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.
Une enfant
Charles Aznavour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Une enfant de seize ans,
Une enfant du printemps,
Couché sur les chemins.
Elle vivait dans un de ces quartiers
Ou tout le monde riche a crevé.
Elle avait quitté ses parents
Qui savait signer et dire je t'aime,
Et sans que ça devenait bouleversant,
Et leur cœurs parait-il sans laisser d'adresse,
Emportant juste la jeunesse
Et le douceur de leur pêché.
Une enfant
Leurs cœurs n'avaient pas le saison
Et ne voulaient pas de prison.
Tout de vivait au jour de jour,
Restant jamais à la même place.
Leurs cœurs avaient besoin d'espace
Pour contenir un tel amour.
Son présent comme son futur,
C'était cet amour magnifique,
Qu'il avait refait un cantique
Et perdit ses yeux dans l'azure.
Une enfant
Mais son amour était trop grande,
Trop grande pour l'âme d'une enfant.
Elle ne vivait que par son cœur
Et son cœur faisait un monde,
Mais Dieu n'acceptait pas le monde
Quand Il n'est pas le créateur.
L'amour était leur seul festin
Et la guitare pour quelques miettes,
Alors sa vie bâtit en retraite
Et puis l'enfant connaît la fin.
Une enfant,
Une enfant de seize ans,
Une enfant, un printemps,
Couché sur le chemin.
Charles Aznavour's song "Une Enfant" tells the story of a young girl, only sixteen years old, who leaves her affluent life following a bohemian boy who knows how to sign and say "I love you." The girl and the boy live in the moment, never staying in one place and refusing to be trapped in a prison of societal norms. Their love is their everything, even if it means living with only the guitar for sustenance. Sadly, their love is too great for the young girl, and she eventually succumbs to it, lying on the path in the street at the end of the song.
The lyrics of this song are beautifully and poetically written, conveying the turmoil of the girl's heart as she leaves behind her former life and the consequences of the choices she has made. The heartache is palpable, and the words are carefully chosen to paint an evocative picture of the girl's journey.
Interestingly, "Une Enfant" was not initially a commercial success for Aznavour, despite the critical acclaim it received. It was only after it was re-recorded and released as a single that it began to gain popularity. The song has since become a classic in the French chanson tradition.
Line by Line Meaning
Une enfant,
A child,
Une enfant de seize ans,
A child of sixteen years old,
Une enfant du printemps,
A child of spring,
Couché sur les chemins.
Laying on the roads.
Elle vivait dans un de ces quartiers
She lived in one of those neighbourhoods
Ou tout le monde riche a crevé.
Where everyone rich had died.
Elle avait quitté ses parents
She had left her parents
Pour suivre un garçon, un bohème,
To follow a boy, a bohemian,
Qui savait signer et dire je t'aime,
Who knew how to sign and say 'I love you',
Et sans que ça devenait bouleversant,
And without it becoming overwhelming,
Et leur cœurs parait-il sans laisser d'adresse,
And their hearts apparently without leaving an address,
Emportant juste la jeunesse
Taking only their youth
Et le douceur de leur pêché.
And the sweetness of their sin.
Leurs cœurs n'avaient pas le saison
Their hearts did not have a season
Et ne voulaient pas de prison.
And did not want a prison.
Tout de vivait au jour de jour,
Everything was lived from day to day,
Restant jamais à la même place.
Never staying in the same place.
Leurs cœurs avaient besoin d'espace
Their hearts needed space
Pour contenir un tel amour.
To contain such love.
Son présent comme son futur,
Her present as well as her future,
C'était cet amour magnifique,
Was this magnificent love,
Qu'il avait refait un cantique
That he had made into a hymn
Et perdit ses yeux dans l'azure.
And lost his eyes in the azure.
Mais son amour était trop grande,
But her love was too great,
Trop grande pour l'âme d'une enfant.
Too great for the soul of a child.
Elle ne vivait que par son cœur
She only lived by her heart
Et son cœur faisait un monde,
And her heart made a world,
Mais Dieu n'acceptait pas le monde
But God did not accept this world
Quand Il n'est pas le créateur.
When He is not the creator.
L'amour était leur seul festin
Love was their only feast
Et la guitare pour quelques miettes,
And the guitar for a few crumbs,
Alors sa vie bâtit en retraite
So her life was spent in retreat
Et puis l'enfant connaît la fin.
And then the child meets her end.
Une enfant,
A child,
Une enfant de seize ans,
A child of sixteen years old,
Une enfant, un printemps,
A child, a spring,
Couché sur le chemin.
