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 un yéti
Alain Bashung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Branche-moi la sirène
Je vois un type qui gaule
Une cassette d'Éric Charden
Heureusement qu'on est là
Pour faire respecter la loi
Il a des plumes partout
Je te parie ma paye
Que c'est un étranger
Heureusement qu'on est là
Pour faire respecter la loi
Y a un yéti dans le Monoprix
Y a un yéti
Tiens ça me fait penser
Faut que j'aille à la police
Faire renouveler ma vieille carte de milice
Ensuite on se retrouve chez moi
J'ai reçu un kilo de foie gras
Tu crois qu'on va l'avoir la guerre avec les frisés
La dernière fois j'ai pas pu résister
Mais c'est pas tout ça mon gars
Comment tu trouves mon calva
Y a un yéti dans le Monoprix
Y a un yéti
Marcel vise le vidéo
Nos gars lui mettent sur la gueule
Faudrait y aller
Vont pas y arriver seuls
Remarque pour un étranger
Je dois dire qu'il sait encaisser
Si c'est pas malheureux notre monde qui part en brioche
Marcel regarde-moi je vais pleurer c'est moche
Heureusement qu'on est là
Pour faire respecter la loi
Y a un yéti dans le Monoprix
Y a un yéti dans le Monoprix
The lyrics to Alain Bashung's song "Y'A Un Yéti" speak to the prejudice and xenophobia that can exist in society. The singer, presumably a member of some kind of security or law enforcement team, urges his colleague Marcel to turn on the siren as they observe a man who appears "foreign" trying to shoplift a cassette tape. The repeated refrain "heureusement qu'on est là pour faire respecter la loi" ("fortunately, we're here to enforce the law") underscores the belief that these two men view themselves as defenders of order in a chaotic world.
However, the lines that follow reveal an undercurrent of humor and absurdity to the situation. The man they're attempting to apprehend is described as having feathers and a "teint basané" (tanned complexion), and the singer bets his paycheck that he's a foreigner. This caricature of an outsider, combined with the knowledge that the team's primary concern is a stolen cassette tape, casts the singer's sense of urgency around the scenario in a comedic light.
Later in the song, the singer interrupts their pursuit to reflect on his own status as a member of the "milice" (militia) and make small talk with Marcel about a delivery of foie gras. This points to a lack of seriousness and an obsession with trivialities among those who wield power and authority.
Overall, "Y'A Un Yéti" skewers the self-importance of certain law enforcement figures and the ways in which cultural differences can be used as a tool for cheap laughs, while shedding light on the often absurd nature of the ways in which power is wielded.
Line by Line Meaning
Marcel dépêche-toi
Hurry up, Marcel
Branche-moi la sirène
Turn on the siren
Je vois un type qui gaule
I see a guy who is stealing
Une cassette d'Éric Charden
An Éric Charden cassette tape
Heureusement qu'on est là
Luckily, we are here
Pour faire respecter la loi
To enforce the law
Il a des plumes partout
He has feathers everywhere
Et le teint basané
And a dark complexion
Je te parie ma paye
I bet my pay
Que c'est un étranger
That he is a foreigner
Y a un yéti dans le Monoprix
There is a yeti in the Monoprix
Tiens ça me fait penser
Oh, that reminds me
Faut que j'aille à la police
I need to go to the police
Faire renouveler ma vieille carte de milice
To renew my old militia card
Ensuite on se retrouve chez moi
Then we'll meet at my place
J'ai reçu un kilo de foie gras
I received a kilogram of foie gras
Tu crois qu'on va l'avoir la guerre avec les frisés
Do you think we're going to have a war with the curly-haired people
La dernière fois j'ai pas pu résister
Last time, I couldn't resist
Mais c'est pas tout ça mon gars
But that's not all, my friend
Comment tu trouves mon calva
How do you like my calvados
Y a un yéti dans le Monoprix
There is a yeti in the Monoprix
Marcel vise le vidéo
Marcel, aim the video camera
Nos gars lui mettent sur la gueule
Our guys are beating him up
Faudrait y aller
We should go there
Vont pas y arriver seuls
They won't be able to do it alone
Remarque pour un étranger
But for a foreigner
Je dois dire qu'il sait encaisser
I must say he can take a hit
Si c'est pas malheureux notre monde qui part en brioche
It's unfortunate that our world is going to hell
Marcel regarde-moi je vais pleurer c'est moche
Marcel, look at me, I'm going to cry, it's ugly
Y a un yéti dans le Monoprix
There is a yeti in the Monoprix
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
…