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).
La beauté d
Alain Souchon Lyrics
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Assis sur le bord des fleuves
Ils regardent s'en aller dans la mer
Les bouts de bois les vieilles affaires
La beauté d'Ava Gardner
Ça met dans leurs yeux un air
De savoir qu'tout va dans la mer
Les bateaux les avions d'guerre
La beauté d'Ava Gardner
Les murs écroulés du monde
Filez nos belles enfances blondes
Edith Nylon les nageuses à l'envers
Les odeurs dans les chemins de fer
La beauté d'Ava Gardner
J'aime les regretteurs d'hier
Qui trouvent que tout c'qu'on gagne on l'perd
Qui voudraient changer le sens des rivières
Retrouver dans la lumière
La beauté d'Ava Gardner
Retrouver les choses premières
La beauté d'Ava Gardner
The lyrics to Alain Souchon's song La beauté d'Ava Gardner (The Beauty of Ava Gardner) are a reflective ode to the past and the beauty that once existed. The first verse speaks of a love for men who are content to sit on the banks of rivers and watch as everything flows into the sea, including the beauty of Ava Gardner. This creates an air of knowing in their eyes that everything is fleeting and will eventually disappear into the vastness of the ocean.
The second verse speaks of the crumbling walls of the world and the loss of innocent childhoods, as memories of things like Edith, nylon, and upside-down swimmers also wash away into the sea with the beauty of Ava Gardner. The third verse is a longing for the past and a desire to change the course of time, to once again find the beauty that existed before.
Overall, the song paints a nostalgic picture of the fragile nature of beauty and the inevitability of its disappearance, as everything eventually flows into the abyss of time.
Line by Line Meaning
J'aime les hommes qui sont ce qui peuvent,
I like men who are able to be whatever they want and embrace their individuality.
Assis sur le bord des fleuves.
Sitting by the riverside and admiring the beauty of nature.
Ils regardent s'en aller dans la mer
Watching things disappear in the sea.
Les bouts de bois, les vieilles affaires,
The bits of wood and old things that flow away with the current.
La beauté d'Ava Gardner.
The beauty of Ava Gardner that symbolizes something cherished and lost.
Ça met dans leurs yeux un air,
It reflects in their eyes a certain mood.
De savoir que tout va dans la mer,
Knowing that everything eventually disappears into the sea.
La jeune fille adoucie des soirs de verre,
The young girl softened by the glassy evenings.
Les bateaux, les avions de guerre,
The boats and war planes that are now in the past.
La beauté d'Ava Gardner.
The beauty of Ava Gardner that represents something beyond reach.
Les murs écroulés du monde,
The crumbling walls of society.
Filez, nos belles enfances blondes,
Our beautiful blonde childhoods that are slipping away.
Édith, Nylon, les nageuses à l'envers,
Edith, nylon stockings, upside down swimmers.
Les odeurs dans les chemins de fer,
The smells on the railway tracks.
La beauté d'Ava Gardner.
The beauty of Ava Gardner that is a reminder of the golden days that are gone.
J'aime les regretteurs d'hier
I like those who regret the past.
Qui trouvent que tout ce qu'on gagne, on le perd,
Those who believe that whatever we gain, we eventually lose it.
Qui voudraient changer le sens des rivières,
Those who want to change the natural flow of things.
Retrouver dans la lumière
Finding something in the light of the past.
La beauté d'Ava Gardner.
The beauty of Ava Gardner that is a symbol of something precious that is gone but not forgotten.
Retrouver les choses premières,
Rediscovering the first things.
La beauté d'Ava Gardner
The beauty of Ava Gardner that represents reminiscent moments and evokes nostalgia.
Lyrics © LES EDITIONS ALAIN SOUCHON
Written by: Alain Souchon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind