Camille Bazbaz (born 1967) is a French author-composer-interpreter with Fre… Read Full Bio ↴Camille Bazbaz (born 1967) is a French author-composer-interpreter with French-Lebanese roots. He was born in Suresnes.

French pop-reggae-soul artist Camille Bazbaz's career began during his college years as a member of the politically charged, rebellious punk rock group Cri de la Mouche (Cry of the Fly). Bazbaz stayed with the group throughout the 1980s, serving as the group's organist. Influenced by the punk and rock sounds of the '70s, Cri de la Mouche stayed active until their split in 1990.
Bazbaz took the opportunity to explore new stylistic directions. These included reggae, soul, and the blues, but most importantly hip-hop. Bazbaz dove headfirst into the rap and hip-hop idioms in the early 1990s, collaborating with French hip-hop musicians like Joey Starr, who ultimately appeared on his debut record, Dubadelik, released in 1996. Colored with gentle reggae inflections and characterized by Bazbaz's typically humorous and seductive lyrics, the record was well received by the emerging French urban music community. Dubadelik earned Bazbaz a reputation as an underground up-and-comer, opening doors into other creative circles.
Filmmaker Pierre Savadori commissioned Bazbaz to compose the soundtracks for four of his films, Comme Elle Respire (1997), Les Marchands de Sable (2000), Apres Vous (2003), and Hors de Prix (2006). As he gained recognition as a film composer, Bazbaz's solo discography continued to grow with the releases of Une Envie de Chien (2000) and Sur le Bout de la Langue (2004).
A pilgrimage to Kingston, Jamaica, produced the artist's fourth solo record, Le bonheur fantôme. Recorded with a mixture of local musicians and Bazbaz's regular collaborators, the album became the artist's most West Indies-centric project to date. The album's release in May 2007 was followed by a busy touring schedule that would take Bazbaz and his bandmates to every corner of the French world music circuit.

Le Professionnel
Bazbaz Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Je ne suis pas un professionnel
De l'amour et de la vaisselle
Je ne suis pas un intellectuel
J'aime quand
Tu me trouves beau
Que tu me dis
Que j'ai ce qu'il faut
Pour être ton héros

Non, je ne suis pas un genre de criminel
Si je ne sais plus qui est cette beauté
Cette triste fée de mon lit, ma maison
Qui ne comprends pas
Quand je lui dit
Combien je l'aime
Qu'elle est bien celle
Qui me donne des ailes

Non, je ne suis pas un professionnel
De la nuit qui sourit sans envie
Et non, je ne suis pas un coeur artificiel
Que mon corps pour vivre sous ton ciel
Et que tu m'aimes
Que tu me dises
Que j'ai ce qu'il faut
Pour être ton héros

Non, je ne suis pas un professionnel, un professionnel, un professionnel

Overall Meaning

In Bazbaz's song "Le Professionnel," the lyrics speak to the singer's self-awareness of his own limitations and vulnerabilities in matters of love and everyday life. He declares that he is not a professional in love or housework, nor is he an intellectual. Despite this, he longs for the validation and admiration of his partner. He yearns for her to find him beautiful and to acknowledge that he possesses the qualities needed to be her hero.

The singer emphasizes that he is not a criminal or someone who intentionally causes harm. He expresses confusion and sadness over a past lover who fails to understand his declarations of love and appreciation. He perceives her as a melancholy fairy who resides in his bed and home. To her, he struggles to convey his deep affection and the fact that she is the one who gives him wings.

The repetition of the line "Non, je ne suis pas un professionnel" further highlights the singer's lack of expertise and experience in various aspects of life. However, the underlying message is that despite his shortcomings, he desires to be loved and to possess the qualities that would make him a hero in his partner's eyes.

Line by Line Meaning

Je ne suis pas un professionnel
I am not an expert or skilled in

De l'amour et de la vaisselle
In matters of both love and household chores

Je ne suis pas un intellectuel
I am not an intellectual or highly educated person

J'aime quand
I enjoy it when

Tu me trouves beau
You find me handsome

Que tu me dis
When you tell me

Que j'ai ce qu'il faut
That I have what it takes

Pour être ton héros
To be your hero

Non, je ne suis pas un genre de criminel
No, I am not some kind of criminal

Si je ne sais plus qui est cette beauté
Even if I no longer know who this beauty is

Cette triste fée de mon lit, ma maison
This sad fairy of my bed, my home