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.
Roman Photos
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Je vais demander
Trois jours de congés
Et on se marie
On vivra tranquille
C'est pas difficile
Suffira d'faire des économies
Deux kilos seulement
Avec une timbale
À ses initiales
Il ira très loin
Ce s'ra un génie
Suffira d'faire des économies
Et toi et moi
On vivra la vie qu'on voudra
On s'endormira
Le soir de bonne heure
Les bras dans les bras
Et toi et moi
Pas besoin d'aller chercher
Le bonheur plus loin
Il est là
Bien à l'abri
Des rideaux Vichy
Tu auras des fleurs
Devant l'pavillon
Je f'rai la cuisine
Tous les samedis
On f'ra en quinze jours
L'Asie en charter
Suffira d'faire des économies
Et puis quand viendra
La fin des folies
On regardera
Nos photographies
On mourra tranquille
C'est pas difficile
Suffira d'faire des économies
Et toi et moi
On vivra la vie qu'on voudra
On s'endormira
Le soir de bonne heure
Les bras dans les bras
Et toi et moi
Pas besoin d'aller chercher
Le bonheur plus loin
Il est là
Bien à l'abri
Des rideaux Vichy
The lyrics to Alain Bashung's "Roman Photos" depict a couple's ideal future together. The lines "Je t'aime et tu m'aimes" (I love you and you love me) set the tone for the romantic and optimistic lyrics that follow. The couple plans to get married and live a simple, fulfilling life. The singer assures their partner that "C'est pas difficile, suffira d'faire des économies" (It's not difficult, we just need to save money).
The couple's plans extend to starting a family and raising a child who they believe will be a genius: "Ce s'ra un génie, suffira d'faire des économies" (It will be a genius, we just need to save money). They express confidence that they will be able to live the life they want, without needing to search for happiness elsewhere: "Pas besoin d'aller chercher le bonheur plus loin, il est là bien à l'abri des rideaux Vichy" (No need to search for happiness elsewhere, it's right here behind the Vichy curtains).
The lyrics of "Roman Photos" can be interpreted as a critique of the shallow and idealistic nature of popular culture. The title "Roman Photos" refers to a type of photo-novella - a form of popular literature that is known for its superficiality and clichéd storytelling. The song's depiction of the couple's ideal life can be seen as a satirical take on the way that such unrealistic and superficial narratives are sold to consumers.
Line by Line Meaning
Je t'aime et tu m'aimes
Mutual love and affection between the two people
Je vais demander
Requesting or proposing something
Trois jours de congés
Asking for three days' leave
Et on se marie
Getting married
On vivra tranquille
Living peacefully
C'est pas difficile
It's not difficult
Suffira d'faire des économies
Just need to save enough money
On f'ra un enfant
Planning to have a child
Deux kilos seulement
Expecting a baby weighing just two kilos
Avec une timbale
With a child's cup
À ses initiales
With their initials on it
Il ira très loin
Believing the child will succeed
Ce s'ra un génie
Thinking the child will be a genius
Et toi et moi
Referring to themselves
On vivra la vie qu'on voudra
Living the life they want
On s'endormira
Going to bed
Le soir de bonne heure
Early in the evening
Les bras dans les bras
Hugging each other
Pas besoin d'aller chercher
No need to look for
Le bonheur plus loin
Happiness somewhere else
Il est là
It's here
Bien à l'abri
Safe and secure
Des rideaux Vichy
Behind the Vichy curtains
Tu auras des fleurs
There will be flowers for you
Devant l'pavillon
In front of the house
Je f'rai la cuisine
Cooking on Saturdays
Tous les samedis
Every Saturday
On f'ra en quinze jours
Going on an Asia trip in just fifteen days
Et puis quand viendra
And when the time comes
La fin des folies
The end of extravagance
On regardera
Looking at
Nos photographies
Their old photographs
On mourra tranquille
Dying peacefully
Suffira d'faire des économies
Just needed to save enough money
Contributed by Alice B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
hubert devillers
apres 10 ans d'apprentissage et de 45 tours... enfin un album... Bashung
jeanmarc durand
ne pas oublié la voix de valérie lagrange !!
Jean Luc Boireau
Et Daniel Balavoine dans les choeurs 😊
Paul-Hervé Riche
qui aurait la vidéo où Valérie se lève dans le public et le rejoint sur scène pour chanter cette jolie chanson ?
P. M68
Alain ! 😢
nicolas salvador
c'est fou comme ça sonne "Balavoine", période face amour, face amère !... Il paraît que le Monsieur aurait fait les choeurs de l'album... Peut-être un peu plus, si l'on en juge par la mélodie, les arrangements, le texte...