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.
Le Pianiste De L'eden
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Enl? Ve la poussi? Re
Commande une bi? Re
Au bar
L'paradis c'est l?
Pose ton revolver
Apr? S on fera
Un poker
Ne me this pas
Pourquoi tu es l?
Enl? Ve ton couteau dans l'dos
L'paradis c'est l?
Fait pas cette t? Te l?
Ecoute-moi plut? T
Au piano
J'suis l'pianiste de l'Eden
Vieilles rengaines et m? Lodies
Tous les jours je joue, je joue
J'suis l'pianiste de l'Eden
Vieilles rengaines et m? Lodies
Tous les jours je joue, je joue
Les airs qui nous f'saient sur Terre
Pleurer des larmes de verre
Mets du rimmel
Lola sur tes cils
Enfile tes bas are? Sille
L'paradis c'est l?
On va faire un show
Avec les morceaux
De ta vie
Qu'est-ce que tu crois
Moi quand? A va mal
J'ai ma boule de cristal
Ca jette des? Toiles
Et pour le final
Je ferme les yeux et c'est beau
J'suis l'pianiste de l'Eden
Vieilles rengaines et m? Lodies
Tous les jours je joue, je joue
J'suis l'pianiste de l'Eden
Vieilles rengaines et m? Lodies
Tous les jours je joue, je joue
Les airs qui nous f'saient sur Terre
Pleurer des larmes de verre
The lyrics of Alain Bashung's Le Pianiste De L'eden describe the scene of a bar in paradise where the singer, the pianist of the Eden, plays old songs and melodies every day. The song invites the listener to sit down, relax, and enjoy the show. The pianist, who also acts as a guide, tells the listener to forget their worries and enjoy the atmosphere of the place.
The song also touches upon the theme of nostalgia, as the pianist plays "vieilles rengaines et mélodies" (old tunes and melodies) that made people on Earth shed "tears of glass." In this bar, the singer plays the music that brings back memories of the past, and he does it with passion and skill.
Overall, the song is a call to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, to remember the old times fondly, and to experience a moment of peace and relaxation.
Line by Line Meaning
Assieds-toi là
Please take a seat
Enlève la poussière
Clear the dust away
Commande une bière
Order a beer
Au bar
At the bar
L'paradis c'est là
This is paradise
Pose ton revolver
Put down your gun
Après on fera
After, we'll do something
Un poker
Play poker
Ne me this pas
Don't move from there
Pourquoi tu es là
Why are you here?
Enlève ton couteau dans l'dos
Put away your knife in the back
L'paradis c'est là
This is paradise
Fait pas cette tête là
Don't make that face
Ecoute-moi plutôt
Listen to me instead
Au piano
At the piano
J'suis l'pianiste de l'Eden
I am the pianist of Eden
Vieilles rengaines et mélodies
Old tunes and melodies
Tous les jours je joue, je joue
Every day, I play, I play
Les airs qui nous faisaient sur Terre
The tunes that made us cry on Earth
Pleurer des larmes de verre
Cry tears of glass
Mets du rimmel
Put on some mascara
Lola sur tes cils
Lola on your eyelashes
Enfile tes bas résille
Put on your fishnet stockings
L'paradis c'est là
This is paradise
On va faire un show
We're going to put on a show
Avec les morceaux
With the pieces
De ta vie
Of your life
Qu'est-ce que tu crois
What do you believe?
Moi quand ça va mal
When I'm not doing well
J'ai ma boule de cristal
I have my crystal ball
Ca jette des étoiles
It throws stars
Et pour le final
And for the finale
Je ferme les yeux et c'est beau
I close my eyes and it's beautiful
Les airs qui nous faisaient sur Terre
The tunes that made us cry on Earth
Pleurer des larmes de verre
Cry tears of glass
Contributed by Evelyn W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nicole Bros
Je l écoutais en boucle tellement elle est belle
genevieve bourgeois
😍
LECOMTE Linda
Une perle déjà
Jojo Jojo
Le pire album de Bashung , lui même le qualifiait de " Maquette" qui aurait dû rester dans un tiroir , ce qui expliqua son refus catégorique de sortir cette album en CD , ce qui sera pourtant fait après sa mort .Tant qu'il y a moyen de faire du fric après la mort d' un artiste et bien faut pas se gêner !