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.
La panique mécanique
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Au point que je me prenne pour un vieux train
Loco locomotive à vapeur qui fait du wheeling sur les rails de mes propres peurs
J'ai peur de quoi? J'ai peur de toi, enfin de moi sans toi, regarde
Tu vois la vapeur filtrer sous les rails
C'est la panique mécanique de mon cœur,
Loco locomotive loco locomotive à vapeur
Loco locomotive loco locomotive à vapeur
A l'heure qu'il est je suis sonné comme un clocher
Abandonné dans un désert de fumée bleue
Comme la peur de m'en aller,
Allez allez les aléas des allers-retours me cause quelques fracas
Que j'apprendrai à éviter une autre fois,
Mais là voyez ça commence à claquer j'ai du pop-corn dans le cœur
C'est la panique mécanique de mon cœur,
Loco locomotive loco locomotive à vapeur
La panique mécanique de mon cœur,
Loco locomotive loco locomotive à vapeur
Gare à moi sans toi si tu ne m'attends pas à la gare
Mon coeur est lourd il ne flotte pas dans les océans même pacifiques
Il coule à pic un cœur qui pique je le sais, n'est pas très bon à aimer
Allez les brumes faites claquer vos trains
Hantés à l'heure qu'il est je peux vous en fabriquer des fantômes de femmes sublimes,
Blondes ou brune à découper à même la brume
Je peux les éventrer sans même les effrayer et signer votre humble serviteur Jack l'éventreur
N'ai aps peur petit tu apprendras bien vite à effrayer pour exister
N'ai pas peur petit tu apprendras bien vite à effrayer
C'est la panique mécanique de mon cœur,
Loco locomotive loco locomotive à vapeur
La panique mécanique de mon cœur,
Loco locomotive loco locomotive à vapeur
C'est la panique mécanique de mon cœur,
Loco locomotive loco locomotive à vapeur
La panique mécanique de mon cœur,
Loco locomotive loco locomotive à vapeur
In "La Panique Mécanique", Alain Bashung describes a state of anxiety that he calls "mechanical panic". He compares it to the derailment of a steam locomotive, with his heart beating erratically and wildly like an out-of-control train. He admits that he is afraid of something, and that this fear drives him to panic. He then reveals that he is afraid of losing the person he loves. He feels lost and abandoned in a "desert of blue smoke," and he imagines different scenarios involving women that he could "cut out of the mist". He sees himself as Jack the Ripper, someone who knows how to be scary in order to survive.
The lyrics in this song are hauntingly beautiful, and they capture the intense emotions of fear and panic very well. Bashung's imagistic language is powerful here, and he uses metaphors to describe his panic, his heart like a steam train gone off the rails, and his fear of being left behind. He sings about abandonment and the fear of losing love, and he seems to be wrestling with his own demons.
Line by Line Meaning
Quand je panique la mécanique de mon cœur déraille
When I panic, the mechanical workings of my heart go off track
Au point que je me prenne pour un vieux train
To the extent that I feel like an old train
Loco locomotive à vapeur qui fait du wheeling sur les rails de mes propres peurs
A steam-powered locomotive doing wheelies on the tracks of my own fears
J'ai peur de quoi? J'ai peur de toi, enfin de moi sans toi, regarde
What am I afraid of? I'm afraid of you, or rather, myself without you, see?
Tu vois la vapeur filtrer sous les rails
Do you see the steam filtering through the tracks?
A l'heure qu'il est je suis sonné comme un clocher
Right now I'm dazed like a bell tower
Abandonné dans un désert de fumée bleue
Abandoned in a desert of blue smoke
Comme la peur de m'en aller
Like the fear of leaving
Allez allez les aléas des allers-retours me cause quelques fracas
Come on, come on, the ups and downs of back and forth cause some commotion for me
Que j'apprendrai à éviter une autre fois
Which I'll learn to avoid next time
Mais là voyez ça commence à claquer j'ai du pop-corn dans le cœur
But you see, it's starting to snap, I have popcorn in my heart
Gare à moi sans toi si tu ne m'attends pas à la gare
Beware of me without you, if you don't wait for me at the station
Mon coeur est lourd il ne flotte pas dans les océans même pacifiques
My heart is heavy, it doesn't float in even the most peaceful oceans
Il coule à pic un cœur qui pique je le sais, n'est pas très bon à aimer
It sinks straight down, a heart that stings, I know it's not very good for loving
Allez les brumes faites claquer vos trains
Come on, mists, make your trains rattle
Hantés à l'heure qu'il est je peux vous en fabriquer des fantômes de femmes sublimes
Haunted as I am right now, I can make sublime ghosts of women for you
Blondes ou brune à découper à même la brume
Blond or brunette, cut right out of the mist
Je peux les éventrer sans même les effrayer et signer votre humble serviteur Jack l'éventreur
I can gut them without even scaring them, and sign your humble servant, Jack the Ripper
N'ai aps peur petit tu apprendras bien vite à effrayer pour exister
Don't be afraid, little one, you'll quickly learn to scare in order to exist
C'est la panique mécanique de mon cœur
It's the mechanical panic of my heart
Loco locomotive loco locomotive à vapeur
Steam-powered locomotive, steam-powered locomotive
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Elisabeth Ferrer, Eric Serra-Tossio, Guillaume Garidel, Mathias Malzeu, Mathias Malzieu, Michael Ponton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Атай Ота
Panic's frantic antics in my my heart, loco-locomotive
leslie bar
et tu apprendras peut-être aussi un jour à t'effrayer!
Spatule Musclé
Dans le livre c'est a ce moment la que jack apprend que madeleine est morte heh
Lokie Brooktouara
Oh d'accords ! Mais dans quel contexte Il l'apprend ? 🤔
Spatule Musclé
@Lokie Brooktouara je sait plus du tout j'ai pas comprit cette partit du livre 😂
Eolh Mannaz
Non il apprend que Madeleine est morte à la toute fin car il n'a pas reçu la lettre d'Arthur lui annonçant son décès. Ce n'est que le lecteur qui l'apprend.
Shy'm Army
#jesaispasdequoivousparlerjaijustevulefilm
Sir Kewbic
Pas du tout, il n'apprend sa mort que vers la fin aussi bien dans le livre que dans le film
Mathias Chrétiennot
Look like Manu pacho's-panik panik
Carlos D
This song is... clacky