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).
Les Jours Sans Loi
Alain Souchon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Démarche nonchalante de cet homme à femmes au soleil.
Les filles sur mon passage disaient
"Est-ce que cet homme frime, ou est-ce que c'est Dustin?"
"Est-ce que cet homme frime, ou est-ce que c'est Dustin?"
Ce jour-là, j'étais en jupe de cuir, pour voir,
Et dans la rue, j'avais sur les hommes un pouvoir.
Est-ce que c'est mon Alain?
Est-ce que c'est Aline?
Hou, hou, hou,
Y a des jours avec,
Hou, y a des jours avec
Et des jours sans moi.
Ce jour-là j'étais un peu médecin sans frontières
Et je filais mes Rolls Royce, mon caviar à l'abbé Pierre.
Les gens sur mon passage allumaient des bougies.
"Est-ce que c'est Jésus Christ?"
"Est-ce que c'est Jésus Christ?"
Des fois je me mets chanteur dans des music-halls fourbes?
J'appelle ma mère et tout sur des cordes de guitare courbes?
Les gens entendent un cri ou écoutent un murmure?
"Est-ce que cet homme est doux?
Est-ce que cet homme est dur?"
Hou, hou, hou,
Y a des jours avec,
Hou, y a des jours avec
Et des jours sans moi.
Ce jour-là, j'étais Hallyday mélancolique,
Ce jour-là, Voulzy twisteur philosophique,
Ce jour-là, Boy George, sainte vierge apocalyptique,
Ce jour-là, John Wayne sur son dada mécanique,
Ce jour-là, le président, ses call-girls et ses flics
Hou, hou, hou,
Y a des jours avec,
Hou, y a des jours avec
Et des jours sans moi.
In the song "Les Jours Sans Loi," Alain Souchon describes himself as a different persona each day, exploring different aspects of himself and his personality. The song begins with him comparing himself to Dustin Hoffman, walking with a confident strut and attracting the attention of women. The women wonder whether it's really him or just a man trying to imitate the famous actor.
Later in the song, Souchon transforms into other characters, such as a leather-skirt wearing woman with power over men, a philanthropic man giving away his luxury goods to the poor, and a musician with a somewhat elusive tone. Each time, people on the street try to figure out who he is and what he represents - is he a famous figure, a religious leader, or just a regular person?
Ultimately, though, the song is about the idea that some days we feel larger than life, like we can take on any persona or rise to any occasion. On other days, though, we feel small and insignificant, like nothing we do really matters. The chorus drives home this idea, repeating the phrase "there are days with me, and there are days without me," emphasizing the ebb and flow of our emotions and self-confidence.
Overall, the song is a reflection on the different facets of our personalities and how they can manifest in different ways on different days.
Line by Line Meaning
Ce jour-là, j'étais Dustin Hoffman pareil,
On that day, I felt like Dustin Hoffmann, walking with a womanizer's swagger in the sun. The girls on my way wondered if I was genuinely confident or just pretending to be my Hollywood alter ego, Dustin.
Les filles sur mon passage disaient
Girls on my way were asking
"Est-ce que cet homme frime, ou est-ce que c'est Dustin?"
"Is this man showing off or is he really Dustin?"
Ce jour-là, j'étais en jupe de cuir, pour voir,
On that day, I wore a leather skirt, just to see what it would feel like.
Et dans la rue, j'avais sur les hommes un pouvoir.
Walking down the street, I felt a power over men.
J'ai croisé mon amour. Elle a pris mauvaise mine.
I bumped into my love interest. She seemed displeased.
Est-ce que c'est mon Alain?
Is it because of me, Alain?
Est-ce que c'est Aline?
Or is it because of Aline?
Hou, hou, hou,
Hoo, hoo, hoo,
Y a des jours avec,
There are days with,
Hou, y a des jours avec
Hoo, there are days with
Et des jours sans moi.
And days without me.
Ce jour-là j'étais un peu médecin sans frontières
On that day, I acted like a doctor without borders.
Et je filais mes Rolls Royce, mon caviar à l'abbé Pierre.
I sped around in my Rolls Royce and gave my caviar to the poor priest, Abbé Pierre.
Les gens sur mon passage allumaient des bougies.
People lit candles as I passed through.
"Est-ce que c'est Jésus Christ?"
"Is it Jesus Christ?"
"Est-ce que c'est Jésus Christ?"
"Is it Jesus Christ?"
Des fois je me mets chanteur dans des music-halls fourbes?
Sometimes, I pretend to be a singer in shady music halls?
J'appelle ma mère et tout sur des cordes de guitare courbes?
I call my mother, and everything resonates on curved guitar strings?
Les gens entendent un cri ou écoutent un murmure?
People hear a cry or listen to a whisper.
"Est-ce que cet homme est doux?
"Is this man soft?
Est-ce que cet homme est dur?"
Is he tough?"
Hou, hou, hou,
Hoo, hoo, hoo,
Y a des jours avec,
There are days with,
Hou, y a des jours avec
Hoo, there are days with
Et des jours sans moi.
And days without me.
Ce jour-là, j'étais Hallyday mélancolique,
On that day, I felt like a melancholic Johnny Hallyday,
Ce jour-là, Voulzy twisteur philosophique,
That day, I twisted as a philosophical Voulzy.
Ce jour-là, Boy George, sainte vierge apocalyptique,
That day, I was Boy George, an apocalyptic virgin saint.
Ce jour-là, John Wayne sur son dada mécanique,
That day, I felt like John Wayne, riding my mechanical horse.
Ce jour-là, le président, ses call-girls et ses flics
That day, I was the President, hanging with his call-girls and cops.
Hou, hou, hou,
Hoo, hoo, hoo,
Y a des jours avec,
There are days with,
Hou, y a des jours avec
Hoo, there are days with
Et des jours sans moi.
And days without me.
Lyrics © LES EDITIONS ALAIN SOUCHON
Written by: ALAIN SOUCHON, LAURENT VOULZY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind