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).
On Est Si Beau
Alain Souchon Lyrics
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Sur le journal où y a les gens, on s'voit
Les beaux habits, les vieilleries
Vêtements du passant qui passe
Reflets de vitrines
Bonne, mauvaise mine, on s'voit
Dans les yeux sérieux bleus des enfants, on s'voit
Dans les beaux verres, les bouts d'verres
Les machins cassants qui cassent
Surfaces liquides
Les flaques d'acide, on s'voit
On est si beau, si beau
Pourquoi voulez-vous qu'à la fin, au bout
On meurt ?
On est si beau, si beau
Pas de raison majeure pour ce grand malheur
Qu'on meurt
On est si beau
Tellement, tellement, tellement beau
Spectateurs assis du monde endormi
On s'voit
Dans les longues, longues, longues après-midi qu'on vit
On s'voit
Corps posés
Cœurs exposés
Jeunes filles aux si fines chevilles
Dans l'roman court
Ou l'grand amour
On s'voit
On est si beau, si beau
Pourquoi voulez-vous qu'à la fin, au bout
On meurt ?
On est si beau, si beau
Pas de raison majeure pour ce grand malheur
Qu'on meurt
On est si beau
Tellement, tellement, tellement beau
The song "On Est Si Beau" by Alain Souchon is a reflection on beauty and the ephemeral nature of life. The lyrics describe various ways in which one can see oneself, from the reflection on the water's surface to the eyes of children or the broken glass on the street. The beauty of life is emphasized repeatedly throughout the song, with the refrain "On est si beau" serving as a reminder that despite the inevitable end, life is worth living.
The first stanza describes how one can see themselves reflected in their surroundings. The 'mirror' of the ponds, the 'journal' with people's lives, 'beaux habits and vieilleries' (beautiful clothes and old things), 'reflets de vitrines' (shop window reflections), and 'bonne, mauvaise mine' (good and bad side of someone's face) all represent different ways in which people look at themselves. The second stanza emphasizes the beauty present in even the most unexpected places, such as the eyes of children or the 'flaques d'acide' (acid puddles) on the street.
The bridge of the song emphasizes the vulnerability and exposure of human emotions, as it talks about 'corps posés' (laid-out bodies) and 'cœurs exposés' (exposed hearts). It also references 'jeunes filles aux si fines chevilles' (girls with such fine ankles), which could be a nod to the fragility and delicate nature of life.
Overall, "On Est Si Beau" is a poignant reminder of the importance of living in the moment and appreciating the beauty present in every aspect of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Sur le miroir plat des étangs, on s'voit
We see ourselves on the flat surface of the ponds
Sur le journal où y a les gens, on s'voit
We see ourselves in the newspaper where people are shown
Les beaux habits, les vieilleries
Vêtements du passant qui passe
Reflets de vitrines
Bonne, mauvaise mine, on s'voit
We see ourselves in beautiful clothes, old things and passerby's clothes in the reflection of the shop windows; we see ourselves with good or bad appearances
Dans les yeux sérieux bleus des enfants, on s'voit
We see ourselves in the serious blue eyes of children
Dans les coquillages vivants des restaurants, on s'voit
We see ourselves in the live shells of the restaurants
Dans les beaux verres, les bouts d'verres
Les machins cassants qui cassent
Surfaces liquides
Les flaques d'acide, on s'voit
We see ourselves in beautiful glasses, broken things that break, liquid surfaces and acid puddles
On est si beau, si beau
Pourquoi voulez-vous qu'à la fin, au bout
On meurt ?
We are so beautiful, why do you want us to die in the end?
On est si beau, si beau
Pas de raison majeure pour ce grand malheur
Qu'on meurt
We are so beautiful, there is no major reason for this great misfortune of dying
On est si beau
Tellement, tellement, tellement beau
We are so beautiful, incredibly, incredibly, incredibly beautiful
Spectateurs assis du monde endormi
On s'voit
We see ourselves as sitting spectators of the sleeping world
Dans les longues, longues, longues après-midi qu'on vit
On s'voit
We see ourselves in the long, long, long afternoons we live
Corps posés
Cœurs exposés
Jeunes filles aux si fines chevilles
Dans l'roman court
Ou l'grand amour
On s'voit
We see ourselves with bodies lying down, hearts exposed, young girls with such slim ankles, in the short story or the great love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MICHEL JONASZ, ALAIN SOUCHON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind