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.
Résidences
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
12, impasse Prunelle
75017 elle manque elle manque à l'appel
Cathy Andersen
7, avenue de la Reine
Un dieu grec sur sa fontaine
Elle manque elle manque à l'appel
Serrez sérénades
Douillez violoncelles
Le fou de l'autostrade nous déroute
Et jamais ne rappelle
Sur Isabelle
Souper aux chandelles
Révélations sur l'autel
Elle manque elle manque à l'appel
Marie-Jeanne Valence
Résidence Danse
Il y a eu accoutumance
Je devine à quoi tu penses
Elles manquent à l'appel Elles manquent à l'appel
Les années immaculées
Circulent dans mes veines
Mais sait-on où passent-elles?
Chérubins inoculés
Retouchez-moi les ailes
Ça rime aquarelles
Ça rime aquarelles
Suzy Kumquat
Dort entre deux nattes
Se réveille au prochain squatte
Elle file elle file elle appâte
Françoise Arnoul
Une écharpe à son cou
Je l'effleure, elle se dénoue
Elle se dénoue
Elles manquent à la pelle
Elles manquent à la pelle
Elles Elles manquent à la pelle
The song "Résidences" by Alain Bashung is a collection of names and addresses of women who are missing or who have left without a trace. The song captures the sense of loss and longing that comes with the absence of loved ones. The first stanza mentions Marie-Claire Bonnel, who lived at 12 Impasse Prunelle, but is now missing. The song goes on to list the names of other women, including Cathy Andersen, Sœur Isabelle, Marie-Jeanne Valence, Suzy Kumquat, and Françoise Arnoul, all of whom are absent and missed. The chorus repeats the phrase "Elles manquent à l'appel," which means "they are missing from the call."
The verses of the song paint a picture of the women's lives and their relationships with the singer. For example, in the second stanza, Cathy Andersen is described as living on Avenue de la Reine and having a Greek god on her fountain. The third stanza describes a romantic evening with Sœur Isabelle that ends with her disappearance. Marie-Jeanne Valence is associated with the Résidence Danse, and there is a sense of familiarity and addiction in their relationship. The verses include varying details about these women's lives, but the common thread is the missing women motif.
Overall, the song conveys a feeling of nostalgia and sadness, mixed with a hint of mystery. It is left to the listener's imagination to fill in the gaps about the women's stories and why they are missing.
Line by Line Meaning
Marie-Claire Bonnel
12, impasse Prunelle
75017 elle manque elle manque à l'appel
Marie-Claire Bonnel lives at 12, impasse Prunelle in the 75017 area, but she is missing and has not shown up.
Cathy Andersen
7, avenue de la Reine
Un dieu grec sur sa fontaine
Elle manque elle manque à l'appel
Cathy Andersen lives at 7, avenue de la Reine, where there is a statue of a Greek god on a fountain, but she is missing and has not shown up.
Serrez sérénades
Douillez violoncelles
Le fou de l'autostrade nous déroute
Et jamais ne rappelle
The sound of the serenades and cellos is disturbed by the insane driver on the highway who never calls back.
Sœur Isabelle
Souper aux chandelles
Révélations sur l'autel
Elle manque elle manque à l'appel
Sister Isabelle had a candlelight dinner where she revealed secrets on the altar, but she is missing and has not shown up.
Marie-Jeanne Valence
Résidence Danse
Il y a eu accoutumance
Je devine à quoi tu penses
Elles manquent à l'appel Elles manquent à l'appel
Marie-Jeanne Valence lives at Résidence Danse, and there was some kind of habitual behavior that leads the artist to guess what the listener is thinking, but she and others are missing and have not shown up.
Les années immaculées
Circulent dans mes veines
Mais sait-on où passent-elles?
The pure years run through the singer's veins, but where do they go?
Chérubins inoculés
Retouchez-moi les ailes
Ça rime aquarelles
Ça rime aquarelles
The singer wants the cherubs to touch up their wings and make watercolor rhymes.
Suzy Kumquat
Dort entre deux nattes
Se réveille au prochain squatte
Elle file elle file elle appâte
Suzy Kumquat sleeps between two mats and wakes up at the next squat, always teasing and eluding the artist.
Françoise Arnoul
Une écharpe à son cou
Je l'effleure, elle se dénoue
Elle se dénoue
Françoise Arnoul wears a scarf around her neck, and when the artist touches it, it comes undone.
Elles manquent à la pelle
Elles manquent à la pelle
Elles Elles manquent à la pelle
Many of the women mentioned are missing and have not shown up.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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
…