Laying on the roads.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alain Cubeddu
Une enfant, une enfant de seize ans
Une enfant du printemps
Couchée sur le chemin...
[Couplet 1]
Elle vivait dans un de ces quartiers
Où tout le monde est riche à crever
Elle avait quitté ses parents
Pour suivre un garçon, un bohème
Qui savait si bien dire "je t'aime"
Ça en devenait bouleversant
Et leurs deux coeurs ensoleillés
Partirent sans laisser d’adresse
Emportant juste leur jeunesse
Et la douceur de leur péché
[Refrain]
Une enfant, une enfant de seize ans
Une enfant du printemps
Couchée sur le chemin...
[Couplet 2]
Leurs cœurs n'avaient pas de saisons
Et ne voulaient pas de prison
Tous deux vivaient au jour le jour
Ne restant jamais à la même place
Leurs cœurs avaient besoin d'espace
Pour contenir un tel amour
Son présent comme son futur
C’était cet amour magnifique
Qui la berçait comme d'un cantique
Et perdait ses yeux dans l'azur
[Refrain]
Une enfant, une enfant de seize ans
Une enfant du printemps
Couchée sur le chemin...
[Couplet 3]
Mais son amour était trop grand
Trop grand pour l'âme d'Une enfant
Elle ne vivait que par son cœur
Et son cœur se faisait un monde
Mais Dieu n'accepte pas les mondes
Dont il n'est pas le Créateur
L'amour étant leur seul festin
Il la quitta pour quelques miettes
Alors sa vie battit en retraite
Et puis l’enfant connut la faim
[Refrain]
Une enfant, une enfant de seize ans
Une enfant du printemps
Couchée sur le chemin... morte !
MORE ON GENIUS
Alain Cubeddu
Une enfant, une enfant de seize ans
Une enfant du printemps
Couchée sur le chemin...
[Couplet 1]
Elle vivait dans un de ces quartiers
Où tout le monde est riche à crever
Elle avait quitté ses parents
Pour suivre un garçon, un bohème
Qui savait si bien dire "je t'aime"
Ça en devenait bouleversant
Et leurs deux coeurs ensoleillés
Partirent sans laisser d’adresse
Emportant juste leur jeunesse
Et la douceur de leur péché
[Refrain]
Une enfant, une enfant de seize ans
Une enfant du printemps
Couchée sur le chemin...
[Couplet 2]
Leurs cœurs n'avaient pas de saisons
Et ne voulaient pas de prison
Tous deux vivaient au jour le jour
Ne restant jamais à la même place
Leurs cœurs avaient besoin d'espace
Pour contenir un tel amour
Son présent comme son futur
C’était cet amour magnifique
Qui la berçait comme d'un cantique
Et perdait ses yeux dans l'azur
[Refrain]
Une enfant, une enfant de seize ans
Une enfant du printemps
Couchée sur le chemin...
[Couplet 3]
Mais son amour était trop grand
Trop grand pour l'âme d'Une enfant
Elle ne vivait que par son cœur
Et son cœur se faisait un monde
Mais Dieu n'accepte pas les mondes
Dont il n'est pas le Créateur
L'amour étant leur seul festin
Il la quitta pour quelques miettes
Alors sa vie battit en retraite
Et puis l’enfant connut la faim
[Refrain]
Une enfant, une enfant de seize ans
Une enfant du printemps
Couchée sur le chemin... morte !
MORE ON GENIUS
Brisa Coelho
Este não.tem mais nota pra ele...Não fiquem triste ele vive e brilha estrela e eterna ...tanto e que a gente não resiste e continua ....ouvindo seus sucessos... Obrigada Aznavour...você tá vivo aos nossos ouvidos.......
konrad kon
To może Obsesja ale Charles z tamtych lat Genialny.
AL
À l'époque, la qualité et la beauté étaient la chose la plus naturelle au monde. Aujourd'hui, c'est le sexe, la pornographie, la violence et les comportements vulgaires, la consommation de drogue qui sont récompensés. . . . le monde est perdu quand vous entendez une telle beauté. Salutations des Pays-Bas !
Olive Nys
Peut être ça plus belle !!!! Quelle interprétation !!!!! Très très grand aznavour !!!!
nickinthecave
Ja lekker nummertje!
Yasmina Berrabane
🙏💖🌹
Wout Peters
Dit is prachtig , maar de Nederlandse vertaling van boudewijn de groot is ook echt goed
AL
dit is beter :)
Nicolas Guivier
C’est une reprise de Piaf je crois !