A throwback to the flower power era, '60s revivalists Brigitte are a French female duo combining lounge-pop, retro folk, and French cabaret to produce an authentic hippie-chic sound. Named in honor of several of the decade's icons (Bardot, Fontaine, Lahaie), Aurelie Maggiori, who had previously recorded under the name of Mayane Delem, and Sylvie Hoarau, formerly the lead vocalist in Parisian rock band Vendetta, formed their duo in 2008. After recording a cover version of Michel Jonasz's "Les Vacances au Bord de la Mer" for Delem's former bandmate Benoit Petre's film Thelma Louise et Chantal, the pair signed to Wagram Records and released an EP, Battez-Vous, which featured a unique take on Suprême NTM's '90s hip-hop anthem "Ma Benz." Co-written with Franco-Lebanese singer/songwriter Camille Bazbaz and French troubadour Albin de la Simone, their debut album, Et Vous, Tu M'aimes?, was released in 2011. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi
Habanera
Brigitte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que nul ne peut apprivoiser
Et c'est bien en vain qu'on l'appelle,
S'il lui convient de refuser.
L'amour
L'amour
L'amour
L'amour est enfant de bohème
Il n'a jamais jamais connu de loi
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime
Et si je t'aime, prends garde à toi
(Prends garde à toi)
Si tu ne m'aime pas si tu ne m'aimes pas je t'aime
(Prends garde à toi)
Mais si je t'aime si je t'aime prends garde à toi!
L'oiseau que tu croyais surprendre
Battit de l'aile et s'envola
L'amour est loin, tu peux l'attendre
Tu ne l'attends plus, il est là
Tout autour de toi, vite, vite
Il vient, s'en va, puis il revient
Tu crois le tenir, il t'évite
Tu crois l'éviter, il te tient
L'amour
L'amour
L'amour
L'amour
L'amour est enfant de bohème
Il n'a jamais jamais connu de loi
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime
Et si je t'aime, prends garde à toi
Prends garde à toi
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime
Prends garde à toi
Mais si je t'aime, si je t'aime, prends garde à toi
The lyrics to Brigitte's song Habanera speaks about the complexity of love and how it cannot be tamed or controlled. The opening line, "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle que nul ne peut apprivoiser" can be translated to "Love is a rebellious bird that no one can tame." The first verse states that love cannot be forced, no matter how much one tries to make it happen. The second verse speaks of how love knows no boundaries, rules or regulations and that it can take on different forms.
The chorus repeats the word "L'amour" (love) four times, emphasizing the theme of the song. The third verse uses the metaphor of a bird to describe how love is elusive and difficult to capture. It implies that love can never be grasped and one will always be in pursuit of it. The fourth verse speaks about how love can be unpredictable and how one can never be sure of where it might lead them.
The song's overall message is that love is a wayward and unpredictable force that can never be completely understood or controlled. It speaks to the often-confusing nature of love and the many different emotions that it can bring up.
Line by Line Meaning
L'amour est un oiseau rebelle
Love is a rebellious bird
Que nul ne peut apprivoiser
That no one can tame
Et c'est bien en vain qu'on l'appelle,
And it's in vain that we call it
S'il lui convient de refuser.
If it chooses to refuse.
L'amour
Love
L'amour
Love
L'amour
Love
L'amour
Love
L'amour est enfant de bohème
Love is a child of bohemia
Il n'a jamais jamais connu de loi
It has never known any law
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime
If you don't love me, I love you
Et si je t'aime, prends garde à toi
And if I love you, beware
(Prends garde à toi)
(Beware)
Si tu ne m'aime pas si tu ne m'aimes pas je t'aime
If you don't love me, if you don't love me I love you
(Prends garde à toi)
(Beware)
Mais si je t'aime si je t'aime prends garde à toi!
But if I love you, if I love you beware!
L'oiseau que tu croyais surprendre
The bird that you thought to surprise
Battit de l'aile et s'envola
Flapped its wings and flew away
L'amour est loin, tu peux l'attendre
Love is far away, you can wait for it
Tu ne l'attends plus, il est là
You're not waiting for it anymore, it's here
Tout autour de toi, vite, vite
All around you, quickly, quickly
Il vient, s'en va, puis il revient
It comes, it goes, then it comes back
Tu crois le tenir, il t'évite
You think you have it, it avoids you
Tu crois l'éviter, il te tient
You think you avoid it, it holds you
L'amour
Love
L'amour
Love
L'amour
Love
L'amour
Love
L'amour est enfant de bohème
Love is a child of bohemia
Il n'a jamais jamais connu de loi
It has never known any law
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime
If you don't love me, I love you
Et si je t'aime, prends garde à toi
And if I love you, beware
Prends garde à toi
Beware
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime
If you don't love me, if you don't love me I love you
Prends garde à toi
Beware
Mais si je t'aime, si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
But if I love you, if I love you beware!
Writer(s): Mario Grigorov, Paul Schwartz, Georges Bizet
Contributed by Mia R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.