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.
Y'a Des Jours
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que l'on te donne un métier bonne chance
Quand ce n'est pas des idées resucées
Comme un chewing-gum usagé
Y'a des jours où on voudrait laisser tomber
J'avais pas dit bonjour aux rois mages
Qu'ils ont mis mes plâneries en cage
Qui devaient chanter
Y'a des jours où on voudrait laisser tomber
Y'a des jours qui font des p'tits matins
Où l'on se fout des gens qui ont faim
Y'a des crois-moi on voudrait bien
Ne plus s'en faire pour son prochain
Y'a la nana dont tu veux pas
Et puis celle qui s'pend comme un porte-clefs à ton bras
Marie-Madeleine avec laquelle faudrait oser mais on n'ose jamais
Et puis y'a la fille qu'on laisse toujours tomber...
Y'a la chanson qui ne vient pas
Et puis celle qu'on écrit sans en penser un mot
Y'a les idées auxquelles on ne croit pas
Mais qu'on porte comme un drapeau
Il y a des jours où vaudrait mieux se foutre à l'eau
Y'a des jours qui font des p'tits matins
Où l'on se fout des gens qui ont faim
Y'a des crois-moi on voudrait bien
Ne plus s'en faire pour son prochain
J'en ai marre de faire des miracles
Pour une bande de types qui s'en grattent et s'en tapent
J'ai une p'tite croix qui m'attend
Et trois clous qui m'attendent sur le Mont des Oliviers
Si j'vais pas mieux un jour je m'y laisserai clouer
The lyrics to Alain Bashung's song Y'a Des Jours speak to the sense of overwhelming responsibility and obligation that can come with growing up and being expected to take on adult roles, whether it be through a career or personal relationships. The opening lines, "T'es à peine sorti de l'enfance / Que l'on te donne un métier bonne chance" (You've barely just come out of childhood / And you're given a job, good luck with that), set the tone for the rest of the song.
Bashung goes on to describe the different pressures and choices that come with adulthood, including dealing with difficult people (such as the girl you don't want to be with, but also the one you always leave), the struggle to create art (the song that won't come, or the ideas you don't believe in but carry around like a flag), and the burden of feeling responsible for others (the people who are hungry and in need).
Despite the weight of these responsibilities, the chorus offers a glimmer of hope for those feeling overwhelmed: "Y'a des crois-moi on voudrait bien / Ne plus s'en faire pour son prochain" (There are days when, believe me, we'd love to no longer worry about others). The last line of the song, "Si j'vais pas mieux un jour je m'y laisserai clouer" (If one day I'm not feeling better, I'll let myself be nailed to the Mount of Olives), adds a touch of dark humor to an otherwise introspective and contemplative song.
Line by Line Meaning
T'es à peine sorti de l'enfance
You've barely left childhood
Que l'on te donne un métier bonne chance
And they give you a job, good luck
Quand ce n'est pas des idées resucées
When it's not just recycled ideas
Comme un chewing-gum usagé
Like a used piece of gum
Y'a des jours où on voudrait laisser tomber
There are days when you want to give up
J'avais pas dit bonjour aux rois mages
I hadn't said hello to the Magi
Qu'ils ont mis mes plâneries en cage
They caged my daydreams
Avec leur école et tous leurs lendemains
With their school and all their tomorrows
Qui devaient chanter
That were supposed to sing
Y'a des jours où on voudrait laisser tomber
There are days when you want to give up
Y'a des jours qui font des p'tits matins
There are days that turn into early mornings
Où l'on se fout des gens qui ont faim
When we don't care about hungry people
Y'a des crois-moi on voudrait bien
Sometimes we really want to
Ne plus s'en faire pour son prochain
Stop worrying about our neighbor
Y'a la nana dont tu veux pas
There's the girl you don't want
Et puis celle qui s'pend comme un porte-clefs à ton bras
And then the one who hangs onto your arm like a keychain
Marie-Madeleine avec laquelle faudrait oser mais on n'ose jamais
Mary Magdalene who we should dare to try with but never do
Et puis y'a la fille qu'on laisse toujours tomber...
And then there's the girl we always let go...
Y'a la chanson qui ne vient pas
There's the song that doesn't come
Et puis celle qu'on écrit sans en penser un mot
And the one we write without thinking
Y'a les idées auxquelles on ne croit pas
There are ideas we don't believe in
Mais qu'on porte comme un drapeau
But we carry like a flag
Il y a des jours où vaudrait mieux se foutre à l'eau
There are days when it's better to just jump in the water
J'en ai marre de faire des miracles
I'm tired of performing miracles
Pour une bande de types qui s'en grattent et s'en tapent
For a bunch of guys who scratch their heads and don't care
J'ai une p'tite croix qui m'attend
I have a little cross waiting for me
Et trois clous qui m'attendent sur le Mont des Oliviers
And three nails waiting for me on the Mount of Olives
Si j'vais pas mieux un jour je m'y laisserai clouer
If I'm not doing any better one day, I'll let them nail me to it
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
…