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.
Trousse chemise
Charles Aznavour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quand la mer est grise et qu'on l'est un peu
Dans le petit bois de Trousse Chemise
On fait des bêtises souviens-toi nous deux
On était partis pour Trousse Chemise
Guettés par les vieilles derrière leurs volets
On était partis la fleur à l'oreille
Avec deux bouteilles de vrai muscadet
On s'était baignés à Trousse Chemise
La plage déserte était à nous deux
On s'était baignés à la découverte
La mer était verte, tu l'étais un peu
On a dans les bois de Trousse Chemise
Déjeuné sur l'herbe, mais voilà soudain
Que là, j'ai voulu d'un élan superbe
Conjuguer le verbe aimer son prochain
Et j'ai renversé à Trousse Chemise
Malgré tes prières à corps défendant
Et j'ai renversé le vin de nos verres
Ta robe légère et tes dix sept ans
Quand on est rentrés de Trousse Chemise
La mer était grise, tu ne l'étais plus
Quand on est rentré la vie t'a reprise
T'as fait ta valise t'es jamais revenue
On coupe le bois à Trousse Chemise
Il pleut sur la plage des mortes saisons
On coupe le bois, le bois de la cage
Où mon cœur trop sage était en prison
The lyrics of "Trousse Chemise" by Charles Aznavour tell a nostalgic story of a past love affair that took place in a small wooded area by the sea. The singer of the song describes the moments spent there with a loved one - bathing on the deserted beach, having a picnic on the grass, and drinking wine. However, something happened in that moment of passion when the singer attempted to express his affection to their partner. The wine spilled all over their clothes, including the young girl's light dress, and this marked the end of their relationship.
The song is a reflection on memories of youth and lost love, and the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia that accompanies them. The peaceful and idyllic surroundings of Trousse Chemise that were once filled with fun and romance are now gone - the woods have been cut down, and the beach is only a desolate place during the dark seasons. The singer's heart that was once confined in the cage of prudence and self-restraint is now shattered after the loss of the loved one.
In summary, the song is about reminiscing on the memories of a past love and accepting the change that comes with time. It speaks to the timeless theme of love and loss, and how life can take unexpected turns.
Line by Line Meaning
Par le petit bois de Trousse Chemise
Through the small forest of Trousse Chemise
Quand la mer est grise et qu'on l'est un peu
When the sea is grey and we're feeling a bit blue
Dans le petit bois de Trousse Chemise
In the small forest of Trousse Chemise
On fait des bêtises souviens-toi nous deux
We used to do silly things, remember the two of us?
On était partis pour Trousse Chemise
We had gone to Trousse Chemise
Guettés par les vieilles derrière leurs volets
Watched by old ladies behind their shutters
On était partis la fleur à l'oreille
We had gone with a flower in our ears
Avec deux bouteilles de vrai muscadet
With two bottles of real Muscadet wine
On s'était baignés à Trousse Chemise
We had swum at Trousse Chemise
La plage déserte était à nous deux
The deserted beach was just for the two of us
On s'était baignés à la découverte
We had swum in discovery
La mer était verte, tu l'étais un peu
The sea was green, and so were you, a bit
On a dans les bois de Trousse Chemise
We have had in the woods of Trousse Chemise
Déjeuné sur l'herbe, mais voilà soudain
Had a picnic on the grass, but suddenly
Que là, j'ai voulu d'un élan superbe
I wanted, with great inspiration
Conjuguer le verbe aimer son prochain
To conjugate the verb 'to love one's neighbor'
Et j'ai renversé à Trousse Chemise
And I spilled at Trousse Chemise
Malgré tes prières à corps défendant
Despite your prayers and protests
Et j'ai renversé le vin de nos verres
And I spilled the wine from our glasses
Ta robe légère et tes dix sept ans
Your light dress and your seventeen years
Quand on est rentrés de Trousse Chemise
When we returned from Trousse Chemise
La mer était grise, tu ne l'étais plus
The sea was grey, but you were no longer
Quand on est rentré la vie t'a reprise
When we got back, life took you back
T'as fait ta valise t'es jamais revenue
You packed your bags and never came back
On coupe le bois à Trousse Chemise
They're cutting wood at Trousse Chemise
Il pleut sur la plage des mortes saisons
It's raining on the beach of dead seasons
On coupe le bois, le bois de la cage
They're cutting wood, the wood of the cage
Où mon cœur trop sage était en prison
Where my heart, too wise, was imprisoned
Lyrics © EDITIONS MUSICALES DJANIK
Written by: Charles Aznavour, Xavier Andre
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SRBJ
Dans le petit bois de Trousse chemise
Quand la mer est grise et qu'on l'est un peu
Dans le petit bois de Trousse chemise
On fait des bêtises souviens-toi nous deux
On était partis pour Trousse chemise
Guettés par les vieill's derrièr' leurs volets
On était partis la fleur à l'oreille
Avec deux bouteill's de vrai muscardet
On s'était baignés à Trousse chemise
La plage déserte était à nous deux
On s'était baignés à la découverte
La mer était verte, tu l'étais un peu
On a dans les bois de Trousse chemise
Déjeuné sur l'herbe, mais voilà soudain
Que là, j'ai voulu d'un élan superbe
Conjuguer le verbe aimer son prochain.
Et j'ai renversé à Trousse chemise
Malgré tes prières à corps défendant
Et j'ai renversé le vin de nos verres
Ta robe légère et tes dix sept ans
Quand on est rentrés de Trousse chemise
La mer était grise, tu ne l'étais plus
Quand on est rentré la vie t'a reprise
T'as fait ta valise t'es jamais r'venue.
On coupe le bois à Trousse chemise
Il pleut sur la plage des mortes saisons
On coupe le bois, le bois de la cage
Où (le) mon cœur trop sage était en prison.
Ângela Valéria
Beleza de música! Viva a música francesa!😃💗🌻💘💞🎵🎶😃💗💗
Françoise Curzi
quel artiste toujours dans nos coeurs
Marc Andrieux
Auteur et compositeur représentant la France dans le monde entier il restera un chanteur populaire que l'ont n'oubliera pas! Merci monsieur aznavour d'avoir bercé mon adolescent avec ses magnifiques chansons ..
Marc Stéfanou
La France a perdu un de ses meilleurs artistes du 20ielme siècle et de renommée internationale merci
Helene Camberlein
Certes ! Mais vous avez remarqué que la chanson trousse chemises n est jamais citée ni ne passe sur les ondes .
Maria Aparecida Lima
O maior cantor de todos os tempos
Nilva Fernandes Sorba
Je suis allée à Île de ré ce week-end et j'ai visité la plage de trousse chemise, d'où vient cette merveilleuse chanson. Aznavour, le meilleur chanteur de la France ❤
sylviane chouitah
Aznavour restera un Grand poète dans ma mémoire, il nous manque depuis son départ inéluctable à94ans le 01 10 2018, "Trousse Chemise" est une chanson indémodable, dans le texte ressort la délicatesse des mots & la sensibilité de cet artiste, faisant abstraction de toute vulgarité, du grand art !! ╰⊰💕⊱╮♫ ╰⊰💕⊱╮♫
Mehdi Djellel
C’est pas lui qui a écrit ce texte , qui relate un viol soyons clair.
François Legoubin
❤