Aznavour has sung for presidents, popes and royalty, as well as at humanitarian events. In response to the 1988 Armenian earthquake, he founded the charitable organization Aznavour for Armenia along with his long-time friend impresario Levon Sayan. In 2009, he was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva. On 24 August 2017, Aznavour was awarded the 2,618th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On 17 September 2018, his last concert took place in NHK Hall, Tokyo.
Charles Aznavour died on 1 October 2018.
Charles Aznavour was perhaps the best-known French music hall entertainer in the world -- renowned the world over for the bittersweet love songs he has written and sung, which seem to embody the essence of French popular song, and also for his appearances on screen in such wildly divergent fare as Shoot the Piano Player, Candy, and The Tin Drum. His status as the quintessential French popular culture icon is something of an irony for a man who identifies himself most closely with his Armenian heritage. His father was a singer and sometime-restaurateur, while his mother was an actress and part-time seamstress. His father's singing, done in a notably impassioned style, heavily influenced Aznavour's approach to singing as a boy. Although he had a voracious appetite for music, he also had a serious impediment growing up, in the form of a paralyzed vocal cord that gave his voice a raspy quality. He channeled some of his energy into theater, making both his stage and screen debuts at age nine, in 1933, in the theater piece Un bon petit diable and in the film La guerre des gosses. As an adolescent, he danced in nightclubs and sold newspapers, as well as touring with theatrical companies, and he wrote a nightclub act in partnership with Pierre Roche -- Aznavour wrote the lyrics to their songs and it was through that material that he began his singing career. Early on, he learned to overcome his fears about his vocal limitations, in part with help from singing legend Édith Piaf, for whom he worked as a chauffeur, among other capacities; with her help, he developed a style that suited his capabilities and played to his strengths and also continued writing songs in earnest, some of which were performed by Piaf.
His success came very slowly, however. Aznavour at first found some difficulty being accepted as a composer in France or anywhere else. His compositions, although considered tame by any modern standard, were regarded as too risqué for French radio and were banned from the airwaves for a decade or more, from the late '40s through the end of the 1950s; American publishers seemed equally reticent about them, as he discovered on a visit to New York in 1948. That trip did yield his first performing engagement in the city, however, at the Cafe Society Downtown in Greenwich Village. For the next decade, Aznavour made his living as a performer in second-tier clubs and middle- or bottom-of-the-bill berths on three continents. His mix of daringly original and frank love songs, coupled with a limited but very expressive singing style, left audiences somewhat bewildered at first.
His breakthrough came in 1956, during a vaudeville engagement in Casablanca, where the audience reaction was so positive that Aznavour was moved to headliner status. After this, it became easier for the singer to find better engagements in France; by 1958 he even had a recording contract. He made his screen debut that same year in a dramatic role, playing an epileptic in George Franju's La tête contre les murs. He also composed music for Alex Joff's Du rififi chez les femmes in 1958; From there, he moved on to bigger roles in better movies, including Jean Cocteau's Testament of Orpheus and Francois Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player. The latter movie turned Aznavour into a screen star in France and opened the way for his breakthrough in America. He sang at Carnegie Hall in the early '60s and followed this up in 1965 with a one-man show, The World of Charles Aznavour, at the Ambassador Hotel in New York, which drew rave notices from audiences and critics alike. By that time, the once-struggling singer had secured his first American LP release with the similarly titled album The World of Charles Aznavour on Reprise Records, the label founded and run by Frank Sinatra.
Aznavour would be the last to compare himself with those whom he regards as truly gifted vocalists, such as Sinatra and Mel Tormé, preferring to think of himself as a composer who also happens to sing. His style of performing has been compared variously to Maurice Chevalier and Sinatra and has remained enduringly popular for four decades. Almost all of Aznavour's songs deal with love and its permutations, running the gamut from upbeat, joyous pieces such as Après l'amour and J'ai perdu la tête to the dark-hued J'en déduis que je t'aime and Bon anniversaire. A teetotaler and a racing car enthusiast, Aznavour has been married three times and has four children.
