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.
Le plus beau du quartier
Carla Bruni Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Je suis le plus beau du quartier
J'suis l'bien aimé
Dès qu'on me voit
On se sent tout comme envoûté
Comme charmé
Lorsque j'arrive
Les femmes elles me frôlent de leurs
Bien malgré moi (oui)
Je suis le plus beau du quartier (hum hum hum)
Est-ce mon visage
Ma peau si finement grainée
Mon air suave
Est-ce mon allure
Est-ce la grâce anglo-saxonne
De ma cambrure
Est-ce mon sourire
Ou bien l'élégance distinguée
De mes cachemires
Quoi qu'il en soit
C'est moi le plus beau du quartier mais
Mais prenez garde à ma beauté
À mon exquise ambigüité
Je suis le roi
Du désirable
Et je suis l'indéshabillable
Observez-moi (hum hum hum)
Observez-moi de haut en bas
Vous n'en verrez pas deux comme ça
J'suis l'favori
Le bel ami
De toutes ces dames
Et d'leurs maris aussi
Regardez-moi
Je suis le plus beau du quartier
J'suis le préféré
Mes belles victimes
Voudraient se pendre à mes lacets
Ca les abîme
Les beaux messieurs, eux
Voudraient tellement m'déshabiller
Ça les obstine
Bien malgré moi (oui)
Je suis le plus beau du quartier
Mais prenez garde à ma beauté
À mon exquise ambigüité
Je suis le roi
Du désirable
Et je suis l'indéshabillable
Observez-moi (hum hum hum)
Observez-moi de haut en bas
Vous n'en verrez pas deux comme ça
J'suis l'favori
Le p'tit bel ami
De toutes ces dames
Et d'leurs maris aussi
Carla Bruni's song "Le plus beau du quartier" is about a person who believes they are the most beautiful person in the neighborhood. The singer of the song is confident and proud of their appearance, with people being drawn to them as if under a spell. They are aware of the impact they have on those around them and believe their looks make them desirable to both women and men. The singer lists all the reasons people might find them attractive – from their finely-grained skin to their elegant clothing – and concludes that they are the most beautiful person around.
However, the song also hints at the downside of being so beautiful. People are so captivated by the singer's appearance that they forget there is more to them than just their looks. They are treated more like an object than a person, with men and women alike trying to undress them with their eyes. The repeated refrain of "Mais prenez garde à ma beauté / À mon exquise ambigüité" ("But beware of my beauty / Of my exquisite ambiguity") suggests that the singer is aware of this and is warning people not to underestimate them. They might be beautiful, but there is much more to them than their looks.
Overall, "Le plus beau du quartier" is a song about the power of beauty and how it can both attract and repel people. The singer revels in their beauty but is also aware of how it affects those around them. The song encourages listeners to look beyond appearances and not to judge people based solely on their looks.
Line by Line Meaning
Regardez-moi
Look at me
Je suis le plus beau du quartier
I am the most handsome in the neighborhood
J'suis l'bien aimé
I am well-liked
Dès qu'on me voit
As soon as someone sees me
On se sent tout comme envoûté
They feel enchanted
Comme charmé
As if under a spell
Lorsque j'arrive
When I arrive
Les femmes elles me frôlent de leurs Regards penchés
Women brush against me with their shy glances
Bien malgré moi (oui)
Whether I like it or not
Est-ce mon visage
Is it my face
Ma peau si finement grainée
My finely-grained skin
Mon air suave
My smooth air
Est-ce mon allure
Is it my style
Est-ce la grâce anglo-saxonne
Is it my Anglo-Saxon grace
De ma cambrure
Of my posture
Est-ce mon sourire
Is it my smile
Ou bien l'élégance distinguée
Or is it my refined elegance
De mes cachemires
Of my cashmere clothing
Quoi qu'il en soit
Whatever it may be
C'est moi le plus beau du quartier mais
I am the most handsome in the neighborhood, but
Mais prenez garde à ma beauté
But beware of my beauty
À mon exquise ambigüité
My exquisite ambiguity
Je suis le roi
I am the king
Du désirable
Of desire
Et je suis l'indéshabillable
And I am the one who won't get undressed
Observez-moi (hum hum hum)
Observe me (hum hum hum)
Observez-moi de haut en bas
Look at me from top to bottom
Vous n'en verrez pas deux comme ça
You won't see two like me
J'suis l'favori
I am the favorite
Le bel ami
The handsome friend
De toutes ces dames
Of all these ladies
Et d'leurs maris aussi
And of their husbands too
Mes belles victimes
My beautiful victims
Voudraient se pendre à mes lacets
Would like to hang themselves from my shoelaces
Ca les abîme
It hurts them
Les beaux messieurs, eux
The handsome gentlemen, they
Voudraient tellement m'déshabiller
Would so much like to undress me
Ça les obstine
It obsesses them
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Carla Bruni
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind