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).
Souffrir de se souvenir
Alain Souchon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et leurs guitares irréelles
Devant les l'électrophone elle s'habillait
Comme à Brighton
Et je gardais dans mon journal intime
Mon rêve Clémentine
Souffrir de ce souvenir
Et je chante la douleur exquise
Du temps, du temps qui glisse
Nous allions sur le chemin de ronde
Refaire le monde
Là-haut
On se disait des choses idéales
Sous les étoiles
On s'endormait serrés contre les filles
Jusqu'au malheur de l'envol
Souffrir de ce souvenir
Voilà le délice
Et je chante la douleur exquise
Du temps, du temps qui glisse
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Souffrir de ce souvenir
Voilà le délice
Maintenant les années ont passé
Et j'ai des jours heureux
Mais il suffit d'un parfum
D'un air et
Mon cœur se serre
Parfois d'aller dans les rues d'avant
Tu sais mon cœur se fend
Souffrir de ce souvenir
Voilà le délice
Et je chante la douleur exquise
Du temps, du temps qui glisse
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Souvent de fermer les yeux
De partir autrefois
Ça me rend malheureux
Et heureux à la fois
Comprenez-ça
Ainsi la joie et les sourires
Sont aux larmes mêlés
Souffrir de ce souvenir
Voilà le délice
Et je chante la douleur exquise
Du temps, du temps qui glisse
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Je chante la douleur exquise
Du temps qui glisse
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Souffrir de ce souvenir
Voilà le délice
The song Souffrir de se souvenir (To suffer from remembering) by Alain Souchon & Laurent Voulzy is a song about nostalgia, longing, and the bittersweet memories of a past love. The opening lines of the song depict the woman's love for British culture, particularly their lace and surreal guitars. The singer remembers how she used to dress up while listening to music as if she was in Brighton, England. The next lines reveal that the singer used to keep his love for her, Clémentine, in a diary of some sort.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses his feelings of painful yet delightful memories of times spent with his past love. He remembers walking with her on the "chemin de ronde" and exchanging idealistic thoughts under the stars. They used to embrace until the morning's arrival, marking the end of their time together, and pain arising from that is still felt by the singer.
As the years have passed, the singer may have found some joy and happiness. However, the memories of his past love resurface when he smells a certain fragrance or hears a specific tune. The song expresses a poignant yearning for the past, where the joys and smiles are mixed with tears.
Overall, the song tells a story of a past love that is gone but never forgotten. The singer cherishes the memories of every moment spent together and cherishes the pain and joy that comes with remembering.
Line by Line Meaning
Elle aimait les anglais, leur belles dentelles
She loved the English, their beautiful laces
Et leurs guitares irréelles
And their unreal guitars
Devant les l'électrophone elle s'habillait
In front of the record player she would dress
Comme à Brighton
Like in Brighton
Et je gardais dans mon journal intime
And I kept in my diary
Mon rêve Clémentine
My dream Clémentine
Souffrir de ce souvenir
To suffer from this memory
Voilà le délice
That's the delight
Et je chante la douleur exquise
And I sing the exquisite pain
Du temps, du temps qui glisse
Of time, time that slips away
Nous allions sur le chemin de ronde
We would go on the rampart walk
Refaire le monde
Redoing the world
Là-haut
Up there
On se disait des choses idéales
We would talk about ideal things
Sous les étoiles
Under the stars
On s'endormait serrés contre les filles
We would fall asleep holding onto the girls
Jusqu'au malheur de l'envol
Until the sadness of leaving
Maintenant les années ont passé
Now the years have passed
Et j'ai des jours heureux
And I have happy days
Mais il suffit d'un parfum
But it only takes a scent
D'un air et
A certain air
Mon cœur se serre
My heart tightens
Parfois d'aller dans les rues d'avant
Sometimes going through the old streets
Tu sais mon cœur se fend
You know, my heart breaks
Souvent de fermer les yeux
Often closing my eyes
De partir autrefois
To leave the past behind
Ça me rend malheureux
It makes me sad
Et heureux à la fois
And happy at the same time
Comprenez-ça
Understand that
Ainsi la joie et les sourires
Thus joy and smiles
Sont aux larmes mêlés
Are mixed with tears
Je chante la douleur exquise
I sing the exquisite pain
Du temps qui glisse
Of time that slips away
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Lyrics © LES EDITIONS ALAIN SOUCHON, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SONY ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING FRANCE
Written by: Alain Souchon, Laurent Voulzy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind