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.
Ce sacré piano
Charles Aznavour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Placé dans un coin
Voudrait libérer
Sa voix qui déborde
Mais reste accrochée
Au long de ses cordes
Et son vieux clavier
Qu'aucun doigt n'aborde
Ce sacré piano
Qui semble endormi
Pour l'éternité
Entre quatre planches
Aimerait que ses
Touches noires et blanches
Fussent caressées
Mais nul ne se penche
Sur son corps vieilli
Moi de temps en temps
Quand j'ai de la peine
Je vais doucement
Consoler la sienne
Et tout deux rêvant
De nos joies anciennes
Nous pleurons les jours anciens
Ce sacré piano
Me colle à la peau
Mais plus mes doigts courent
Moins je me délivre
De ce vieil amour
Qui perd l'équilibre
Et compte les jours
Qui lui restent à vivre
Sans repos
Sans repos
Ce sacré piano
Est mon seul ami
Il sait m'étourdir
Sans trop de manières
Et m'aide à franchir
Toutes les barrières
Grâce aux souvenirs
Placés sur la terre
Jalonnant la vie
Ce sacré piano
Attend jour et nuit
Debout dans un coin
Que je le caresse
Comme un pauvre chien
Tirant sur sa laisse
Pour aller vers un
Maître qui le laisse
Pour d'autres amours
Et lorsque je mets
Les doigts sur ses touches
Sur lui dés que j'ai
Mes mains qui se couchent
Le passé renaît
Du fond de sa bouche
Évoquant nos anciens jours
Ce sacré piano
Quand il parle trop
Me remet souvent
Des choses en mémoire
Et remue le temps
Et fait des histoires
Parfois tant et tant
Que je me sépare
De mon vieux piano
De mon vieux piano
De mon vieux piano
Pauvre piano...
In Charles Aznavour's song Ce sacré piano, the piano is personified as a living being with emotions and desires. Set in a corner, the piano is yearning to be played and to unleash the melodies that are trapped within its body. However, despite being aged and cracking, no fingers press its keys to bring forth its voices. Aznavour, the singer, explains that he is one of the few who pays attention to the instrument and soothes it with his touch during moments of sorrow. The piano then becomes a source of comfort for Aznavour, and he realizes that he cannot deny its importance in his life.
The song speaks to the idea that music has feelings and emotions that are embodied in the instruments that create it. The metaphorical relationship between Aznavour and the piano becomes a representation of how music has the power to evoke emotions and memories from its listeners. The lyrics demonstrate the respect that Aznavour has for the piano and the profound impact it has had on his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Ce sacré piano
The singer is talking about a piano that is very special to them.
Placé dans un coin
The piano is placed in a corner of the room.
Voudrait libérer
The piano wants to be played and heard.
Sa voix qui déborde
The piano's sound is overflowing and wants to be heard.
Mais reste accrochée
However, the sound remains trapped within the piano.
Au long de ses cordes
The sound remains within the strings of the piano.
Et son vieux clavier
The keys of the piano are old and worn out.
Qu'aucun doigt n'aborde
No one plays the piano.
Espère des mains
The piano hopes for someone to come and play it.
Qui semble endormi
The piano looks as if it's sleeping.
Pour l'éternité
The piano has been there for a long time.
Entre quatre planches
The piano is surrounded by four wooden walls.
Aimerait que ses
The piano wants its keys to be played.
Touches noires et blanches
The black and white keys of the piano.
Fussent caressées
The keys want to be softly played.
Mais nul ne se penche
No one pays attention to the piano.
Sur son corps vieilli
The piano is old and needs attention.
Moi de temps en temps
The singer sometimes comes to visit the piano.
Quand j'ai de la peine
When the singer is sad.
Je vais doucement
The artist approaches the piano carefully.
Consoler la sienne
The artist consoles the piano.
Et tout deux rêvant
Both the artist and the piano dream of the past together.
De nos joies anciennes
They remember their old happy times together.
Nous pleurons les jours anciens
The artist and the piano cry for the old days.
Me colle à la peau
The piano is always on the singer's mind.
Mais plus mes doigts courent
The more the singer plays, the more attached they become to the piano.
Moins je me délivre
The singer can't let go of the piano.
De ce vieil amour
The artist has a deep love for the piano.
Qui perd l'équilibre
The artist's love for the piano is getting out of balance.
Et compte les jours
The piano is getting older and won't last forever.
Qui lui restent à vivre
The piano won't be around for much longer.
Sans repos
The artist's love for the piano is restless and never-ending.
Est mon seul ami
The artist has no other friends except for the piano.
Il sait m'étourdir
The artist can get lost in the sounds of the piano.
Sans trop de manières
The piano doesn't demand too much attention or care.
Et m'aide à franchir
Playing the piano helps the artist overcome their struggles.
Toutes les barrières
The piano helps the singer overcome all obstacles.
Grâce aux souvenirs
The piano is full of memories.
Placés sur la terre
The singer remembers experiences and events from the past.
Jalonnant la vie
Memories that tell the story of the artist's life.
Attend jour et nuit
The piano is always there, waiting for the artist.
Debout dans un coin
Standing in the corner, the piano is waiting patiently.
Que je le caresse
The singer wants to play the piano lovingly.
Comme un pauvre chien
Like a poor dog waiting for attention and care.
Tirant sur sa laisse
The piano is patiently waiting for the artist to play it.
Pour aller vers un
The piano wants to go somewhere.
Maître qui le laisse
The singer is the only one who pays attention to the piano.
Pour d'autres amours
The piano wants to be played by other people as well.
Les doigts sur ses touches
The singer's fingers on the keys of the piano.
Sur lui dés que j'ai
As soon as the singer plays the piano.
Mes mains qui se couchent
The singer's hands rest on the keys softly.
Le passé renaît
The piano brings back memories of the past.
Du fond de sa bouche
The sounds of the piano bring back the past.
Évoquant nos anciens jours
The piano reminds the singer of the old days.
Quand il parle trop
When the piano gets too loud.
Me remet souvent
The artist is reminded of the past often.
Des choses en mémoire
Memories are brought back by the sounds of the piano.
Et remue le temps
The piano brings back the past and stirs emotions in the artist.
Et fait des histoires
The piano creates stories and emotions within the singer.
Parfois tant et tant
Sometimes, the piano brings back memories to the point of overwhelming.
Que je me sépare
The piano reminds the singer of the past so much that they feel like they should let go.
De mon vieux piano
The singer talks about their old piano fondly.
Pauvre piano...
The piano is old and in need of attention and affection.
Contributed by Riley W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jeanpierregallon3232
Vous allez nous manquer monsieur aznavour pour moi vous êtes irremplacable merci pour vos chansons que je me lasse pas d'écouter vous êtes un grand monsieur petit par la taille mais grand pour votre talent encore merci
@annie-francecohen2615
Merci pour tout mr. Charles Aznavour💖🎼💖
@enricsanmartigrego4320
La disparition d'un génie incontestable qui a pourtant eu des étapes. La meilleure, à mon goût, celle des enregistrements Ducretet-Thompson des années 50, sous la direction de Jean Leccia, au style souvent très swing, avec des trouvailles musicales et poètiques éblouissantes.
Puis, a partir de 1960, l'étape Barclay, avec Paul Mauriat au devant de l'orchestre, établie ayant en vue les directrices commerciales du show-bisness à l'américaine, avec trop de chansons guimauve et de fades slow-rocks à la mode, sans que pour autant, de temps en temps, des chansons rappelant l'étape précédente ne fassent, dieu merci, tout à fait défaut. L'album "Qui?" pourrait être considéré le chant du cigne du meilleur Aznavour.
@MrHorasius
RIP Master !