He was born in Pézenas, in the Hérault département of France. A brilliant scholar, he prepared for the entrance exam to the Centrale (engineering school) and Sup-Aero at Montpellier, but was conscripted into the Youth Building Projects in 1942 and sent to Germany in 1943 for compulsory work service. He escaped the same year, and found work as a diver in La Ciotat, a suburb of Marseilles, in 1944.
In 1946, he married Colette Maclaud. They had two children, Ticha (born 1948) and Jacky (1950).
His first published work, Les douze chants d'un imbecile, appeared in 1951. He moved to Paris and opened a fashion and baby clothes shop, still writing and producing plays. Later, he switched to being a fitter of TV aerials and began singing.
In the 1960s, Boby Lapointe started an actor’s career and acted in films by some of the greatest French directors, among which François Truffaut and Claude Sautet.
His fame grew when the actor Bourvil sang Lapointe's song Aragon et Castille in the 1954 film Poisson d'avril. In 1960, film director François Truffaut offered him a part in Tirez sur le Pianiste in which he played Framboise, accompanied by Charles Aznavour on piano. This marked the start of a career that saw Lapointe perform at major venues throughout France. His joyful character led him to build friendships with French stars Anne Sylvestre, Raymond Devos, Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens.
Lapointe was also a mathematician, and developed the bi-bi-binary system (also known as the bibi system) in 1971.
Le beau voyage
Boby Lapointe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beau beau beau beau beau mais j'enrage
J'vous rapportais d'Montélimar
Devinez quoi?
Oui, des nougats d'Montélimar
Seul'ment voilà
J'les ai posés
Sur la banquette dans l'train
Il s'est assis et m'a cassé
Les nougats
Petit dégât
Mais c'qui est plus triste
C'est qu'mon beau-frère qui est un artiste
Les a r'collés puis revendus
Au prix d'la colle on y a perdu
Qu'en pensez-vous?
Le monde est fou
Le monde est fou fou fou
Ah oui le merveilleux voyage
Mer-merveilleux mais quel dommage
En Arles où sont les Alyscamps?
Où sont-ils donc?
Toujours pas dans les confis'ries
J'en aurais pris quelques kilos
Et cent grammes pour ma s?ur
Mais l'confiseur
Ce petit sot
M'a envoyé dans un cim'tière
Aboli
C'est du joli
Et c'qui ya d'plus bête
C'est qu'mon beau-frère qui est poète
A parle de les mettre en vers
Des Alycamps verts, à quoi ça sert?
Qu'en pensez-vous?
Le monde est fou
Le monde est fou, fou, fou
Comme elle est belle notre France
Mais maintenant fini les vacances
Je vais reprendre le collier
De ma bell'soeur
Chez l'bijoutier qui l'a arrangé
Ma belle-soeur
Figurez-vous
S'est fait monter le cou
Par je n'sais qui
Et alors depuis
Son collier d'perles est trop petit
En hauteur
Petit malheur
Mais c'qui y a d'plus grave
C'est que mon beau-frère qui est bien brave
Lui a fait mettre cinq rangs de plus
C'est égyptien, ça n'se fait plus!
Qu'en pensez-vous?
Le monde est fou
Le monde est fou fou fou
The lyrics to Boby Lapointe's "Le beau voyage" describe the frustration of a traveler who has experienced some unfortunate events during their trip. The first verse mentions the purchase of nougats from Montélimar, which the traveler placed on the train seat and was later smashed by an intrusive person. The traveler's brother-in-law, who is an artist, tried to repair them using glue and resold them at a loss. The second verse talks about the traveler's visit to Arles and the desire to buy some sweets from a confectionery store, only to be sent to a cemetery by the confectioner. The traveler's brother-in-law, who is a poet, wants to write a verse about the famous Alyscamps cemetery, but the traveler finds it pointless. The last verse talks about the traveler's sister-in-law's necklace, which is too small and needs to be fixed. The brother-in-law adds five more rows to the necklace, which the traveler finds outdated and unfashionable.
The song "Le beau voyage" is a humorous take on reality and the disappointments that go with it. The song's message is that despite the beauty and wonder of travel, things may not go as planned. Boby Lapointe's unique way of combining humor, wordplay, and irony makes the song entertaining and thought-provoking. The song's light and upbeat melody also add to the overall whimsical theme.
Line by Line Meaning
Nous avons fait un beau voyage
We had a wonderful trip
Beau beau beau beau beau mais j'enrage
It was great, but something went wrong
J'vous rapportais d'Montélimar
I brought back something from Montélimar for you
Devinez quoi?
Guess what?
Oui, des nougats d'Montélimar
Yes, some Montélimar nougats
Seul'ment voilà
However
J'les ai posés
I put them down
Sur la banquette dans l'train
On the bench in the train
Un importun est v'nu m'causer
A nuisance came and talked to me
Il s'est assis et m'a cassé
He sat down and broke them
Les nougats
The nougats
Petit dégât
A small incident
Mais c'qui est plus triste
But what is sadder
C'est qu'mon beau-frère qui est un artiste
Is that my brother-in-law who is an artist
Les a r'collés puis revendus
Glued them back and resold them
Au prix d'la colle on y a perdu
We lost money on the glue
Qu'en pensez-vous?
What do you think?
Le monde est fou
The world is crazy
Le monde est fou fou fou
The world is so crazy
Ah oui le merveilleux voyage
Yes, the wonderful trip
Mer-merveilleux mais quel dommage
It was marvelous, but what a shame
En Arles où sont les Alyscamps?
In Arles, where are the Alyscamps?
Où sont-ils donc?
Where are they?
Toujours pas dans les confis'ries
Still not in the candy stores
J'en aurais pris quelques kilos
I would have taken a few kilos
Et cent grammes pour ma sœur
And one hundred grams for my sister
Mais l'confiseur
But the candy maker
Ce petit sot
That little fool
M'a envoyé dans un cim'tière
Sent me to a cemetery
Aboli
Finished
C'est du joli
How nice
Et c'qui ya d'plus bête
And what is even more foolish
C'est qu'mon beau-frère qui est poète
Is that my brother-in-law who is a poet
A parle de les mettre en vers
Talks about putting them in verses
Des Alycamps verts, à quoi ça sert?
Some green Alyscamps, what's the use?
Qu'en pensez-vous?
What do you think?
Le monde est fou
The world is crazy
Le monde est fou fou fou
The world is so crazy
Comme elle est belle notre France
How beautiful our France is
Mais maintenant fini les vacances
But now the vacation is over
Je vais reprendre le collier
I'll get back to work
De ma belle-sœur chez l'bijoutier qui l'a arrangé
My sister-in-law's necklace at the jeweler who fixed it
Ma belle-soeur
My sister-in-law
Figurez-vous
Imagine
S'est fait monter le cou
Had her neck stretched
Par je n'sais qui
By someone I don't know
Et alors depuis son collier d'perles est trop petit
And since then, her pearl necklace is too small
En hauteur
In height
Petit malheur
A small misfortune
Mais c'qui y a d'plus grave
But what is more serious
C'est que mon beau-frère qui est bien brave
Is that my brother-in-law who is very kind
Lui a fait mettre cinq rangs de plus
Had five extra rows added
C'est égyptien, ça n'se fait plus!
It's Egyptian, it's not fashionable anymore!
Qu'en pensez-vous?
What do you think?
Le monde est fou
The world is crazy
Le monde est fou fou fou
The world is so crazy
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBERT JEAN FRANCOIS JOSEPH LAPOINTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
amiardechois
Excellent : ebook audiovisuel En flânant avec Boby Lapointe (Amazon)