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.
Après l'amour
Charles Aznavour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nos joies se sont offertes
Et nos cœurs ont battu
Poussés par cet instinct
Qui unit les amants en se fichant du reste
Tu glisses tes doigts
Par ma chemise entre ouverte
Et poses sur ma peau
Et les yeux mi-clos
Nous restons sans dire un mot
Sans faire un geste
Après l’amour
Quand nos corps se détendent
Après l'amour
Quand nos souffles sont courts
Nous restons étendus
Toi et moi presque nus
Heureux sans rien dire
Éclairés d'un même sourire
Après l'amour
Nous ne formons qu'un être
Après l'amour
Quand nos membres sont lourds
Au sein des draps froissés
Nous restons enlacés
Après l'amour
Au creux du jour
Pour rêver
The lyrics of Charles Aznavour's song Après l’amour describe the moment after two lovers have made love. The first verse speaks of the joy and connection felt, indicated by the beating of their hearts, as well as the instinctual urge that brings them together. The tactile and intimate nature of the scene is depicted by the lover slipping their hand into the singer's open shirt, and placing their palm on their bare skin. The second verse describes the aftermath of lovemaking - the relaxation of their bodies, the shortness of breath, and the feeling of contentment. The lovers lay next to each other in silence, with eyes half-closed, almost as if they are in a dream. They are happy simply being close to each other, without any need for words or actions. As the chorus suggests, they have become one being, linked through the intimacy they have just shared.
The song is evocative and sensuous, conveying the powerful emotions that are experienced after a moment of intense physical connection. It is notable for its frankness and the way it explores the vulnerability and connection that occurs between two people in such a moment. The lyrics are romantic without being sappy, and the melody is tender and moving. Charles Aznavour's emotive delivery adds to the intensity of the song, making it a classic ballad that remains relevant and resonant to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
Nous nous sommes aimés
We loved each other
Nos joies se sont offertes
Our happiness was shared
Et nos cœurs ont battu
Our hearts beat
Poussés par cet instinct Qui unit les amants en se fichant du reste
Driven by the instinct that unites lovers and ignores everything else
Tu glisses tes doigts Par ma chemise entre ouverte
You slip your fingers through my open shirt
Et poses sur ma peau La paume de ta main
And place the palm of your hand on my skin
Et les yeux mi-clos Nous restons sans dire un mot Sans faire un geste
With half-closed eyes, we remain silent, without moving
Après l'amour Quand nos corps se détendent
After making love, when our bodies relax
Après l'amour Quand nos souffles sont courts
After making love, when our breaths are short
Nous restons étendus Toi et moi presque nus
We remain lying down, almost naked
Heureux sans rien dire Éclairés d'un même sourire
Happy without saying anything, illuminated by the same smile
Après l'amour Nous ne formons qu'un être
After making love, we become one
Après l'amour Quand nos membres sont lourds
After making love, when our limbs are heavy
Au sein des draps froissés Nous restons enlacés
In the midst of crumpled sheets, we remain entwined
Après l'amour Au creux du jour Pour rêver
After making love, in the quiet of the day, to dream
Lyrics © RAOUL BRETON EDITIONS, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Charles Aznavour
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Don Forest
Nous nous sommes aimés,
Nos joies se sont offertes,
Et nos cœurs ont battu,
Poussés par cet instinct,
Qui unit les amants en se fichant du reste
Tu glisses tes doigts par ma chemise entrouverte,
Et pose sur ma peau,
La paume de ta main,
Et les yeux mi-clos nous restons,
Sans dire un mot,
Sans faire un geste
Après L'amour,
Quand nos corps se détendent,
Après L'amour,
Quand nos souffles sont courts,
Nous restons étendus,
Toi et moi,
Presques nus,
Heureux, sans rien dire,
Eclairés d'un même sourire
Après L'amour,
Nous ne formons qu'un être,
Après L'amour,
Quand nos membres sont lourds,
Au sein des draps froissés,
Nous restons enlacés,
Après L'amour,
Au creux du jour,
Pour rêver
Stefanie Ioan
RIP the most brilliant musician ever❤😢
Monique Riaboukine
Adore charlesAznnvour c le seul qui chante l'amour on n en a des frissons
Don Forest
Nous nous sommes aimés,
Nos joies se sont offertes,
Et nos cœurs ont battu,
Poussés par cet instinct,
Qui unit les amants en se fichant du reste
Tu glisses tes doigts par ma chemise entrouverte,
Et pose sur ma peau,
La paume de ta main,
Et les yeux mi-clos nous restons,
Sans dire un mot,
Sans faire un geste
Après L'amour,
Quand nos corps se détendent,
Après L'amour,
Quand nos souffles sont courts,
Nous restons étendus,
Toi et moi,
Presques nus,
Heureux, sans rien dire,
Eclairés d'un même sourire
Après L'amour,
Nous ne formons qu'un être,
Après L'amour,
Quand nos membres sont lourds,
Au sein des draps froissés,
Nous restons enlacés,
Après L'amour,
Au creux du jour,
Pour rêver
Claude Taverne
Superbe chanson merveilleux chanteur beaucoup de regrets
Carlos Paulino
Linda canção, só podia ser Charles Aznavour... Recife Pe
Genevieve Bertrand
Face A = sur ma vie. Cadeau pour mes 20 ans
JUB 54 - christliche Musik von jub-music
Wunderschön !!! Das verspielte Arrangement, die Liebe zum Gesang, die Bodenhaftung der Aussage. Wunderschön !
Domdoria
cette chanson a été censurée à l'epoque?elle est pourtant si belle!
Assia El Mabrouki
Malheureusement c'était vu comme obscène à l'époque... dommage qu'elle a reçu ce traitement car elle est vraiment magnifique
Rino Cardone
Bon voyage, Monsieur Aznavour e Merci....