She came to Paris in 1958 at age 17 where she met Pierre Cardin and Coco Chanel, who convinced her to change her name to Anna Karina. As a rising fashion model, she was noticed in a commercial for Palmolive soap by Jean-Luc Godard then a film critic for the Cahiers du cinéma.
In the late 1960s, she scored a major hit with "Sous le soleil exactement" and "Roller Girl", both songs taken from the musical comedy "Anna" by Serge Gainsbourg in which she sings seven songs alongside Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Claude Brialy. More recently, she recorded an album entitled "Une histoire d'amour" with Katerine, which was followed up by a concert tour. Anna Karina has also written a novel and made several appearances on television.
Karina died on December 14, 2019 at the age of 79.
Sous le soleil exactement
Anna Karina Lyrics
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Do Capricorne ou do Cancer
Depuis j'ai oublié lequel
Sous le soleil exactement
Pas à côté, pas n'importe où
Sous le soleil,sous le soleil
Exactement juste en dessous.
C'était tout au bord de la mer
Depuis j'ai oublié laquelle
Sous le soleil exactement
Pas à côté, pas n'importe où
Sous le soleil, sous le soleil
Exactement juste en dessous.
Était-ce le Nouveau-Mexique
Vers le Cap Horn, vers le Cap Vert
Était-ce sur un archipel
Sous le soleil exactement
Pas à côté, pas n'importe où
Sous le soleil, sous le soleil
Exactement juste en dessous.
C'est sûrement un rêve érotique
Que je me fais les yeux ouverts
Et pourtant si c'était réel?
Sous le soleil exactement
Pas à côté, pas n'importe où
Sous le soleil, sous le soleil
Exactement juste en dessous.
The lyrics to Anna Karina's song Sous Le Soleil Exactement express a sense of nostalgia and longing for a place in the world where the sun shines perfectly, directly above. The lyrics mention a specific point under the Tropic of Capricorn or Cancer, though the singer can't remember which one. They also mention being near the sea, but again, the specifics are forgotten. The singer wonders if this perfect place was in the New Mexico desert, near the Cape Horn or Cape Verde, or on an archipelago somewhere. However, it is suggested in the final verse that this place may only exist in the singer's imagination, as a dreamy and erotic vision.
The lyrics create a sense of yearning for a place in the world that doesn't necessarily exist in reality, but lives on in the mind's eye. The specific location is a detail that the singer has forgotten or perhaps never really knew, but the feeling of being in a perfect spot under the sun is vivid and intense. The song creates a romantic and dream-like atmosphere, with a touch of melancholy and wistfulness.
Line by Line Meaning
Un point précis sous le tropique
A specific spot under the tropics
Do Capricorne ou do Cancer
Either in Capricorn or Cancer
Depuis j'ai oublié lequel
But I've forgotten which one
Sous le soleil exactement
Under the sun precisely
Pas à côté, pas n'importe où
Not over there, not just anywhere
Sous le soleil,sous le soleil
Under the sun, under the sun
Exactement juste en dessous.
Precisely right below.
Dans quel pays, dans quel district
In which country, in which region
C'était tout au bord de la mer
It was right on the edge of the sea
Depuis j'ai oublié laquelle
But I've forgotten which one
Sous le soleil exactement
Under the sun precisely
Pas à côté, pas n'importe où
Not over there, not just anywhere
Sous le soleil, sous le soleil
Under the sun, under the sun
Exactement juste en dessous.
Precisely right below.
Était-ce le Nouveau-Mexique
Was it New Mexico
Vers le Cap Horn, vers le Cap Vert
Towards Cape Horn, towards Cape Verde
Était-ce sur un archipel
Was it on an archipelago
Sous le soleil exactement
Under the sun precisely
Pas à côté, pas n'importe où
Not over there, not just anywhere
Sous le soleil, sous le soleil
Under the sun, under the sun
Exactement juste en dessous.
Precisely right below.
C'est sûrement un rêve érotique
It's surely an erotic dream
Que je me fais les yeux ouverts
That I'm having with my eyes open
Et pourtant si c'était réel?
But what if it were real?
Sous le soleil exactement
Under the sun precisely
Pas à côté, pas n'importe où
Not over there, not just anywhere
Sous le soleil, sous le soleil
Under the sun, under the sun
Exactement juste en dessous.
Precisely right below.
Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg, Bruno Ralle, Guillaume Siron
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind