He first came to the music industry's attention with his collaboration with, and arrangements for, Keren Ann and his sister Coralie Clément. Finally earning a solo contract after many years of struggle, Biolay released his debut album, Rose Kennedy, in 2002. A concept album, Rose Kennedy looks at early 1960s America through the cataractic eyes of the late matriarch, who went from attending dinner parties to suffering the assassination of two of her sons.
Next up was Négatif, a double CD full of sometimes violent imagery surrounding a group of drifters, which included a disaffected, oddly sympathetic, american named Billy Bob. Biolay released two albums in 2005, A L'origine (translated: In The Beginning) is a darker, denser work than his previous outings, while Home is a light, sunny duet album with his wife, started when they noticed that they needed good road trip CD to listen to while on vacation. He has also written film scores, songs and arrangements for such beloved french stars as Francoise Hardy, Juliette Greco and Henri Salvador.
He worked with Elodie Frégé on her second album Le Jeu des 7 erreurs
(including lead single "La Ceinture") which was released in autumn 2006.
Buenos Aires
Benjamin Biolay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mais je n'en re, je n'en reviens pas
J'ai l'impression d'être né hier
Sous un platane argenté et fier
Autour de moi, sous leur nuque longue
Inhalant clopes ni brunes ni blondes
La meute fauve des cartoneros
Et les effluves rauques du Paco
Demente, cansado, pero aun despierto
Luces verdes, calidas, desatan su violencia cruda
Vivacidad incontenible de una ciudad apagada, herida
Deseos eufóricos de alcanzar el alba
Ya
Nubes de cenizas rojas atormentan la mirada
En Buenos aires
Ayer, desesperada y viva
El cielo celeste al ras del piso aplasta
Luces rosas se encienden sobre tu cuna rota
Luminosidad insaciable de una ciudad insolente
Ahora
Sedienta, dulce, infantil, infernal y tierna
Siempre
Je suis si bien, suis si bien ici
Que je ne veux plus rentrer à Paris
Échange Flore contre un Kimi Novak
Bombonera contre le prince des parcs
Je suis si loin, si loin de chez moi
Mais jeune con, je ne comprends pas
Pourquoi mon cœur s'emballe comme ça
Pourquoi le ciel a des couleurs
Que je ne soupconnais pas
Infernal y tierna
Siempre
Sedienta, dulce, infantil
Luminosidad insaciable
Buenos aires, ayer, ya
Nubes de cenizas rojas atormentan, la mirada
Demente, cansado pero aun despierto
Ahora, voy al Kim & Novak
Me canso, vuelvo, vuelvo a ir
Ya
Pálidas
Desatan su violencia cruda
Noche en Buenos Aires
Mi Buenos Aires querido
Mi Buenos Aires querido
Je suis rentré, rentré à Paris
Je n'ai plus rien, plus rien à faire ici
Y a pas de Kentucky la nuit
Y a pas ma préférée de toutes les filles
À treize kilomètres et des poussières
J'ai laissé mon vieux cœur de pierre
À treize kilomètres et des poussières
J'ai laissé mon vieux cœur de pierre
Infernal y tierna
Siempre
Sedienta, dulce, infantil
Luminosidad insaciable
Buenos Aires, ayer, ya
Nubes de cenizas rojas atormentan, la mirada
Demente, cansado pero aun despierto
Ahora, voy al Kim & Novak
Me canso, vuelvo, vuelvo a ir
Ya
Pálidas
Desatan su violencia cruda
Noche en Buenos Aires
The song "Buenos Aires" by Benjamin Biolay is all about the contrasts and contradictions of the Argentinean capital. The French songwriter confesses his admiration for the city, even though he does not fully understand it. He describes himself as being so far from home but feeling so good there that he doesn't want to come back to Paris. He talks about the sensation of being born yesterday under a silver and proud plane tree, surrounded by the long neck pack of cartoneros, who smoke neither brown nor blonde cigarettes. He describes the pungent smell of Paco, a cheap drug, that he inhales along with the wild pack of the "cartoneros".
The lyrics switch between several voices while still incorporating the melody of the song. They give insight into the mindset of a person who cannot understand the truth behind the city - the reason for the green and warm lights, the vivacity that is never contained, the burning need to reach the dawn. The mentioning of red ash clouds torments the eyes in Buenos Aires. Biolay calls the city infantile and infernal, thirstquenching, sweet, and insatiable - oscillating between the extremes of pleasure and suffering. Even though he seems to be reluctant to leave Buenos Aires for Paris, he eventually does, leaving only his old heart made of stone behind in the Argentinean city.
Line by Line Meaning
Je suis si loin, si loin de chez moi
I am so far away from home
Mais je n'en re, je n'en reviens pas
But I cannot believe it
J'ai l'impression d'être né hier
I feel like I was born yesterday
Sous un platane argenté et fier
Under a proud, silvery plane tree
Autour de moi, sous leur nuque longue
Around me, with their long necks bent
Inhalant clopes ni brunes ni blondes
Inhaling cigarettes, neither brunette nor blonde
La meute fauve des cartoneros
The tawny pack of cardboard collectors
Et les effluves rauques du Paco
And the raucous fumes of Paco
Demente, cansado, pero aun despierto
Mad, tired, but still awake
Luces verdes, calidas, desatan su violencia cruda
Green, warm lights unleash their raw violence
Vivacidad incontenible de una ciudad apagada, herida
Uncontainable liveliness of a dimmed, wounded city
Deseos eufóricos de alcanzar el alba
Euphoric desires to reach the dawn
Ya
Now
Nubes de cenizas rojas atormentan la mirada
Red ash clouds torment the sight
En Buenos Aires
In Buenos Aires
Ayer, desesperada y viva
Yesterday, desperate and alive
El cielo celeste al ras del piso aplasta
The blue sky crushes down to the ground
Luces rosas se encienden sobre tu cuna rota
Pink lights light up over your broken cradle
Luminosidad insaciable de una ciudad insolente
Insatiable luminosity of an insolent city
Ahora
Now
Sedienta, dulce, infantil, infernal y tierna
Thirsty, sweet, childish, infernal, and tender
Siempre
Always
Je suis si bien, suis si bien ici
I am so good, so good here
Que je ne veux plus rentrer à Paris
That I do not want to go back to Paris anymore
Échange Flore contre un Kimi Novak
Exchange Flore for a Kimi Novak
Bombonera contre le prince des parcs
Bombonera for the prince of parks
Jeune con, je ne comprends pas
Young fool, I do not understand
Pourquoi mon cœur s'emballe comme ça
Why my heart beats so fast like this
Pourquoi le ciel a des couleurs
Why the sky has colors
Que je ne soupconnais pas
That I did not suspect
Infernal y tierna
Infernal and tender
Siempre
Always
Sedienta, dulce, infantil
Thirsty, sweet, childish
Luminosidad insaciable
Insatiable luminosity
Buenos Aires, ayer, ya
Buenos Aires, yesterday, now
Nubes de cenizas rojas atormentan, la mirada
Red ash clouds torment the sight
Demente, cansado pero aun despierto
Mad, tired, but still awake
Ahora, voy al Kim & Novak
Now, I am going to Kim & Novak
Me canso, vuelvo, vuelvo a ir
I get tired, I come back, I go again
Ya
Now
Pálidas
Pale
Desatan su violencia cruda
Unleash their raw violence
Noche en Buenos Aires
Night in Buenos Aires
Mi Buenos Aires querido
My beloved Buenos Aires
Je suis rentré, rentré à Paris
I went back, back to Paris
Je n'ai plus rien, plus rien à faire ici
I have nothing left to do here
Y a pas de Kentucky la nuit
There is no Kentucky at night
Y a pas ma préférée de toutes les filles
There is not my favorite of all the girls
À treize kilomètres et des poussières
At thirteen kilometers and some dust
J'ai laissé mon vieux cœur de pierre
I left my old heart of stone
Infernal y tierna
Infernal and tender
Siempre
Always
Sedienta, dulce, infantil
Thirsty, sweet, childish
Luminosidad insaciable
Insatiable luminosity
Buenos Aires, ayer, ya
Buenos Aires, yesterday, now
Nubes de cenizas rojas atormentan, la mirada
Red ash clouds torment the sight
Demente, cansado pero aun despierto
Mad, tired, but still awake
Ahora, voy al Kim & Novak
Now, I am going to Kim & Novak
Me canso, vuelvo, vuelvo a ir
I get tired, I come back, I go again
Ya
Now
Pálidas
Pale
Desatan su violencia cruda
Unleash their raw violence
Noche en Buenos Aires
Night in Buenos Aires
Mi Buenos Aires querido
My beloved Buenos Aires
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Biolay Benjamin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind