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.
Mes Prisons
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sont des modèles
De sublimes inquiétudes
À mes moments perdus
J'me fais du souci pour le prince
J'me fais du mouron pour le maton
J'me fais du souci pour le prince
Mes prisons
Sont des femelles
À tromper ma vigilance
Des fois c'est tendre
Des fois y a mutinerie
Rendez-vous sur la lande
À l'endroit où l'on s'est épris
Les gens sont des légendes
Mais leurs âmes prennent le maquis
Dans les herbes folles
Tu peux courir
C'est pas un jeu
Mes prisons
S'évanouissent
Lorsque ta peau m'appelle
À mes moments perdus
J'me fais du souci pour le prince
J'me fais du mouron pour le maton
J'me fais du souci pour le prince
Mes prisons
Sont des ruelles
Des cris, des rituels
Des fois je prie
Des fois j'me réfugie
Rendez-vous sur la lande
Et qu'enfin cesse l'hallali
Qu'on me presse une orange
De ma peine je ferai mon lit
Dans les herbes folles
Tu peux courir
Pour des aveux
Non-lieu
Non-lieu
In "Mes prisons," Alain Bashung explores the concept of imprisonment beyond its literal meaning. He presents his prisons as models of sublime anxieties, or rather forms of internal human struggle. They are represented as females who are seductive and can be deceiving, leading to a sense of unease and vulnerability. The lyrics "À tromper ma vigilance" (to deceive my watchfulness) suggest that these prisons are something that Bashung can never fully escape as they are a part of his psyche. He talks about worrying for the prince (the longing for freedom) and the maton (the watchful eye), which alludes to his afflictive emotions.
The song pivots towards an expectation of release from the prisons through a rendezvous on the field where they fell in love. The line "Les gens sont des légendes, mais leurs âmes prennent le maquis" means that people are legends, but their souls are in hiding. Bashung alludes to the fact that even in freedom, the emotions that were once incarcerated within him are still present, hiding in the depths of his soul. The metaphorical prisons Bashung describes ultimately fade away when he is with someone he loves, as he finds solace in their skin.
Line by Line Meaning
Mes prisons
My prisons
Sont des modèles
Are models
De sublimes inquiétudes
Of sublime worries
À mes moments perdus
In my spare moments
J'me fais du souci pour le prince
I worry about the prince
J'me fais du mouron pour le maton
I worry about the warden
Mes prisons
My prisons
Sont des femelles
Are females
À tromper ma vigilance
To deceive my vigilance
Des fois c'est tendre
Sometimes it's tender
Des fois y a mutinerie
Sometimes there's mutiny
Rendez-vous sur la lande
Meeting on the moor
À l'endroit où l'on s'est épris
Where we fell in love
Les gens sont des légendes
People are legends
Mais leurs âmes prennent le maquis
But their souls take to the hills
Dans les herbes folles
In the wild grass
Tu peux courir
You can run
C'est pas un jeu
It's not a game
Mes prisons
My prisons
S'évanouissent
Fade away
Lorsque ta peau m'appelle
When your skin calls me
J'me fais du souci pour le prince
I worry about the prince
Mes prisons
My prisons
Sont des ruelles
Are alleys
Des cris, des rituels
Screams, rituals
Des fois je prie
Sometimes I pray
Des fois j'me réfugie
Sometimes I take refuge
Rendez-vous sur la lande
Meeting on the moor
Et qu'enfin cesse l'hallali
And finally the hunting call ceases
Qu'on me presse une orange
That someone squeezes me an orange
De ma peine je ferai mon lit
From my pain, I'll make my bed
Pour des aveux
For a confession
Non-lieu
No case
Non-lieu
No case
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Alain Bashung, Jean Marie Fauque, Richard Mortier
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
…