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.
Lena
Boby Lapointe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lena je veux te dédier un poème "ème"
J'suis pas poète mais j'vais essayer quand même
"ème"
Ah faut-il que faut-il que je faut-il que je
Dès aujourd'hui pour m'attaquer au problème
"ème"
J'me suis levé dès le petit matin blème "ème"
Ah ! faut-il que je faut-il que je
Oui !
Lena Lena Lena Lena je
Lena Lena je Lena je je je
Lena Lena Lena Lena je
Lena Lena
Oui !
pour m'inspirer j'me suis fait un café crème "ème"
Mais par erreur je l'ai sucré au sel "gemme" "ème"
C' n'était pas bon, ma foi je l'ai bu quand même
"ème"
Ah faut-il que faut-il que je faut-il que je
C'est malheureux je n'ai pas trouvé de thème
"ème"
J' t'aurai fait un truc avec des rimes en "ème"
"ème"
Tu aurais compris que c'était un stratagème
"ème"
Pour te dir' que te dir' que je te dir' que je
Oui !
Lena Lena Lena Lena je
Lena Lena Lena Lena je je je
Lena Lena Lena Lena je
Lena Lena
Oui !
Lena, Boby Lapointe
The lyrics of Boby Lapointe's song "Lena" are a humorous and self-deprecating attempt at writing a love poem for someone named Lena who is far away, even further than the small town of Angoulême. The singer acknowledges that he is not a poet but decides to give it a try anyway. He struggles to come up with a theme for the poem and even ruins his morning coffee by accidentally sweetening it with salt instead of sugar. Despite these setbacks, he persists and uses the repetition of "Lena" to create a catchy chorus that celebrates the object of his affection.
The tone of the song is playful and silly, with wordplay and puns adding to the humor. The singer's attempts at poetic expression are comically inept, suggesting that love and poetry are not necessarily easy things to master. At the same time, the simplicity and sincerity of the repeated refrain ("Lena Lena Lena Lena je") imply that the singer's feelings for Lena are genuine, even if he struggles to express them in a more articulate way.
Overall, "Lena" is a lighthearted and endearing song that celebrates the joys and frustrations of love and creativity. It showcases Boby Lapointe's skill as a songwriter and performer, as well as his ability to infuse his work with wit and charm.
Line by Line Meaning
Lena toi qui es loin plus loin qu'Angoulème "ème"
Addressing Lena who is far away, even farther than Angoulème
Lena je veux te dédier un poème "ème"
Expressing the desire to dedicate a poem to Lena
J'suis pas poète mais j'vais essayer quand même "ème"
Acknowledging not being a poet, but still attempting to write a poem
Ah faut-il que faut-il que je faut-il que je
Wondering why it is necessary to do something
Dès aujourd'hui pour m'attaquer au problème "ème"
Starting today to tackle the problem at hand
J'me suis levé dès le petit matin blème "ème"
Getting up early in the morning even though feeling down
Se lever tôt, pour moi qui suis si bohème "ème"
Reflecting on how unusual it is for someone who is so bohemian to wake up early
Oui !
Affirming something
Lena Lena Lena Lena je
Repeating Lena's name in excitement
Lena Lena je Lena je je je
Continuing to repeat Lena's name in a playful manner
pour m'inspirer j'me suis fait un café crème "ème"
Making a coffee to help find inspiration
Mais par erreur je l'ai sucré au sel "gemme" "ème"
Mistakenly adding salt instead of sugar to the coffee
C' n'était pas bon, ma foi je l'ai bu quand même "ème"
Admitting that the coffee was not good, but drank it anyway
C'est malheureux je n'ai pas trouvé de thème "ème"
Expressing regret for not finding a suitable theme for the poem
J' t'aurai fait un truc avec des rimes en "ème" "ème"
Mentioning a clever idea for incorporating 'ème' into the poem's rhymes
Tu aurais compris que c'était un stratagème "ème"
Suggesting that Lena would have understood that it was a clever ploy
Pour te dir' que te dir' que je te dir' que je
Repeating the phrase multiple times in a playful, teasing way
Oui !
Reaffirming something with enthusiasm
Lena Lena Lena Lena je
Continuing to repeat Lena's name with excitement
Lena Lena Lena Lena je je je
Playfully repeating Lena's name
Lena Lena Lena Lena je
Continuing to express excitement and admiration for Lena
Lena Lena
Ending the song with Lena's name
Oui !
Final word of affirmation and enthusiasm
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBERT JEAN FRANCOIS JOSEPH LAPOINTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind