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.
Lavabo
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De la nique
J'entends des râleurs
J'entends des crics
Tu as envie de mordre
Sois pas chien
Prends-moi dans le désordre
C'est ça ou rien
Les abribus
Qu'on dégomme
Rien que pour se prouver
Qu'on est des hommes
Plexiglas
Défoncé
Mets-toi bien devant
Dis-moi ce que c'est
C'est lavabo
Fond du couloir troisième porte à droite
Lavabo
Tu cherches la lumière et c'est l'impasse
Tu voudrais que ça débouche sur quoi?
Sortie de chantier
Revenu de tout
Referme ton casier
Passe sous la douche
Tu joues dans quel groupe?
T'es pas sûr
Apprends ton play-back
Play Blessures
Rejoins ta base
Au bar tab'
Si on te cherche des noises
Fais comme d'hab'
La fille du patron
Faut lui donner
Pour la tirer de là
Tu sais où c'est
C'est lavabo
Fond du couloir troisième porte à droite
Lavabo
Tu cherches la lumière et c'est l'impasse
Tu voudrais que ça débouche sur quoi? Oh
L'avant-dernier Mohican
Joue aux indiens
Qui sera le suivant?
Winchester
Ou cathédrale
Choisis ton arme
De toute façon
C'est lavabo
Fond du couloir troisième porte à droite
Lavabo
Tu cherches la lumière et c'est l'impasse
Tu voudrais que ça débouche sur quoi?
The song "Lavabo" by Alain Bashung is a reflection on the struggles of young men trying to find their place in the world. The lyrics describe the frustration and confusion of the singer as he navigates the complexities of adult life. The opening lines, "In the heat/ Of the night/ I hear people complaining/ I hear screams," set the tone for the song's sense of unease and tension. The singer is stuck in a dead-end situation and is struggling to find any meaning or purpose. He longs for something more, something that will give him a reason to keep going.
The chorus, "It's washbasin/ At the end of the hallway, third door on the right/ Washbasin/ You're looking for the light and it's a dead end/ What do you want it to lead to?" encapsulates the sense of despair and futility that pervades the song. The washbasin represents the mundane and the everyday, the routine that has become suffocating for the singer. He longs for something more meaningful, but he doesn't know what that is or how to find it. The washbasin is a symbol of his trapped existence, and the third door on the right reminds us that he is not alone in his struggles.
Overall, "Lavabo" is a powerful commentary on the challenges of young adulthood and the limits of our own aspirations. It's a song that speaks to anyone who has ever felt lost or trapped in their own lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Dans la moiteur
In the sultry heat
De la nique
Of the night
J'entends des râleurs
I hear grumblers
J'entends des crics
I hear creaks
Tu as envie de mordre
You feel like biting
Sois pas chien
Don't be stingy
Prends-moi dans le désordre
Take me in disorder
C'est ça ou rien
It's that or nothing
Les abribus
The bus shelters
Qu'on dégomme
That we demolish
Rien que pour se prouver
Just to prove to ourselves
Qu'on est des hommes
That we are men
Plexiglas
Plexiglass
Défoncé
Smashed
Mets-toi bien devant
Get in front of it well
Dis-moi ce que c'est
Tell me what it is
C'est lavabo
It's a sink
Fond du couloir troisième porte à droite
End of the hallway, third door on the right
Tu cherches la lumière et c'est l'impasse
You're looking for the light and it's a dead end
Tu voudrais que ça débouche sur quoi?
What would you like it to lead to?
Sortie de chantier
Construction site exit
Revenu de tout
Returned from everything
Referme ton casier
Close your locker
Passe sous la douche
Go under the shower
Tu joues dans quel groupe?
What band do you play in?
T'es pas sûr
You're not sure
Apprends ton play-back
Learn your lip sync
Play Blessures
Play Wounds
Rejoins ta base
Join your base
Au bar tab'
At the bar tab
Si on te cherche des noises
If someone is looking for trouble with you
Fais comme d'hab'
Do as usual
La fille du patron
The boss's daughter
Faut lui donner
You have to give her
Pour la tirer de là
To get her out of there
Tu sais où c'est
You know where it is
L'avant-dernier Mohican
The penultimate Mohican
Joue aux indiens
Plays Indians
Qui sera le suivant?
Who will be the next?
Winchester
Winchester
Ou cathédrale
Or cathedral
Choisis ton arme
Choose your weapon
De toute façon
In any case
C'est lavabo
It's a sink
Fond du couloir troisième porte à droite
End of the hallway, third door on the right
Tu cherches la lumière et c'est l'impasse
You're looking for the light and it's a dead end
Tu voudrais que ça débouche sur quoi? Oh
What would you like it to lead to? Oh
Lyrics © SM PUBLISHING FRANCE, ALLO MUSIC EDITIONS
Written by: Alain Bashung, Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
RedSof 25
LE chef-d’œuvre absolu de Bashung, et le plus dingue, c’est qu’il en a fait un deuxième tout aussi puissant : « Fantaisie militaire », des années plus tard.... Bashung, le génie qui a éclairé ma vie.... respect, amour indéfectible, mémoire...merci Alain.
Petit Cailloux
Grand classic surtout quand t es bourrer
LANDE ALAIN
Album majeur, réalisé par Serge Gainsbourg
Denis Crozet
Quand on ne sait pas parler de Bashung on parle de Gainsbourg. Il a cosigné les textes, point.
Pierre-Bernard Elsig
Seconde chanson écoutée à chaque retour d'école de recrues. La fille du patron est une Nancy comme dans la chanson de Leonard Cohen. J'ai une arme de poing. Bonjour l'Angoisse
chucku00
Alain Vega
dummytree
Alain était un grand fan de Suicide.
RedSof 25
Je l’ai entendu à la Cigale dans les années 80, c’était super 🥰👍