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.
Tant de nuit
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Je t'ai laissé aimer
D'autres que moi
Un peu plus loin qu'ici
Mon ange je t'ai trahi
Tant de nuits alité
Que mon cœur a cessé
Si loin de moi
Si loin de moi
Si loin de moi
Des armées insolites
Et des ombres équivoques
Des fils dont on se moque
Et des femmes que l'on quitte
Des tristesses surannées
Des malheurs qu'on oublie
Des ongles un peu noircis
Des ongles un peu noircis
Mon ange, je t'ai puni
À tant me sacrifier
Icône idolâtrée
Immondices à la nuit
Mon ange, je t'ai haï
Je t'ai laissé tuer
Nos jeunesses ébauchées
Le reste de nos vies
Si loin de moi
Si loin de moi
Si loin de moi
Si loin de moi
Des armées insolites
Et des ombres équivoques
Des fils dont on se moque
Et des femmes que l'on quitte
Des tristesses surannées
Des malheurs qu'on oublie
Des ongles un peu noircis
Des ongles un peu noircis
Mon ange, je t'ai haï
Mon ange, je t'ai haï
Mon ange, je t'ai haï
Mon ange, je t'ai haï
Mon ange, je t'ai haï
The lyrics of the song Tant De Nuits convey a sense of sorrow and betrayal. The singer addresses his angel, whom he admits to having hated and allowed to love others, farther away from him. He goes on to confess to having betrayed this angel for many nights, leading to his heart losing the will to keep him alive. The lyrics also talk about unusual armies, doubtful shadows, sons who are mocked, and women who are left. The singer invokes these memories of sadness, misery, and blackened nails to describe his emotional state and the emotional distance between him and his angel.
Towards the end of the song, the singer admits to having punished his angel by sacrificing himself, making himself an idol to be worshipped or discarded as rubbish. In the final lines, he repeats, "My angel, I hated you," emphasizing the intensity of his negative feelings towards his beloved.
Line by Line Meaning
Mon ange, je t'ai haï
Addressing their lover, the singer confesses that they have hated them.
Je t'ai laissé aimer
The singer admits to allowing their lover to love someone else.
D'autres que moi
The singer implies that their lover's affection towards someone else hurts them since they are not the center of their love.
Un peu plus loin qu'ici
The artist mentions how their lover's love for someone else has taken them further away than where they are.
Mon ange je t'ai trahi
The artist admits to betraying their lover.
Tant de nuits alité
The singer has spent many nights lying down in bed, possibly sick or depressed.
Que mon cœur a cessé
The singer's heart has stopped functioning normally due to their condition.
De me donner la vie
The heart is no longer able to sustain the artist's life properly.
Si loin de moi
The person the artist loves is too far from them.
Des armées insolites
Strange armies surrounding the artist.
Et des ombres équivoques
The singer can see vague or uncertain shadows lurking around them.
Des fils dont on se moque
The artist mentions people who do not matter to them.
Et des femmes que l'on quitte
The singer acknowledges the women that people leave behind.
Des tristesses surannées
Sadness from a long time ago that still lingers.
Des malheurs qu'on oublie
Forgettable misfortunes.
Des ongles un peu noircis
Darkened nails, which could signify an injury or a sign of a darker, negative experience.
Mon ange, je t'ai puni
The artist confesses to have punished their lover.
À tant me sacrifier
The singer could be referring to the sacrifices they made for their lover, which led to their current condition.
Icône idolâtrée
The singer perhaps compares their lover to something that is worshipped and placed on a pedestal.
Immondices à la nuit
The artist could be referring to themselves as trash or something vile that is discarded in the night.
Je t'ai laissé tuer
The artist admits to allowing their lover to kill something important to them, probably their dreams.
Nos jeunesses ébauchées
Their unfinished youth, which was cut short by the lover's actions.
Le reste de nos vies
The future that was destroyed by their lover's actions.
Si loin de moi
The one they love is too far away from them, with no resolution in sight.
Mon ange, je t'ai haï
The singer repeats their confession of hating their lover, possibly emphasizing their pain and suffering.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Alain Bashung, Julien Duchesne, Jean-Louis Fieve
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hannah Perez
Mon ange je t'ai haï
je t'ai laissé aimer d'autres que moi
Un peu plus loin qu'ici
Mon ange je t'ai trahi
tant de nuits alité
que mon coeur a cessé
de me donner la vie
si loin de moi...
des armées insolites,
et des ombres équivoques,
des fils dont on se moque,
et des femmes que l'on quitte
des tristesses surannées
des malheurs qu'on oublie
des ongles un peu noircis
mon ange je t'ai puni
à tant me sacrifier
icône idolâtrée
immondices à la nuit
mon ange je t'ai haï
je t'ai laissé tuer
nos jeunesses ébauchées
le reste de nos vies
si loin de moi...
mes armées insolites
et des ombres équivoques
des fils dont on se moque,
et des femmes que l'on quitte
des tristesses surannées
des malheurs qu'on oublie
des ongles un peu noircis
mon ange je t'ai Haï
Marcheur Solitaire
Une de mes préférées du grand Bash' ... les grands artistes ne meurent jamais , car ils restent pour toujours dans nos coeurs .
Megaline Js
Alain Bashung, il y a déjà longtemps que tu es parti, mais tu es toujours là, tes fans ne t'oublient pas, tu es pour toujours dans leur coeur. Cette chanson est sublime. Tu es dans la cour des grands, de ces génies d'artistes qui ne meurent jamais.
Antoine Champion
magnifique... texte sublime... que demander de plus à part revoir notre grand Alain nous revenir car il nous manque :'(
louis abou chanab
Je frissonne chaque fois que j ecoutre cette chanson. Bashung tu m'as aidé à me decouvrir, à m'exprimer. Tu à traduis par des mots ce qiue je ressens à linterieur de moi en silence .Tu as calmé ma souffrance. J 'ecouterai ta musique tte ma vie et je te serai reconnaissant jusqu'a ma mort. Je ne pe retenir mes larmes chaque fois que j ecoute cette chanson. Un volcan d'emotions.
Samuel Solórzano
Cette chanson m'évoque autant de nostalgie, des souvenirs qui même ne m'appartient pas. Je suis de la Colombie, et j'ai commencé à étudier le français pour telle belle chanson comme cette-ci
Phil Torres
Vous avez mis la barre très haut. Bravo. C'est de la belle ouvrage comme on disait aux siècles passés...
martinealicelena
vous êtes un ange, vos textes et votre voix m'emmènent si loin... le coeur à l'abandon, le plus gransd des poètes de ce siècle ... oh ! merveille des merveilles
Dominique A.
Un poète qui nous shoote à ses mots !!! Une beauté mélancolique. Que c’est beau 😍
louis abou chanab
Tu m'as tellement fais rever et tu m'as meme aide a me retrouver a travers tes chansons!!! Merci du fond du coeur Lord Bashung.Que Dieu ai ton ame.
debo paquote
Quel superbe album "Bleu Petrole",je ne me lasse pas de l'écouter,il m'apaise... Merci Alain de nous faire rêver...