Coulais began his musical education on the violin and piano, aiming to become a composer of contemporary classical music. However, a series of acquaintances gradually re-oriented him towards film music. Coulais was particularly influenced by director François Reichenbach, who asked him in 1977 to write the soundtrack to his new documentary Mexico Magico. The first full-length production he composed the score for was the 1986 film La femme secrète by Sébastien Grall. Until the end of the 1990s, he remained low-profile, composing mainly for television. His name can often be found from TV films by Gérard Marx and Laurent Heynemann. He also composed the soundtracks for Christine Pascal's 1992 film Le petit prince a dit, and Agnès Merlet's Le fils du requin in 1993.
In 1994, he met the television producer Josée Dayan, who let him write a theme for the TV series La rivière Esperance, aired on the France 2 network in autumn 1995. He worked with Dayan again with other major productions such as Le comte de Monte-Cristo, Balzac, and Les nuiteux.
The largest turning point of his career came in 1996, when he worked with directors Claude Nuridsany and Marie Pérennou of the documentary Microcosmos. This single film, which gave a great significance to the music in it, was a great success and made Coulais one of the most wanted composers of French film music. In 1997, he won the César award for the best musical score in a film, as well as a Victoire de la Musique. His reputation was confirmed by the soundtracks to Himalaya (1999) and Les rivières pourpres (2000), and after that Bruno Coulais's name was to be found on most new French blockbusters, such as Belphégor and Vidocq.
After producing the soundtrack to Winged Migration in 2001, Coulais announced that he wanted to significantly reduce his contributions to film music, and instead concentrate on other projects, such as the creation of an opera for children, and collaborations with Akhenaton, Akhenaton's group IAM and the Corsican group A Filetta, with whom he had worked since he had made the soundtrack for Jacques Weber's film Don Juan in 1998.
In 2002, his name was found on the ending credits of the animation L'enfant qui voulait être un ours, and in 2004, on Frédéric Schoendoerffer's Agents secrets. The same year, he wrote the soundtrack to the film Les choristes by Christophe Baratier, which subsequently became an international hit. The music for this film received as great praise as the film itself, and it won Coulais his third César award. Since then, Coulais's collaborations in cinema seem to be limited to works by directors with whom he already shares some history, in particular Jacques Perrin, Frédéric Schoendoerffer, and James Huth.
Bruno Coulais's musical style may vary significantly between different projects, but there are some constant factors visible: his taste for opera and for human voice (in particular that of children), for a search for original sonority, for world music and mixing different musical cultures, and finally, a certain tendency to give preference to the ambience created by lighting rather than the film's narration.
To Be By Your Side
Bruno Coulais Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Over forests of blackened trees
Through valleys so still we dare not breathe
To be by your side
Over the shifting desert plains
Across mountains all in flames
Through howling winds and driving rains
Every mile and every year
For everyone a little tear
I cannot explain this dear
I will not even try
Into the night as the stars collide
Across the borders that divide
Forests of stone standing petrified
To be by your side
Every mile and every year
For every one a single tear
I cannot explain this dear
I will not even try
For I know one thing
Love comes on a wing
For tonight I will be by your side
But tomorrow I will fly
From the deepest ocean to the highest peak
Through the frontiers of your sleep
Into the valley where we dare not speak
To be by your side
Across the endless wilderness
Where all the beasts bow down their heads
Darling I will never rest
Till I am by your side
Every mile and every year
Time and distance disappear
I cannot explain this dear no
I will not even try
And I know just one thing
Love comes on a wing
And tonight I will be by your side
But tomorrow I will fly away
Love rises with the day
And tonight I may be by your side
But tomorrow I will fly tomorrow I will fly
Tomorrow I will fly
To Be By Your Side by Bruno Coulais is a captivating love song that speaks about the lengths one can go for love. The song presents a romantic image of overcoming all physical and emotional barriers to be with the person you love. Throughout the song, the writer speaks of crossing oceans, seas, valleys, desert plains, and mountains for love. It is evident that the person is willing to do anything to be by their lover's side, no matter the cost. Every verse has a sense of sacrifice and determination to be with the person they love.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the depth of love, which is always worth the effort. The writer sings that every mile, every year, every tear shed is worth it. The lyrics aptly express the writer's unspeakable love for their partner, as they express their willingness to go as far as necessary to be with them. The love that the writer shares with their partner is unconditional, and they have resolved to be with them no matter what.
In summary, the lyrics of To Be By Your Side by Bruno Coulais serve to affirm the power of love and the lengths one can go for love. The lyrics smartly capture the depth and intensity of emotion felt by the writer, and the chorus brilliantly serves to express the writer's resolution to be with their lover at all costs.
Line by Line Meaning
Across the oceans across the seas
Over forests of blackened trees
Through valleys so still we dare not breathe
To be by your side
I am willing to travel through any terrain, no matter how daunting, to be with you.
Over the shifting desert plains
Across mountains all in flames
Through howling winds and driving rains
To be by your side
Even in the face of natural disasters, I will journey to you.
Every mile and every year
For everyone a little tear
I cannot explain this dear
I will not even try
The emotional toll of being apart from you is clear, but describing it is impossible.
Into the night as the stars collide
Across the borders that divide
Forests of stone standing petrified
To be by your side
I will traverse any obstacle, natural or man-made, to be with you.
For I know one thing
Love comes on a wing
For tonight I will be by your side
But tomorrow I will fly
Love is fleeting, and though I will be with you tonight, I will have to leave tomorrow.
From the deepest ocean to the highest peak
Through the frontiers of your sleep
Into the valley where we dare not speak
To be by your side
There is no place too deep, too high, or too personal that I will not go to reach you.
Across the endless wilderness
Where all the beasts bow down their heads
Darling I will never rest
Till I am by your side
Even in the most dangerous and untamed of environments, I will relentlessly pursue being with you.
Every mile and every year
Time and distance disappear
I cannot explain this dear no
I will not even try
Despite the time and distance that separate us, my feelings for you remain unchanged and immeasurable.
And I know just one thing
Love comes on a wing
And tonight I will be by your side
But tomorrow I will fly away
Love rises with the day
And tonight I may be by your side
But tomorrow I will fly tomorrow I will fly
Tomorrow I will fly
Love is ephemeral, rising and falling with the passing of time. Though I will be with you tonight, I will have to leave tomorrow and continue my journey.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Mute Song Limited, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BRUNO COULAIS, NICHOLAS EDWARD CAVE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marie Von der Blumenwiese
Sublime....🙏❤️🙏
Hamilton Gonçalves
Lindo... !!
Chey Gyamtso
love it
meloniesghost
Ive am a rabid Nick Cave fan and have never heard this b4.Nick,you holding out on me my love?
Pigeonboy Lofts
Nick cave 💯
Colito
"La promesse d'un retour"
Elena Bajenova
!!!!!!!! <3
Giannikou Kiriaki
I think it is from "le peuple migrateur" you can find in youtube some of the tracks ;)
Lyd Lazz
<3
theregster2011
Can anyone remember the title of the movie this song was in? Birds of passage maybe? dunno... I have seen it about 10 years ago and want to get hold of it again... Thanks!