À ma fille
Charles Aznavour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ce jour que j'appréhende où tu nous quitteras
Je sais qu'un jour viendra où triste et solitaire
En soutenant ta mère et en traînant mes pas
Je rentrerai chez nous dans un "chez nous" désert
Je rentrerai chez nous où tu ne seras pas
Toi tu ne verras rien des choses de mon cœur
Et j'aurai un rictus que tu ne connais pas
Qui semble être un sourire ému mais ne l'est pas
En taisant ma douleur à ton bras fièrement
Je guiderai tes pas quoique j'en pense ou dise
Dans le recueillement d'une paisible église
Pour aller te donner à l'homme de ton choix
Qui te dévêtira du nom qui est le nôtre
Pour t'en donner un autre que je ne connais pas
Je sais qu'un jour viendra tu atteindras cet âge
Où l'on force les cages ayant trouvé sa voie
Je sais qu'un jour viendra, l'âge t'aura fleurie
Et l'aube de ta vie ailleurs se lèvera
Et seul avec ta mère le jour comme la nuit
L'été comme l'hiver nous aurons un peu froid
Et lui qui ne sait rien du mal qu'on s'est donné
Lui qui n'aura rien fait pour mûrir tes années
Lui qui viendra voler ce dont j'ai le plus peur
Notre part de passé, notre part de bonheur
Cet étranger sans nom, sans visage
Oh! combien je le hais
Et pourtant s'il doit te rendre heureuse
Je n'aurai envers lui nulle pensée haineuse
Mais je lui offrirai mon cœur avec ta main
Je ferai tout cela en sachant que tu l'aimes
Simplement car je t'aime
Le jour, où il viendra
Charles Aznavour's song A Ma Fille is an emotional reflection on a father's love for his daughter and the inevitability of life's changes. The lyrics speak of two separate events that the father anticipates in the future. The first is the day his daughter will leave their home and marry another man, and the second is the day she will grow up and move on to pursue her own life away from him and her mother. In both cases, the father expresses his sadness and pain at the thought of losing his beloved daughter.
The song starts with the father acknowledging that one day, his daughter will leave them and get married. He imagines himself returning home to an empty house without her, and the pain of that thought is palpable in the lyrics. He also recognizes that his daughter will be happy, and he will be proud of her. However, he will also be devastated inside, and he will have to hide his feelings and support her through it all. The pain the father feels is so intense that it is hard for him to smile, no matter how joyful his daughter's life may be.
In the second part of the song, the father talks about his daughter leaving home to build her own life. He realizes that she will grow up, find her own way, and meet someone she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Although he dreads the thought of being separated from her, he understands that it is a natural part of life. The father acknowledges that he may not approve of the person his daughter chooses to marry, but he will put aside his feelings and accept him for her sake. In the end, he says that he will do all of this because he loves her, and that's all that really matters.
Line by Line Meaning
Je sais qu'un jour viendra car la vie le commande
I know that the day will come because life commands it
Ce jour que j'appréhende où tu nous quitteras
That day I dread when you will leave us
Je sais qu'un jour viendra où triste et solitaire
I know that one day I will come home sad and lonely
En soutenant ta mère et en traînant mes pas
Supporting your mother and dragging my steps
Je rentrerai chez nous dans un "chez nous" désert
I will come home to an empty home
Je rentrerai chez nous où tu ne seras pas
I will come home where you will not be
Toi tu ne verras rien des choses de mon cœur
You will not see the things in my heart
Tes yeux seront crevés de joie et de bonheur
Your eyes will be filled with joy and happiness
Et j'aurai un rictus que tu ne connais pas
And I will have a smile you do not know
Qui semble être un sourire ému mais ne l'est pas
Which seems to be a moved smile but is not
En taisant ma douleur à ton bras fièrement
Silently hiding my pain, proudly holding your arm
Je guiderai tes pas quoique j'en pense ou dise
I will guide your steps, no matter what I think or say
Dans le recueillement d'une paisible église
In the stillness of a peaceful church
Pour aller te donner à l'homme de ton choix
To give you away to the man of your choice
Qui te dévêtira du nom qui est le nôtre
Who will strip you of the name that is ours
Pour t'en donner un autre que je ne connais pas
To give you another name that I do not know
Je sais qu'un jour viendra tu atteindras cet âge
I know that one day you will reach that age
Où l'on force les cages ayant trouvé sa voie
Where one breaks free having found their path
Je sais qu'un jour viendra, l'âge t'aura fleurie
I know that one day you will have bloomed with age
Et l'aube de ta vie ailleurs se lèvera
And the dawn of your life will rise elsewhere
Et seul avec ta mère le jour comme la nuit
And alone with your mother day and night
L'été comme l'hiver nous aurons un peu froid
In summer and in winter we will feel a little cold
Et lui qui ne sait rien du mal qu'on s'est donné
And him who knows nothing of the pain we have shared
Lui qui n'aura rien fait pour mûrir tes années
Who will have done nothing to help you mature
Lui qui viendra voler ce dont j'ai le plus peur
Who will come and take away what I fear the most
Notre part de passé, notre part de bonheur
Our share of the past, our share of happiness
Cet étranger sans nom, sans visage
This stranger with no name, no face
Oh! combien je le hais
Oh! How much I hate him
Et pourtant s'il doit te rendre heureuse
And yet if he must make you happy
Je n'aurai envers lui nulle pensée haineuse
I will not have any hateful thoughts towards him
Mais je lui offrirai mon cœur avec ta main
But I will offer him my heart with your hand
Je ferai tout cela en sachant que tu l'aimes
I will do all this knowing that you love him
Simplement car je t'aime
Simply because I love you
Le jour, où il viendra
The day, when he comes
Lyrics © RAOUL BRETON EDITIONS
Written by: Charles Aznavour
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alain Cubeddu
Parole de chanson À ma fille
Je sais qu'un jour viendra car la vie le commande
Ce jour que j'appréhende où tu nous quitteras
Je sais qu'un jour viendra où triste et solitaire
En soutenant ta mère et en traînant mes pas
Je rentrerai chez nous dans un "chez nous" désert
Je rentrerai chez nous où tu ne seras pas.
