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.
Que N'Ai-Je
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que n'ai-je appris à skier
Sans me soucier du déluge
De la texture des glaciers
Que n'ai-je glissé
Que n'ai-je fondu
Sur ton balconnet
Que n'ai-je tombé la veste
Lâché du lest
Pris de l'altitude
Avant de piquer
Déchaîner les esprits
Parmi les êtres et les cèdres
Faire la tournée des grands ducs
La nuit de l’épiphanie
Et puis les autres nuits
Tendre l'arquebuse
Jusqu'à me rompre
Que n'ai-je pris l'Everest
Pour une aspérité
Sommé l'amour et le reste
De s'entrelacer à jamais
Que n'ai-je visé
Que n'ai-je été stupide
Au point de succomber
En Écosse des gosses écossent
Des chimères en chair et en os
D'accortent soubrettes les escortent
En Écosse des gosses précoces
Chopent des crampes
À faire l'amour à tue-tête
À bâtons rompus
Que n'ai-je appris la luge
Que n'ai-je appris à skier
The lyrics of Alain Bashung's song "Que N'ai-Je" express regret and longing for experiences that the singer has missed out on. He wishes he had learned how to sled and ski without worrying about the challenges of it, he wishes he had been more passionate and reckless in his pursuits, and he wishes he had taken bigger risks in love and life. He even expresses a desire to have climbed Mount Everest and conquered it with love and passion.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of missed opportunities and the longing for what could have been. He mentions Scotland and the young people who are carefree, while he is left with regret for what he has not done. The singer seems to be in a state of reflection, wishing he could go back and make different choices, but aware that he cannot.
Overall the lyrics convey a sense of melancholy and regret, but also a longing to experience more of life's adventures and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Que n'ai-je appris la luge
If only I had learned to sled
Que n'ai-je appris à skier
If only I had learned to ski
Sans me soucier du déluge
Without worrying about the flood
De la texture des glaciers
Or the texture of the glaciers
Que n'ai-je glissé
If only I had slid
Que n'ai-je fondu
If only I had melted
Sur ton balconnet
On your balcony
Que n'ai-je été torride
If only I had been torrid
Que n'ai-je tombé la veste
If only I had dropped my coat
Lâché du lest
Let go of the ballast
Pris de l'altitude
Increased altitude
Avant de piquer
Before diving
Déchaîner les esprits
Unleash the spirits
Parmi les êtres et les cèdres
Among the people and the cedars
Faire la tournée des grands ducs
Go on the grand tour
La nuit de l’épiphanie
The night of Epiphany
Et puis les autres nuits
And then the other nights
Tendre l'arquebuse
Hold the arquebus
Jusqu'à me rompre
Until I break
Que n'ai-je pris l'Everest
If only I had taken Everest
Pour une aspérité
As a roughness
Sommé l'amour et le reste
Challenged love and the rest
De s'entrelacer à jamais
To entwine forever
Que n'ai-je visé
If only I had aimed
Que n'ai-je été stupide
If only I had been stupid
Au point de succomber
To the point of giving in
En Écosse des gosses écossent
In Scotland, kids shell
Des chimères en chair et en os
Chimeras in flesh and blood
D'accortent soubrettes les escortent
Agreed maids escort them
En Écosse des gosses précoces
In Scotland, precocious kids
Chopent des crampes
Get cramps
À faire l'amour à tue-tête
Making love at full volume
À bâtons rompus
At random
Que n'ai-je appris la luge
If only I had learned to sled
Que n'ai-je appris à skier
If only I had learned to ski
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALAIN BASHUNG, JEAN MARIE FAUQUE
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
…