Arthur H is Arthur Higelin's stage name. Higelin (born Paris, France, 27 Ma… Read Full Bio ↴Arthur H is Arthur Higelin's stage name. Higelin (born Paris, France, 27 March 1966), is a French pianist, songwriter and singer. He is the son of the French singer Jacques Higelin and Nicole Courtois. After traveling in the West Indies, he studied music in Boston before returning to Paris and developing his eclectic but highly personal musical style, drawing on such influences as Thelonious Monk, Serge Gainsbourg, the Sex Pistols, jazz, blues, Middle Eastern music and the tango. He is best known in France for his live performances - four of his albums were recorded live - and remains relatively little-known in the English-speaking world.

Arthur H first performed in 1988 in clubs in Paris, as leader of a trio with bassist Brad Scott and drummer Paul Jothy. His first album, Arthur H (1990), combined rhythmic experimentation and bal-musette elements with a vocal style which has been compared to Tom Waits. He toured widely around this time, particularly in France and Japan, adding a fourth band member, Jon Handelsman (saxophone), and produced a second album, Bachibouzouk (1992). In early 1993, he did a six week season at the Magic Mirrors, an antique circus big top, which was later put on as a touring show and recorded on the live album En chair et en os. In 1996, he released the album Trouble Fête, following which he performed a season at the Gymnase in Paris. The live album Fête Trouble (1997) included some tracks from these shows as well as others recorded on tour in Africa. He toured the USA and Canada in 1998.

In 2000, he wrote the soundtrack for Michel Couvelard’s film, Inséparables, before touring in Asia and Canada. His next album, Pour Madame X (2000), featured the touring band of Nicolas Repac (guitar), Brad Scott (double bass) and Laurent Robin (drums). In 2001, he took part in the show "Cabaret Imprudent" with "Le Cirque Cahin-caha". The following year, he released the album Piano Solo, recorded live in a studio and mainly consisting of solo interpretations of earlier songs. This was followed by a band album, Négresse Blanche (2003), comprising tracks dedicated to the memory of famous women such as "Marilyn Kaddish" and "Bo Derek". In 2005, a planned tour of China was cancelled, and he returned to the studio to record the album Adieu Tristesse. This was the most commercially successful of his career, and included several duets, one with his father and another, "Est-ce que tu aimes?", with the musician -M- (Matthieu Chedid). He subsequently toured widely in France, Lebanon and Canada. In 2006 he published a book, "Onirique attaque", containing lyrics, reflections and photographs. He also composed the soundtrack for the film "L’homme qui rêvait d'un enfant", directed by Delphine Gleize. The soundtrack was performed by an ensemble of children from a local music school. The album "Show Time", issued late in 2006, was recorded live on tour and includes duets with Matthieu Chedid, Pauline Croze, Lhasa de Sela and Jacques Higelin. In June 2008 he released the album "L'Homme du Monde".

Discography
* 1990 : Arthur H
* 1991 : Cool Jazz (remixes)
* 1992 : Bachibouzouk
* 1993 : En chair et en os (live)
* 1996 : Trouble-Fête
* 1997 : Fête Trouble (live)
* 1999 : Inséparables (soundtrack)
* 2000 : Pour Madame X
* 2002 : Piano Solo (live)
* 2003 : Négresse Blanche
* 2005 : Adieu Tristesse
* 2006 : Show Time (live)
* 2008 : L'Homme du Monde

www.arthurh.net

Marilyn Kaddish
Arthur H Lyrics

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Gazouillis d'étoile
Nue sous les draps en soie

Ombre de soleil
Marchande de magie blanche
Norma Jean Baker
Champagne à gogo
Dans le sunset brûlant

Rires effervescents
Éclaboussant la ville
Norma Jean Baker

Marylin,
Amour et mystère
Sous ta tête folle d'enfant
Qui joue à la lumière
Oh Marylin
Feu de joie
Embrasant les murs sales
Des cinémas

Déesse des camionneurs,
Des abrutis et des voleurs
Étincelle sexuelle
Resplendissant dans l'âme
Des marins et des soldats
Norma Jean Baker
Frêle idole blonde
Jetée dans la gueule du monde
Norma Jean Baker

Marylin,
Amour et mystère
Sous ta tête folle d'enfant
Qui joue à la lumière
Oh Marylin,
Feu de joie
Embrasant les murs sales
Des cinémas

Gazouillis d'étoile
Nue sous les draps en soie

Tu meurs dans ta beauté
Au coeur même de l'été

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Arthur H's song Marilyn Kaddish are a tribute to the iconic Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe. The opening lines "Gazouillis d'étoile, Nue sous les draps en soie" roughly translate to "Twitters of the stars, naked under the silk sheets". The lyrics describe Marilyn as a shadow of the sun, a white magic peddler, and a fragile blonde idol. The song portrays Marilyn as a goddess to truckers, idiots, and thieves, a sexual spark that shines brightly in the soul of sailors and soldiers. The chorus repeats the lines "Marylin, Amour et mystère, Sous ta tête folle d'enfant Qui joue à la lumière" which means "Marilyn, love and mystery, under your crazy childlike head that plays in the light."

The lyrics evoke the image of Marilyn Monroe's rise to fame, her time as a sex symbol, and her tragic end. Her life in the glamorous world of Hollywood is depicted in lines such as "Champagne à gogo, Dans le sunset brûlant, Rires effervescents" which means "Champagne galore, in the burning sunset, effervescent laughter". The song also acknowledges the darker side of Marilyn's life with the line "Jetée dans la gueule du monde" meaning "Thrown into the jaws of the world". The final lines of the song "Tu meurs dans ta beauté Au coeur même de l'été" translate to "You die in your beauty, in the heart of summer" which is a heartbreaking reference to Marilyn's untimely death.

Line by Line Meaning

Gazouillis d'étoile
Tweeting of stars

Nue sous les draps en soie
Naked under silk sheets

Ombre de soleil
Sun-shadow

Marchande de magie blanche
Seller of white magic

Norma Jean Baker
Birth name of Marilyn Monroe

Champagne à gogo
Unlimited champagne

Dans le sunset brûlant
In the burning sunset

Rires effervescents
Effervescent laughter

Éclaboussant la ville
Splashing the city

Marylin,
Marilyn,

Amour et mystère
Love and mystery