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.
For me ...formidable
Charles Aznavour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are my love, very, very, véri, véritable
Et je voudrais un jour enfin pouvoir te le dire
Te l'écrire
Dans la langue de Shakespeare
My daisy, daisy, dési, désirable
Je suis malheureux
Darling I love you, love you, darling, I want you
Et puis c'est à peu pres tout
You are the one for me, for me, formi, formidable
You are the one for me, for me, formi, formidable
But how can you see me, see me, si mi, si minable
Je ferais mieux d'aller choisir mon vocabulaire
Pour te plaire
Dans la langue de Molière
Toi, tes eyes, ton nose, tes lips adorables
Tu n'as pas compris
Tant pis, ne t'en fais pas et
Viens-t'en dans mes bras
Darling I love you, love you, darling, I want you
Et puis le reste, on s'en fout
You are the one for me, formi, formidable
Je me demande même pourquoi je t'aime
Toi qui te moque de moi et de tout
Avec ton air canaille, canaille, canaille
How can I love you?
The lyrics to Charles Aznavour's song "For me formidable" are a declaration of love from the singer to his beloved. The first verse repeats the singer's admiration for his love interest, using the phrase "for me, formi, formidable" to describe her as impressive and formidable. He wants to express his love to her and write to her in the language of Shakespeare, indicating the depth of his passion.
The second verse reveals the singer's insecurity and lack of confidence, as he wonders how his love interest could see anything in him, describing himself as "si minable" (pitiful). He wishes he could find the right words in the language of Molière to please her. However, despite his lack of confidence, he can't help but express his love to her and invite her into his arms. He ends the song with the same refrain, declaring his love and admiration for her, despite his confusion about why he loves her.
Overall, the song expresses the conflicting emotions of love, admiration, insecurity, and confusion that often come with romantic relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
You are the one for me, for me, formi, formidable
You are the person who suits me, who is extraordinary
You are my love, very, very, véri, véritable
You are my true love, very, very, very true
Et je voudrais un jour enfin pouvoir te le dire
And someday I want to be able to tell you
Te l'écrire
To write it to you
Dans la langue de Shakespeare
In the language of Shakespeare
My daisy, daisy, dési, désirable
My desirable baby, baby
Je suis malheureux
I am unhappy
D'avoir si peu de mots à t'offrir en cadeau
Having so few words to offer you as a gift
Darling I love you, love you, darling, I want you
Darling, I love you and I want you
Et puis c'est à peu pres tout
And that's almost all
You are the one for me, for me, formi, formidable
You are the person who suits me, who is extraordinary
But how can you see me, see me, si mi, si minable
But how could you notice me, such a pathetic person
Je ferais mieux d'aller choisir mon vocabulaire
I should go choose my vocabulary better
Pour te plaire
To please you
Dans la langue de Molière
In the language of Moliere
Toi, tes eyes, ton nose, tes lips adorables
You, your adorable eyes, nose, and lips
Tu n'as pas compris
You didn't understand
Tant pis, ne t'en fais pas et
Too bad, don't worry and
Viens-t'en dans mes bras
Come into my arms
Darling I love you, love you, darling, I want you
Darling, I love you and I want you
Et puis le reste, on s'en fout
And we don't care about the rest
You are the one for me, formi, formidable
You are the person who suits me, who is extraordinary
Je me demande même pourquoi je t'aime
I even wonder why I love you
Toi qui te moque de moi et de tout
You who make fun of me and everything
Avec ton air canaille, canaille, canaille
With your roguish, roguish, roguish air
How can I love you?
How can I love you?
Lyrics © EDITIONS MUSICALES DJANIK
Written by: Charles Aznavour, Jacques Plante
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ethanomcbride
j’ai découvre les paroles
You are the one for me, for me, formi, formidable
You are my love, very, very, véri, véritable
Et je voudrais un jour enfin pouvoir te le dire
Te l'écrire
Dans la langue de Shakespeare
My daisy, daisy, dési, désirable
Je suis malheureux
D'avoir si peu de mots à t'offrir en cadeau
Darling I love you, love you, darling, I want you
Et puis c'est à peu pres tout
You are the one for me, for me, formi, formidable
You are the one for me, for me, formi, formidable
But how can you see me, see me, si mi, si minable
Je ferais mieux d'aller choisir mon vocabulaire
Pour te plaire
Dans la langue de Molière
Toi, tes eyes, ton nose, tes lips adorables
Tu n'as pas compris
Tant pis, ne t'en fais pas et
Viens-t'en dans mes bras
Darling I love you, love you, darling, I want you
Et puis le reste, on s'en fout
You are the one for me, formi, formidable
Je me demande même pourquoi je t'aime
Toi qui te moque de moi et de tout
Avec ton air canaille, canaille, canaille
How can I love you?
Translate to English
@8432mega
Chanson que je chante souvent à une dame atteinte de la maladie d’alzheirmer que j’accompagne depuis presque quatre ans et demi. J’aime cette dame autant que si elle était ma mère. Et que dire du plaisir que l’on a ensemble. Elle possède un sens de l’humour remarquable, tout comme moi d’ailleurs. Vous dire tout ce qu’on peut se dire durant une de mes nombreuses visites, elle l’a l’affaire et est très rapide à répondre à mes niaiseries pour une personne atteinte de cette maladie, beaucoup plus rapide que bien des personnes en parfaite santé. C’est toujours un plaisir pour moi que d’aller la voir et je n’y vais jamais à reculons !
@colchoneros5076
Comment va elle
@sandranicotra8202
C'est touchant ce que vous dites car je vis la même chose, je suis auxiliaire de vie
@MissValerieLearnFrench
C'est touchant! Moi aussi j'ai accompagne durant 1 ans et demi une dame francaise ici en Californie. Elle etait devenue une amie tres chere. Et comme votre dame, elle avait un super humour et on passait que du super temps ensemble. Je la sortait beaucoup voir la mer, se promener, manger et je lui cuisinais de tres bons plats. Francine, je vous envoie plein de force et de tendresse et a votre dame aussi.
@ddoeser5830
RESPECT VOOR DE MUZIEK ONVERGETELIJK R.I.P ❤🇳🇱 🙏🌹👋
@zinebkabbaj1933
Fjnvp
@timonberlioz3012
R.I.P Charles , tu étais for me, formidable
@mg9129
Bien dit
@juanmamartin1741
erfuggyu
@florettelapaquerette2342
Ma réaction: oh c’est mignon...