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.
Ma Main A Besoin De Ta Main
Charles Aznavour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pour parcourir la vie
Et flâner en chemin
Mes yeux ont besoin de tes yeux
Pour fouiller l'horizon
D'un amour sans limite
Mon coeur a besoin de ton coeur
Pour rythmer l'harmonie
Ma voix a besoin d'un écho
Et l'écho c'est ta voix
Qui s'unit à ma voix
Ma main a besoin de ta main
Pour faire le parcours
Qui conduit à l'amour
Tu sens l'soleil en plein hiver
C'est merveilleux quand on y pense
Et dans tes yeux, tes yeux si clairs
J'ai découvert ma ligne de chance
Dis-moi que tu m'aimeras toujours
Dis-le puisque tu n'en sais rien
Et dépensons tout notre amour
Même si nous sommes ruinés demain
Ma main a besoin de ta main
Pour parcourir la vie
Et flâner en chemin
Mes yeux ont besoin de tes yeux
Pour fouiller l'horizon
D'un amour sans limite
Mon coeur a besoin de ton coeur
Pour rythmer l'harmonie
De l'élan de nos coeurs
Ma voix a besoin d'un écho
Et l'écho c'est ta voix
Qui s'unit à ma voix
Ma main a besoin de ta main
Pour faire le parcours
Qui conduit à l'amour
The lyrics to Charles Aznavour's song "Ma main a besoin de ta main" express the idea of needing someone else in life in order to navigate through it successfully. The repetition of the phrase "ma main a besoin de ta main" (my hand needs your hand) emphasizes the importance of having a partner to go through life's ups and downs. The imagery of the eyes needing each other to explore the horizon and of the heart needing another heart to create a harmonious rhythm illustrates the idea that life is better when shared with another person.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of taking risks in love, even if it means potentially losing everything. The line "dis-moi que tu m'aimeras toujours, dis-le puisque tu n'en sais rien" (tell me you will love me forever, even if you don't know for sure) shows a willingness to take that risk and put everything on the line for love.
Overall, the lyrics to "Ma main a besoin de ta main" convey a message of the importance of companionship and the willingness to take risks for love.
Line by Line Meaning
Ma main a besoin de ta main
I cannot traverse life alone, and I need you to hold my hand along the journey
Pour parcourir la vie
We must journey through the ups and downs of life together
Et flâner en chemin
We must take the time to enjoy each other's company along the way
Mes yeux ont besoin de tes yeux
I need your perspective and insight to help me see the world more clearly
Pour fouiller l'horizon
Together, we can explore the vast horizon of possibilities and dreams
D'un amour sans limite
In this journey, we must love each other without limits
Mon coeur a besoin de ton coeur
We must share and intertwine our hearts to create a beautiful, harmonious melody
Pour rythmer l'harmonie
Our love should beat with a rhythm that signifies our unity
De l'élan de nos coeurs
Our hearts should have a momentum that propels us towards a wonderful future
Ma voix a besoin d'un écho
I need your voice to echo my own, so that our message may be amplified
Et l'écho c'est ta voix
Your voice is the perfect match to my own, and together, we will be heard
Qui s'unit à ma voix
When our voices unite, our love and message will be clear
Pour faire le parcours
Together, we can navigate the difficult path that leads us towards love
Qui conduit à l'amour
Love should be the guiding light that illuminates our path.
Lyrics © RAOUL BRETON EDITIONS
Written by: Charles Aznavour, Pierre Roche
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bella Donna
Such touching words - such a beautiful song. He will live on in our hearts!
Carolyn Chivers
One of my favourite songs from Charles Aznavour, such beautiful words who could not fall in love with him! 💔
Dominique Dirat
Un grand homme noués à quittés mais il restera toujours dans nos mémoires avec ces chansons
DiscoJuju
Décidément une magnifique chanson, qui me fait penser très fort à quelqu'un ; quel joli sentiment que l'amour 😊
Minou Minouche46
Magnifique chanson que je connaissais pas.. il en a ecris et chanter beaucoup !
Chanson pleine de tendresse et d'amour 🦜🥀🙏🎀🇦🇲🇨🇵
victorine
j'adore, elle est remplie de tendresse, elle me transporte cette chanson. Déjà que je suis une grande fan de Charles Aznavour
Marta Lagarrigue
Quelle merveille!
Маргарита Вартанян
Merveilleux 💖💖💖
Philippe Pommier
Mes oreilles ont besoins de ces chansons pour stimuler mon bonheur.
Dutheil Olivier
Une des plus belle chanson et des plus romantique j’adore j’espère que j’aimerais mon prince charmant comme cette chanson magnifique merci