknowledges darker aspects of French history like the French Revolution. The song also mentions the US mafia and the scandalous Manson and Lolitas, indicating that there is more to the US than just Hollywood.
The final lines of the song, "Un para paré au combat, un paria qui vit hors des lois, et Paris qui tremble pour moi, ma vie c'est pas tout à fait ça" (A paratrooper ready for combat, an outcast who lives outside the law, and Paris who trembles for me, my life is not quite like that) suggest Bashung's personal experience of not fitting into these stereotypes and living a life that is unique to him. The song has a catchy melody that contrasts with the underlying message of the lyrics, emphasizing the idea that appearances can be deceiving.
Line by Line Meaning
Kimono et coca-cola
The mix of traditional and modern elements in Japanese culture
Du saké chaud à Osaka
The warmth of hospitality in Japanese culture
Des guincheries avec les geishas
The playful and intricate social norms of Japanese geisha culture
Japon t'es pas tout à fait ça
Japan embodies a unique blend of cultural traditions and modern influences
T'es pas tout à fait ça (Bis)
This idea is emphasized and repeated throughout the song
Une viking toute nue dans Stockholm
The notion of something unexpected and outside of the norm happening in Sweden
Et du sexe qui sent bon l'cadum
A playful reference to the cleanliness and orderliness of Swedish culture
L'aquavit pour requinquer l'homme
The restorative power of traditional Swedish drinks
Suède t'es pas tout à fait ça
Sweden embodies a unique blend of cultural traditions and modern influences
Un béret sur la Tour Eiffel
A traditional French symbol juxtaposed with a modern landmark
Du onze degrés à l'arc-en-ciel
The variety and freedom of expression in French culture
Poule au pot qu'a perdu ses ailes
A nod to traditional French cuisine with a humorous twist
La France t'es pas tout à fait ça
France embodies a unique blend of cultural traditions and modern influences
Président Carter pour le foie
A nod to American political culture and its emphasis on health
Une maffia sans un Sinatra
A reference to American crime culture without the iconic figure of Frank Sinatra
Des Manson et des lolitas
The dark side of American culture and its infatuation with celebrity
U.S. t'es pas tout à fait ça
The United States embodies a unique blend of cultural traditions and modern influences
Un para paré au combat
A reference to the military culture of France
Un paria qui vit hors des lois
A nod to the counterculture that emerged in Paris in the 1960s
Et Paris qui tremble pour moi
The passion and energy of Parisian culture
Ma vie c'est pas tout à fait ça
The artist's own experience of life doesn't quite match any cultural stereotype
C'est pas tout à fait ça
The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the theme of cultural nuance and complexity
T'es pas tout à fait ça (Bis)
This idea is repeated once again to bring the song full circle
Lyrics © ALLO MUSIC EDITIONS
Written by: Alain BASHUNG, Boris BERGMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jocelyn Salomé
Ma préférée de l'album :)
countrychess
Un album qui n' a pas été " compris " ?
Jojo Jojo
L' album que Bashung a toujours refusé qu' il sorte en CD , effectivement en l' écoutant on comprend mieux ... Complètement naze !
Eric Pornin
Ça dépend pour qui 😉