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.
Station Service
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
C'était plus supportable
Les filles qui montraient leurs cuisses que par vice
Dans les décapotables
Elles me crachaient un billet de mille
En me demandant de vérifier l'huile
Aujourd'hui, j'ai plus les mains sales
Le jour où le vice-président du Conseil
Est mort à l'arrière de sa DS
J'ai donné un coup sur les vitres fumées
Et j'ai consolé sa gonzesse
Elle m'a filé cent mille lires
En me demandant de ne jamais rien dire
Aujourd'hui j'ai plus les mains sales
J'ai plus personne pour me faire du mal
Aujourd'hui j'ai plus les mains sales
J'ai plus personne pour me faire du mal
J'ai plaqué mon job à la station-service
Je suis plus rentré chez moi
Je crois pas que ça l'ait rendue triste
Nous deux ça collait pas
Regardez-moi j'ai plus de laisse
Je suis comme un pape au volant de sa caisse
Aujourd'hui j'ai plus les mains sales
J'ai plus personne pour me faire du mal
The lyrics to "Station Service" by Alain Bashung tell the story of a man who quits his job at a service station because he can't handle the women who flaunt their bodies and spit money in his face. He no longer has dirty hands, and no one is around to hurt him anymore. The singer then recounts a story about when he consoled the mistress of a high-ranking political figure who died in the back of his car. She gives him money and makes him promise never to tell. The singer reflects that he has no one around to hurt him anymore. He quit his job at the service station and didn't come home, causing a rift in his relationship with a woman who he claims he didn't fit with. He is now free, like a pope driving a car.
The lyrics of "Station Service" can be interpreted in numerous ways. At face value, they may appear to be about a man quitting his job at a service station and moving on from a relationship that wasn't working out. However, the deeper meaning of the song could be that the man needed to move beyond these aspects of his life to grow and become free.
Line by Line Meaning
J'ai plaqué mon job à la station-service
I left my job at the gas station.
C'était plus supportable
It was no longer bearable.
Les filles qui montraient leurs cuisses que par vice
The girls who lifted their skirts just for the thrill.
Dans les décapotables
In their convertibles.
Elles me crachaient un billet de mille
They handed me a thousand francs.
En me demandant de vérifier l'huile
Asking me to check the oil.
Aujourd'hui, j'ai plus les mains sales
Today, I no longer have dirty hands.
J'ai plus personne pour me faire du mal
No one left to hurt me.
Le jour où le vice-président du Conseil
The day the Vice-President of the Council.
Est mort à l'arrière de sa DS
Died in the back of his DS car.
J'ai donné un coup sur les vitres fumées
I hit the tinted windows.
Et j'ai consolé sa gonzesse
And comforted his woman.
Elle m'a filé cent mille lires
She gave me a hundred thousand lira.
En me demandant de ne jamais rien dire
Asking me to never say a word.
Je suis plus rentré chez moi
I didn't go home.
Je crois pas que ça l'ait rendue triste
I don't think it made her sad.
Nous deux ça collait pas
We weren't compatible.
Regardez-moi j'ai plus de laisse
Look at me, I'm free.
Je suis comme un pape au volant de sa caisse
Like a pope behind the wheel of his car.
Lyrics © ALLO MUSIC EDITIONS
Written by: Alain BASHUNG, Boris BERGMAN
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
…