Toi tu ne verras rien des choses de mon cœur
Tes yeux seront crevés de joie et de bonheur
Et j'aurai un rictus que tu ne connais pas
Qui semble être un sourire ému mais ne l'est pas
En taisant ma douleur à ton bras fièrement
Je guiderai tes pas quoique j'en pense ou dise
Dans le recueillement d'une paisible église
Pour aller te donner à l'homme de ton choix
Qui te dévêtira du nom qui est le nôtre
Pour t'en donner un autre que je ne connais pas.
Je sais qu'un jour viendra tu atteindras cet âge
Où l'on force les cages ayant trouvé sa voie
Je sais qu'un jour viendra, l'âge t'aura fleurie
Et l'aube de ta vie ailleurs se lèvera
Et seul avec ta mère le jour comme la nuit
L'été comme l'hiver nous aurons un peu froid.
Et lui qui ne sait rien du mal qu'on s'est donné
Lui qui n'aura rien fait pour mûrir tes années
Lui qui viendra voler ce dont j'ai le plus peur
Notre part de passé, notre part de bonheur
Cet étranger sans nom, sans visage
Oh! combien je le hais
Et pourtant s'il doit te rendre heureuse
Je n'aurai envers lui nulle pensée haineuse
Mais je lui offrirai mon cœur avec ta main
Je ferai tout cela en sachant que tu l'aimes
Simplement car JE T'AIME
Le jour, où il viendra.
el hadna mehdi
Ça ne peut que me donner des frissons RIP grand monsieur
Ben Saigon
this is a perfect french song with all the meanings and metaphores involved. for a Armenian kid who grew up in france and to have that level of hability in the language is completely amazing.. extremely well done ....rip charles
Ivone Dragone
Ele não nasceu na França e sim na Armênia?
Ivone Dragone
Ele por ventura nasceu na Armênia? Os pais eram Armênios.artistas e o que li..
mlk Boogie
Il y a les grandes chansons, et il y a le niveau au dessus encore…
Cette chanson là est une très très grande chanson!
Musiclibrarian22
Very true. Art not yet lost hopefully
Alain Cubeddu
Parole de chanson À ma fille
Je sais qu'un jour viendra car la vie le commande
Ce jour que j'appréhende où tu nous quitteras
Je sais qu'un jour viendra où triste et solitaire
En soutenant ta mère et en traînant mes pas
Je rentrerai chez nous dans un "chez nous" désert
Je rentrerai chez nous où tu ne seras pas.
Toi tu ne verras rien des choses de mon cœur
Tes yeux seront crevés de joie et de bonheur
Et j'aurai un rictus que tu ne connais pas
Qui semble être un sourire ému mais ne l'est pas
En taisant ma douleur à ton bras fièrement
Je guiderai tes pas quoique j'en pense ou dise
Dans le recueillement d'une paisible église
Pour aller te donner à l'homme de ton choix
Qui te dévêtira du nom qui est le nôtre
Pour t'en donner un autre que je ne connais pas.
Je sais qu'un jour viendra tu atteindras cet âge
Où l'on force les cages ayant trouvé sa voie
Je sais qu'un jour viendra, l'âge t'aura fleurie
Et l'aube de ta vie ailleurs se lèvera
Et seul avec ta mère le jour comme la nuit
L'été comme l'hiver nous aurons un peu froid.
Et lui qui ne sait rien du mal qu'on s'est donné
Lui qui n'aura rien fait pour mûrir tes années
Lui qui viendra voler ce dont j'ai le plus peur
Notre part de passé, notre part de bonheur
Cet étranger sans nom, sans visage
Oh! combien je le hais
Et pourtant s'il doit te rendre heureuse
Je n'aurai envers lui nulle pensée haineuse
Mais je lui offrirai mon cœur avec ta main
Je ferai tout cela en sachant que tu l'aimes
Simplement car JE T'AIME
Le jour, où il viendra.
Today Aujourd'hui
Que de talents!bravo pour votre partage pour sauver les générations réseaux sociaux
Graziella Falbo
Magnifique texte 🌹
Eric Le Véridique
Quel chef d'œuvre 😍 je n'ai pas d'enfant mais je pleure à chaque écoute. Astu balev Charles