At the age of 5, her family left for Paris. When she was 19, she decided to stop studying art and architecture, to become a full-time model.
She was a very successful fashion model until 1998. Since then she has devoted herself to chanson. Her debut album, Quelqu'un m'a dit, on which she sings in French (despite her Italian origin), was released in 2002. To date it has sold over a million copies across Europe. Her second album, No Promises (this time in English, with songs inspired by famous English-language poets), was released in January 2007.
She married then French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, in the beginning of 2008.
Her music career still did not cease after becoming the First Lady. She released her third album Comme si de rien n'était ("As If Nothing Happened") on 11 July 2008. The songs are self-penned except for one rendition of You Belong to Me and another song featuring a poem by Michel Houellebecq set to music. Royalties from the album will be donated to unidentified charitable and humanitarian cause.
Darling
Carla Bruni Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En buvant son long drink
Tout de lin blanc vêtu
Pochette mauve et pieds nus
Il m'appelait darling
Comme un grand frère unique
Un oncle d'Amérique
Tout seul dans le living
L'époque est bien cruelle
Mais pour toi elle est belle
Tu es faite pour le ring
Et il me disait darling
Quand on à l'étincelle
Et des rêves à la pelle
On doit piquer son sprint
Il m'appelait darling
Comme un vieux Lord anglais
Un cousin égaré
Entre Proust et Kipling
Il m'appelait darling
Tout en me souriant
Et je le revois si grand
Nostalgique et charming
Il me disait darling
Prends garde à l'existence
Tout est dans l'élégance
Même au creux d'un looping
Il me disait darling
Rien ne vous l'éphémère
Rien ne vaut le mystère
Dans une larme de gin
Il m'appelait darling
Mais plus rien ne lui était cher
Et sa solitude amère
Lui allait comme un smoking
Il m'appelait darling
Mais quand tombait le soir
A l'heure du désespoir
Il plongeait dans son spleen
Il me disait darling
Certains sont trop fragiles
Certains sont mal habiles
Tout le monde n'a pas ton swing
Il me disait darling
Je n'ai plus de saveur
Je n'ai plus rien à cœur
Plus l'ombre d'un feeling
Il m'appelait darling
Maintenant j'ai ton silence
Le trou de son absence
Et sa montre Breitling
Il m'a écrit darling
À toi mon dernier mot
Ne m'en veux pas darling
Je quitte le bateau
Et il m'appelait darling
Dis à ceux que j'aimais
Que mon corps de bastringue
A fini par lâcher
The song "Darling" by Carla Bruni is a nostalgic reminiscence of the singer's relationship with a man who used to call her 'darling'. The song talks about the conversations they used to have, the advice he gave her, and how he used to call her with different names as a gesture of affection. The song depicts that the man, although he was older than the singer and had a better understanding of life, appreciated and admired her personality and spirit. He advises her to be elegant and mysterious and yet to have a passion for achieving her dreams.
The song also talks about the man's melancholic and lonely state, which grew as he felt that his existence had lost its essence. Towards the end of the song, we get to know through a letter that the man commits suicide, leaving the singer with a gaping void of sadness and emptiness. The song is an emotional ode to someone who had a significant impact on the singer's life and how his passing away has affected her profoundly.
Overall, the song portrays the intricacies of a complex relationship, the advice and guidance given and received, and how the memories of such relationships stay with us forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Il m'appelait darling
He called me darling
En buvant son long drink
While drinking his long drink
Tout de lin blanc vêtu
Dressed in all white linen
Pochette mauve et pieds nus
Purple pocket square and barefoot
Comme un grand frère unique
Like an older, protective brother
Un oncle d'Amérique
An American uncle
Tout seul dans le living
All alone in the living room
L'époque est bien cruelle
The times are very cruel
Mais pour toi elle est belle
But for you, they are beautiful
Tu es faite pour le ring
You are made for the ring
Quand on a l'étincelle
When we have the spark
Et des rêves à la pelle
And dreams by the dozen
On doit piquer son sprint
We must seize the moment
Comme un vieux Lord anglais
Like an old English lord
Un cousin égaré
A lost cousin
Entre Proust et Kipling
Between Proust and Kipling
Tout en me souriant
All the while smiling at me
Et je le revois si grand
And I see him again, so grand
Nostalgique et charming
Nostalgic and charming
Prends garde à l'existence
Beware of existence
Tout est dans l'élégance
Everything is in elegance
Même au creux d'un looping
Even in the depths of a loop
Rien ne vous l'éphémère
Nothing is as fleeting
Rien ne vaut le mystère
Nothing is as valuable as mystery
Dans une larme de gin
In a teardrop of gin
Mais plus rien ne lui était cher
But he cherished nothing anymore
Et sa solitude amère
And his bitter solitude
Lui allait comme un smoking
Fitted him like a smoking jacket
Mais quand tombait le soir
But when night fell
A l'heure du désespoir
In the hour of despair
Il plongeait dans son spleen
He would plunge into his melancholy
Certains sont trop fragiles
Some are too fragile
Certains sont mal habiles
Some are not skilled
Tout le monde n'a pas ton swing
Not everyone has your swing
Je n'ai plus de saveur
I have lost my flavor
Je n'ai plus rien à cœur
I have nothing left in my heart
Plus l'ombre d'un feeling
Not even a hint of feeling
Maintenant j'ai ton silence
Now I have your silence
Le trou de son absence
The hole left by his absence
Et sa montre Breitling
And his Breitling watch
À toi mon dernier mot
To you, my final words
Ne m'en veux pas darling
Don't be mad at me, darling
Je quitte le bateau
I am leaving the ship
Dis à ceux que j'aimais
Tell those I loved
Que mon corps de bastringue
That my broken down body
A fini par lâcher
Has finally given out
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: CARLA BRUNI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind