1) Barbara was a popular … Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists with this name:
1) Barbara was a popular French female singer born as Monique Andrée Serf (9th June 1930 - 25th November 1997) best known under her stage name. "Barbara" had been the title of a famous song in the fifties, whose text comes from Prévert.
Monique Serf, born in Paris, France, into a Jewish family, was ten years old when she had to go into hiding during the German occupation of France in World War II. After the war ended, a neighbourhood music teacher heard her sing and took an interest in helping her develop her talents. She was given vocal lessons and taught to play the piano, and eventually she enrolled at the Ecole Supérieure de Musique. However, money was a problem and she gave up her musical studies to sing at "La Fontaine des Quatre Saisons", a popular cabaret at the time in Paris.
A sensitive girl, she was deeply scarred by the war and her family's plight. Her inner feelings of emptiness showed in her appearance and in her songs. Serf wrote in her autobiography, Il etait un piano noir, that her father sexually abused her when she was ten. He later left the family, never to return; Serf went to his funeral in Nantes, which gave rise to one of her most popular songs, "Nantes".
2) Barbara is a band from Hove, England, formed by brothers Henry and John Tydeman. They describe their influences as The Kinks, The Divine Comedy, ELO and Blur, and their music as "Fop Pop". Their debut EP "Mildly Entertaining" was released in 2022 and they also supported The Divine Comedy on the UK leg of their 2022 tour.
3) Barbara is an Experimental Doom band from Israel
Current lineup:
Re-em H. Bass / Vocals
David Opp Drums / Vocals
4) A sound experience from North America. First cultivated in 2012.
5) Barbara is a creation/side project from the mind of enigmatic and legendary Tyler Semrick-Palmateer (formerly of Mare, Hydra Head Records) and his brother Raynor Semrick-Palmateer.
6) Korean singer who debuted in early 2011
Berlin
Barbara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nous ne décidons en rien de notre vie
Nous sommes tous les otages de forces qui nous animent
Qui nous dirigent, qui nous ordonnent
Nous devons obéir
Les forces sont là, là, là, partout
Elles nous guettent, elles nous suivent
Les forces nous aiment, elles nous protègent, elles nous subliment
Les forces peuvent aussi ... Hop ! Plus rien
Silence, pas même un cri d'oiseau
Une pluie de cendres
Vous n' me croyez pas ? (x2)
Ah là, vous avez tort
Écoutez
Regardez ce qui va s' passer là ! Là-bas ! Là-bas !
(Des pas, un déclic, un cri)
Ah, non, pas ça ! Non, pas ça, pas c' rouge cathédrale !
Je n' veux pas ! Enlevez-moi ça !
Qu'est-ce que vous jouez là ?
Mais qu'est-ce que vous jouez là ?
Mais arrêtez-moi cette répétition ! Arrêtez !
Barbara's song "Berlin" is a hauntingly beautiful piece that dives deep into the human condition and the inner battles we face. The opening lines "Nous ne nous appartenons pas/Nous ne décidons en rien de notre vie" (We don't own ourselves/We don't decide anything about our lives) immediately sets the tone of how small and insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. The song talks about the different forces that control our lives - some that guide and protect us, and others that can easily destroy us. The singer urges the listeners to pay attention to these forces that are always present around us.
As the song progresses, we hear the singer's fear and desperation when she exclaims, "Ah, non, pas ça ! Non, pas ça, pas c'rouge cathédrale ! Je n'veux pas ! Enlevez-moi ça !" (Ah, no, not that! Not that, not that red cathedral! I don't want it! Take it away from me!) The use of color and imagery in the song is stunning and adds to the overall feeling of dread and unease.
The closing lines, "Mais qu'est-ce que vous jouez là?/Mais arrêtez-moi cette répétition! Arrêtez!", (But what are you playing?/But stop this repetition! Stop!) feel like a call to action or a plea for the world to stop spinning so fast. The song is ultimately about how we navigate through life's challenges and how we must learn to accept the good and the bad.
Line by Line Meaning
Nous ne nous appartenons pas
We do not own ourselves, we are not in control of our lives.
Nous ne décidons en rien de notre vie
We have no say in shaping our life's course.
Nous sommes tous les otages de forces qui nous animent
We are all hostages to forces that animate us, forces that we cannot resist.
Qui nous dirigent, qui nous ordonnent
Forces that control us, order us around.
Nous devons obéir
We must obey these forces.
Les forces sont là, là, là, partout
These forces are everywhere around us.
Elles nous guettent, elles nous suivent
These forces watch us, follow us.
Les forces nous aiment, elles nous protègent, elles nous subliment
These forces love us, protect and elevate us.
Mais attention !
But beware!
Les forces peuvent aussi ... Hop ! Plus rien
These forces can also make everything disappear in a flash.
Silence, pas même un cri d'oiseau
Silence, not even the chirping of a bird can be heard.
Une pluie de cendres
A rain of ashes.
Vous n' me croyez pas ? (x2)
You don't believe me?
Ah là, vous avez tort
Well, you're wrong.
Écoutez
Listen.
Regardez ce qui va s' passer là ! Là-bas ! Là-bas !
Look at what's going to happen over there! There! There!
(Des pas, un déclic, un cri)
(Footsteps, a click, a scream)
Ah, non, pas ça ! Non, pas ça, pas c' rouge cathédrale !
Oh no, not that! No, not that, not that red cathedral!
Je n' veux pas ! Enlevez-moi ça !
I don't want it! Get it off me!
Qu'est-ce que vous jouez là ?
What are you playing at?
Mais qu'est-ce que vous jouez là ?
But what are you playing at?
Mais arrêtez-moi cette répétition ! Arrêtez !
But stop this repetition! Stop it!
Contributed by Colton I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hiawatha G.
My god, what a great band. Kills me I'll never see them live.
Dean
That was cool.
What a awesome band these were , shame they split up.
Gustavo Robles Sánchez
Mía es la más bella y talentosa mujer que pisa este miserable mundo..
SneekV2
Love the show
Taha Feroz
Crucified Barbara - MotorFucker. \m/
Eduardo Mattos
Mia Karlsson ist very Sexy.......Beautifull Girl......! Grüsse aus Ulm
Todd Roy
Yikes