Alain Bashung (born Alain Baschung on 1 December 1947 in Paris and died on … Read Full Bio ↴Alain Bashung (born Alain Baschung on 1 December 1947 in Paris and died on 14 March 2009) was a French singer, songwriter, and actor; he was the son of a Brittany born mother and a Kabyle father he never knew.

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.

Toujours Sur La Ligne Blanche
Alain Bashung Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mes yeux sont dans le miroir où je les ai laissés
Je me reconnais même plus sur les photos
Je comprends pas vos questions
Je comprends pas vos prisons
M'ont fait prendre trop de cachets dans leur cachot

Mes mains sont sur un petit cul que j'ai pas touché
J'ai dit ça comme ça, faut pas le prendre de haut

Je signerai où vous voudrez, je signerai mais faut m'expliquer
J'ai pas bien lu le scénario

Je me souviens d'une autoroute
Coupée en deux
J'ai pas vu le panneau
Je fermais les yeux

Toujours sur la ligne blanche
Toujours sur la ligne blanche
Toujours sur la ligne blanche
Toujours sur la ligne blanche

Mes yeux sont dans le miroir où je les ai laissés
Je me reconnais même plus sur vos journaux
Comment s'appelle cet endroit
Je me suis perdu, je reconnais pas
J'ai pas bien lu le scénario

Je me souviens d'une autoroute
Coupée en deux
J'ai pas vu le panneau
Je fermais les yeux

Toujours sur la ligne blanche
Toujours sur la ligne blanche

Toujours sur la ligne blanche
Toujours sur la ligne blanche

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Alain Bashung's "Toujours Sur La Ligne Blanche" ("Always On The White Line") express a sense of confusion and disorientation. The singer feels disconnected from his own reflection in the mirror and from the media's portrayal of him, as he does not recognize himself in either. He is also struggling to understand the questions and rules imposed on him, feeling confined in a prison that has forced him to take medication. In the second stanza, he makes a flippant comment about groping someone's butt, indicating a sense of detachment from the people and situations around him. He seems willing to comply with the demands of others, but only if they provide him with a clear explanation of what is expected of him. The song's title refers to the white line on the road and the singer's apparent inability to stay within its bounds, perhaps symbolizing his tendency to veer off course in life, whether by choice or circumstance.

The image of driving on a highway, as described in the third and fourth stanzas, further underscores the theme of dislocation and confusion. The singer cannot recall the name of his location and seems to have lost his way. Despite this, he continues to drive, keeping his eyes shut and relying on instinct rather than direction. The repetition of the line "toujours sur la ligne blanche" reinforces the idea of being stuck in a rut, unable or unwilling to deviate from a prescribed path.

Overall, the song seems to be about the experience of feeling lost and disconnected from oneself, others, and the world at large. It reflects a sense of aimlessness and lack of direction, as well as a desire to break free from restrictive expectations and find one's own way.

Line by Line Meaning

Mes yeux sont dans le miroir où je les ai laissés
I see myself in the mirror just as I left myself, but I don't recognize the person in photos anymore.

Je me reconnais même plus sur les photos
I don't even recognize myself in photos anymore.

Je comprends pas vos questions
I don't understand your questions.

Je comprends pas vos prisons
I don't understand your prisons.

M'ont fait prendre trop de cachets dans leur cachot
They made me take too many pills in their cell.

Mes mains sont sur un petit cul que j'ai pas touché
My hands are on a small ass that I haven't touched, I just said it out of nowhere, don't take it out of context.

J'ai dit ça comme ça, faut pas le prendre de haut
I just said it casually without any intention to offend or trigger.

Je signerai où vous voudrez, je signerai mais faut m'expliquer
I'll sign wherever you want me to sign, but first, you have to explain it to me.

J'ai pas bien lu le scénario
I didn't read the script carefully.

Je me souviens d'une autoroute coupée en deux
I remember a highway that was cut in half.

J'ai pas vu le panneau, je fermais les yeux
I didn't see the sign because I was closing my eyes.

Toujours sur la ligne blanche
Always driving on the white line.

Mes yeux sont dans le miroir où je les ai laissés
I see myself in the mirror just as I left myself, but I don't even recognize myself in your newspapers.

Comment s'appelle cet endroit, je me suis perdu, je reconnais pas
What's the name of this place? I'm lost, I don't recognize it.

Toujours sur la ligne blanche
Always driving on the white line.