Souchon signed his first contract in 1971, but had no success until he began to collaborate with composer/arranger Laurent Voulzy ; they would write together, but each released albums under his own name. Souchon's first hit was "J'ai 10 ans" (1974), from the album of the same name. Souchon's biggest hit was probably "Foule Sentimentale" from 1995's C'est Deja ca. His recent album is from 2005, called La Vie Theodore which features his song "Et si en plus, y'a personne" [What if, even more, there is no one], a song condemning religious intolerance.
He wrote the theme for François Truffaut's 1979 film Love on the Run (L'amour en fuite).
J' Appelle
Alain Souchon Lyrics
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Sur mon chemin je rencontre une fille qui chantait
C'est un temps bien plaisant que de vivre sans amant
C'est un temps bien plaisant que de vivre sans amant
La prends par sa main blanche dans le bois l'emmener
Quand elle fut dans le bois elle s'est mise à pleurer
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
Ah! Qu'avez-vous la belle, qu'avez-vous à pleurer?
Je pleure que je suis jeune pour venir vous accompagner
Si vous êtes trop jeune, nous vous laisserons aller
Quand elle fut hors du bois, elle s'est mise à chanter
C'est un temps bien plaisant que de vivre sans amant
C'est un temps bien plaisant que de vivre sans amant
Ah! Qu'avez-vous la belle, qu'avez-vous à chanter?
Je chante à ce lourdaud qui m'a laissé filer
Retournons-y la belle, cent écus vous aurez
Ni pour cent ni pour mille, jamais vous ne m'y aurez
Quand on tient les fillettes, il faut les embrasser
Quand tu tiens l'alouette, il te faut la plumer
Quand on tient les fillettes, il faut les embrasser
Quand tu tiens l'alouette, il te faut la plumer
Quand on tient les fillettes, il faut les embrasser
Quand tu tiens l'alouette, il te faut la plumer.
The lyrics of Alain Souchon's song "J' appelle" describe an encounter between the singer and a girl he meets while going for a walk. The girl sings about the pleasure of living without a lover, but when the singer takes her by the hand and leads her into the woods, she starts to cry. The singer asks what's wrong, and the girl replies that she's too young to be with him. However, the singer tells her they can let her go if she's uncomfortable. As they exit the woods, the girl starts to sing again, this time revealing that she was crying because she wanted to join the singer but felt she was too young. The song ends with the singer telling her they can return to the woods, but the girl refuses.
The song has a nice melody, but the lyrics are quite sad. They tell a story of a girl who feels she's too young to experience the pleasures of love and life. However, it also portrays the singer as a decent guy who respects her and her boundaries. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but one can speculate that the girl is either too young or too afraid of love and commitment to take a chance on the singer. Whatever the reason, she misses out on an opportunity to experience life and love.
Line by Line Meaning
Après ma journée faite m'en allant promener
After finishing my day's work, I went out for a walk
Sur mon chemin je rencontre une fille qui chantait
On my way, I met a girl who was singing
C'est un temps bien plaisant que de vivre sans amant
It's a pleasant time to live without a lover
La prends par sa main blanche dans le bois l'emmener
I took her by her white hand and led her into the woods
Quand elle fut dans le bois elle s'est mise à pleurer
When she was in the woods, she started crying
Ah! Qu'avez-vous la belle, qu'avez-vous à pleurer?
Ah! What's the matter, my dear? Why are you crying?
Je pleure que je suis jeune pour venir vous accompagner
I'm crying because I'm too young to accompany you
Si vous êtes trop jeune, nous vous laisserons aller
If you're too young, we'll let you go
Quand elle fut hors du bois, elle s'est mise à chanter
When she was out of the woods, she started singing
Ah! Qu'avez-vous la belle, qu'avez-vous à chanter?
Ah! What's the matter, my dear? Why are you singing?
Je chante à ce lourdaud qui m'a laissé filer
I'm singing to that fool who let me go
Retournons-y la belle, cent écus vous aurez
Come back with me, my dear, and I'll give you a hundred gold coins
Ni pour cent ni pour mille, jamais vous ne m'y aurez
Not for a hundred nor a thousand coins, will you ever get me
Quand on tient les fillettes, il faut les embrasser
When you hold a girl, you must kiss her
Quand tu tiens l'alouette, il te faut la plumer
When you catch a lark, you must pluck it
Quand on tient les fillettes, il faut les embrasser
When you hold a girl, you must kiss her
Quand tu tiens l'alouette, il te faut la plumer
When you catch a lark, you must pluck it
Quand on tient les fillettes, il faut les embrasser
When you hold a girl, you must kiss her
Quand tu tiens l'alouette, il te faut la plumer
When you catch a lark, you must pluck it
Lyrics © LES EDITIONS ALAIN SOUCHON
Written by: ALAIN SOUCHON, LAURENT VOULZY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind