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
Bizarre
Barbara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sur la ville,
Trottoirs-miroirs
Sur la ville.
Des ombres lézards
Se faufilent
Et se glissent, agiles
Dans le brouillard
Il fait bizarre
Sur la ville.
De l'ombre,
Une ombre,
D'un pas tranquille
Se jette et se cogne
Contre les phares
D'une automobile
Qui repart
Dans la ville.
Hôpital-départ
Mais trop tard :
Mort sur la ville.
Il se fait lourd si lourd.
Ils sont perdus,
Ces deux-là
Que la vie sépare.
Au matin blafard,
Un train démarre.
Un travesti
Du Brésil
Titube au hasard d'un trottoir,
Hagard, sous ses faux cils.
Il fait bizarre
Sur la ville.
C'est pluie cafard
Sur la ville.
Des ombres lézards
Se faufilent
Et se glissent, agiles
Dans le brouillard.
Il fait bizarre.
Trottoirs-Miroirs.
Hagard cafard,
Blafard départ,
Trop tard,
Sur la ville...
The lyrics of Barbara's song "Bizarre" express a strange and eerie atmosphere that has taken over the city. The first verse describes how the shadows of lizards are slipping and sliding through the indelible fog, giving the sense that something unusual and inexplicable is happening. As the song progresses, the lyrics take a darker turn as a figure steps out into the road and is struck by a car. Despite being a seemingly violent and tragic event, the song continues to convey a strange and surreal tone. The chorus repeats the phrase "Il fait bizarre sur la ville" (It's bizarre on the city), and the verses continue to depict other scenes of separation, departure, and disillusionment.
Overall, the lyrics of "Bizarre" are not straightforward or overtly poetic. Instead, they use simple, sometimes jarring language to create a sense of unease and confusion. The repetition of certain phrases and situations helps to create a haunting mood that lingers long after the song has ended. As a result, the song is open to interpretation and can be read in different ways depending on the listener's perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
Il fait bizarre
Something feels strange or odd about the city atmosphere.
Sur la ville, Trottoirs-miroirs Sur la ville.
The sidewalks reflect an eerie, surreal quality over the city.
Des ombres lézards Se faufilent Et se glissent, agiles Dans le brouillard Indélébile.
Lizard-like shadows quietly and quickly move through the permanent fog, giving a surreal and unsettling ambiance.
Il fait bizarre Sur la ville.
The artist reiterates the strange feeling present in the city.
De l'ombre, Une ombre, D'un pas tranquille Se jette et se cogne Contre les phares D'une automobile Qui repart Dans la ville.
A peaceful shadow suddenly steps out and collides with the headlights of a car that drives off into the city.
Hôpital-départ Mais trop tard : Mort sur la ville.
Despite being rushed to the hospital, the person dies in the city.
Il se fait lourd si lourd.
The atmosphere becomes oppressively heavy.
Ils sont perdus, Ces deux-là Que la vie sépare.
These two people have been separated by life and are now lost.
Au matin blafard, Un train démarre.
A pale morning sees a train start its journey.
Un travesti Du Brésil Titube au hasard d'un trottoir, Hagard, sous ses faux cils.
A Brazilian transvestite stumbles uncertainly along a sidewalk, looking exhausted behind their fake eyelashes.
Il fait bizarre Sur la ville.
The strange feeling in the city persists.
C'est pluie cafard Sur la ville.
A depressing rain falls over the city.
Des ombres lézards Se faufilent Et se glissent, agiles Dans le brouillard.
The quick and quiet lizard-like figures continue to move through the fog.
Il fait bizarre. Trottoirs-Miroirs. Hagard cafard, Blafard départ, Trop tard, Sur la ville...
The strange, surreal and depressing qualities of the city continue, with the added sense of departure and lateness.
Contributed by Aubrey C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.