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 Tango Funèbre
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me couvrant de baisers
Et s'arrachant mes mains
Et demandant tout bas
Est-ce que la mort s'en vient
Est-ce que la mort s'en va
Est-ce qu'il est encore chaud
Est-ce qu'il est déjà froid
Ils tâtent mes faïences
Ils fouillent mes tiroirs
Se régalant d'avance
De mes lettres d'amour
Enrubannées par deux
Qu'ils liront près du feu
En riant aux éclats
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah je les vois déjà
Compassés et frileux
Suivant comme des artistes
Mon costume de bois
Ils se poussent du cœur
Pour être le plus triste
Ils se poussent du bras
Pour être le premier
Z'ont amené des vieilles
Qui ne me connaissaient plus
Z'ont amené des enfants
Qui ne me connaissaient pas
Pensent aux prix des fleurs
Et trouvent indécent
De ne pas mourir au printemps
Quand on aime le lilas
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah je les vois déjà
Tous mes chers faux amis
Souriant sous le poids
Du devoir accompli
Ah je te vois déjà
Trop triste trop à l'aise
Protégeant sous le drap
Tes larmes lyonnaises
Tu ne sais même pas
Sortant de mon cimetière
Que tu entres en ton enfer
Quand s'accroche à ton bras
Le bras de ton quelconque
Le bras de ton dernier
Qui te fera pleurer
Bien autrement que moi
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah je me vois déjà
M'installant à jamais
Bien triste bien au froid
Dans mon champ d'osselets
Ah je me vois déjà
Je me vois tout au bout
De ce voyage-là
D'où l'on revient de tout
Je vois déjà tout ça
Et on a le brave culot
D'oser me demander
De ne plus boire que de l'eau
De ne plus trousser les filles
De mettre de l'argent de côté
D'aimer le filet de maquereau
Et de crier vive le roi
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
In "Le Tango Funebre", Alain Bashung paints a bleak picture of his own funeral. The lyrics describe his guests, who are eager to see his body and speculate about the state of his remains. The lines "Are they still warm? / Are they already cold?" suggest a morbid fascination with death and the physicality of the body after passing. Bashung also imagines his friends rifling through his possessions and laughing at his love letters. He bitterly refers to them as "dear false friends" who are merely fulfilling a duty, and predicts that his former lover, who is "too sad, too at ease", will move on quickly to another lover who will make her cry harder than he did.
The song continues with a description of Bashung's own perspective as his corpse is buried. He envisions himself "setting up camp forever / Sad and cold / In [his] field of little bones." He expresses resentment towards those who expect him to suddenly change his habits and live a puritanical life as soon as he's passed away. Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that in death, Bashung finds a certain peace, free from the burdens of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah je les vois déjà
The singer envisions the people who will attend their funeral
Me couvrant de baisers
They will shower the singer's body with kisses
Et s'arrachant mes mains
They will yank at the singer's hands
Et demandant tout bas
And ask in hushed tones
Est-ce que la mort s'en vient
Whether death comes near
Est-ce que la mort s'en va
Or whether it goes away
Est-ce qu'il est encore chaud
Whether the body is still warm
Est-ce qu'il est déjà froid
Or if it's already cold
Ils ouvrent mes armoires
They open the artist's cupboards
Ils tâtent mes faïences
They touch the artist's pottery
Ils fouillent mes tiroirs
They rummage through the singer's drawers
Se régalant d'avance
Already relishing
De mes lettres d'amour
The singer's love letters
Enrubannées par deux
Tied up in two ribbons
Qu'ils liront près du feu
That they will read by the fire
En riant aux éclats
Laughing uproariously
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ah je les vois déjà
Again, the singer envisions the funeral attendees
Compassés et frileux
Stiff and cold
Suivant comme des artistes
Following the cues like actors
Mon costume de bois
The artist's wooden coffin
Ils se poussent du cœur
Trying to outdo each other in sadness
Pour être le plus triste
To be the saddest
Ils se poussent du bras
Pushing each other with their arms
Pour être le premier
To be the first
Z'ont amené des vieilles
They brought old women
Qui ne me connaissaient plus
Who no longer knew the singer
Z'ont amené des enfants
They brought children
Qui ne me connaissaient pas
Who did not know the artist
Pensent aux prix des fleurs
Thinking about the cost of flowers
Et trouvent indécent
And find it inappropriate
De ne pas mourir au printemps
That the artist did not die in the spring
Quand on aime le lilas
When one loves lilacs
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ah je les vois déjà
Again, the singer envisions the funeral attendees
Tous mes chers faux amis
All their dear false friends
Souriant sous le poids
Smiling under the weight
Du devoir accompli
Of the duty accomplished
Ah je te vois déjà
The singer sees someone specific
Trop triste trop à l'aise
Too sad and too comfortable
Protégeant sous le drap
Hiding under the sheet
Tes larmes lyonnaises
One's Lyon tears
Tu ne sais même pas
You don't even know
Sortant de mon cimetière
Leaving the artist's cemetery
Que tu entres en ton enfer
Entering your own hell
Quand s'accroche à ton bras
When it clings to your arm
Le bras de ton quelconque
The arm of your anyone
Le bras de ton dernier
The arm of your latest
Qui te fera pleurer
Who will make you cry
Bien autrement que moi
Very differently than me
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ah je me vois déjà
Finally, the artist imagines themselves
M'installant à jamais
Permanently settling in
Bien triste bien au froid
Very sad and cold
Dans mon champ d'osselets
In my field of little bones
Je me vois tout au bout
I see myself all the way to the end
De ce voyage-là
Of that journey
D'où l'on revient de tout
From which one returns from everything
Je vois déjà tout ça
The singer sees it all
Et on a le brave culot
And people have the audacity
D'oser me demander
To dare ask me
De ne plus boire que de l'eau
To stop drinking anything other than water
De ne plus trousser les filles
To stop chasing girls
De mettre de l'argent de côté
To save money
D'aimer le filet de maquereau
To love mackerel fillet
Et de crier vive le roi
And to shout long live the king
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MORT SHUMAN, JACQUES ROMAN BREL, ERIC BLAU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alain B.
on La fille de la maison des dunes
Elle verra la vie qu’il me faut
Dans du marc de thé chaud
Car elle sait tous les secrets du tarot
Je me noie dans ses cheveux noirs
(je) Suis enfin au pouvoir
Car elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
Elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
Je me vois comme un bout d’étoile
Dans sa boule de cristal
Et je ne vois pas bien ou est le mal
Où est le mal
D’accord elle est un peu sorcière
La fille aux mains de pierre
Mais elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
Elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
Plus je me la mets dans la tête
Plus j’deviens une sorte de mouette
Plus je vole dans son monde de flou
Plus je m’éloigne de vous
Je me brûle à son soleil noir
Terriens, bonsoir…
Oui elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
Elle m’apprend à aimer et à voir
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
La fille de la maison des dunes
La fille des brumes
…