Some of his best known songs include "Boum...!", "Y'A D'La Joie", "Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours?", "Ménilmontant", and "Douce France". His catalog of songs is enormous, numbering close to a thousand. While many of his songs mined relatively conventional topics such as love, Paris, and nostalgia for his younger days, what set Trenet's songs apart were their personal, poetic, sometimes quite eccentric qualities, often infused with a warm wit. Some of his songs had unconventional subject matter, with whimsical imagery bordering on the surreal. "Y'A D'La Joie" evokes "joy" through a series of disconnected (though all vaguely phallic) images, including that of a subway car shooting out of its tunnel into the air, the Eiffel Tower crossing the street and a baker making excellent bread. The lovers engaged in a minuet in "La Polka Du Roi" reveal themselves at length to be "no longer human": they are made of wax and trapped in the Musée Grévin. Many of his hits from the 1930s and 1940s effectively combine the melodic and verbal nuance of French song with American swing rhythms.
Other artists have had hits with some of Trenet's songs, such as the American Bobby Darin's success with "Beyond the Sea" ("La Mer"). Darin's version preserved the charming chording of Trenet's original which the author dashed off in about an hour in 1946 as an homage to the French coastline, once again free of battleships and the scars of World War II.
Other Trenet songs were recorded by such popular French singers as Maurice Chevalier, Jean Sablon, and Frehel.
Biguine à bango
Charles Trenet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Connais-tu là-bas le Bango?
Dès qu'il entend jolie musique
Le voilà debout tout de go
Pour danser avec demoiselle
Ah, c'est un galant damoiseau
Demoiselle, tu as des ailes
Quand tu fais Biguine à Bango
Mami, Mami
Biguine à Bango
Mami, Mami
Biguine à Bango
La nuit et le jour on ne pense
Qu'à danser Biguine à Bango
Demoiselles vont dans la danse
Les mamis attendent là-haut
En buvant avec les nourrices
Elles disent sous leurs chapeaux
Mami, Mami, c'est un délice
Quand on fait Biguine à Bango
Mami, Mami
Biguine à Bango
Mami, Mami
Biguine à Bango
Le mariage c'est une fête
Où l'on boit du lait de coco
Et lorsque la nuit est complète
Papi, mami, s'en vont bientôt
Alors tous deux vite on commence
Les caresses dans le dodo
On recule et puis on avance
Et c'est la Biguine à Bango
Mami, Mami,
Biguine à Bango
Mami, Mami,
Biguine à Bango
Bango, Bango a des p'tits frères
Des p'tites sœurs qui dansent à Paris
À Paris aussi on sait faire
La Biguine comme au pays
Et tout comme à la Martinique
Demoiselles ont le ventre gros
On travaille pour la République
Quand on fait Biguine à Bango
Mami, Mami
Biguine à Bango
Mami, Mami
Biguine à Bango
Biguine à Bango
Biguine à Bango
Biguine à Bango
The song "Biguin à Bango" by Charles Trenet is a joyful celebration of dance and music in Martinique. It speaks to the excitement and passion that the Bango inspires in people, as well as its power to bring people together and create a sense of community. The lyrics portray Bango as a charismatic and suave dancer who captivates the attention of women and inspires men to join in on the fun.
The song begins by asking if the listener knows about Martinique and if they have heard of the Bango. As soon as the Bango hears beautiful music, he jumps up to dance with any lady in the room. Bango is portrayed as a gentleman who gives the ladies wings when they are dancing the Biguine à Bango. The song continues to describe the obsession of the people of Martinique with the Biguine à Bango, highlighting how they dance day and night to it. The men and women of the community come together to dance and celebrate, while the mothers and grandmothers of the community drink and gossip.
The song also touches upon the importance of keeping traditions alive, even when they are far from home. Bango's siblings are described as dancing the Biguine in Paris, just as they would in Martinique. The song suggests that the Bango and the Biguine are not just a form of entertainment but rather an integral part of the Martinique culture and people's sense of identity.
Overall, "Biguine à Bango" is an upbeat and lively tribute to music and dance, as well as the sense of community it creates. The lyrics speak to the power of these traditions to bring people together and inspire joy in their hearts.
Line by Line Meaning
Connaissez-vous la Martinique?
Do you know the Martinique?
Connais-tu là-bas le Bango?
Do you know Bango over there?
Dès qu'il entend jolie musique
As soon as he hears pretty music
Le voilà debout tout de go
There he is, standing up right away
Pour danser avec demoiselle
To dance with the young lady
Ah, c'est un galant damoiseau
Oh, he's a gallant young rascal
Demoiselle, tu as des ailes
Young lady, you have wings
Quand tu fais Biguine à Bango
When you dance the Biguine with Bango
Mami, Mami
Mummy, mummy
La nuit et le jour on ne pense
Night and day, all we think about
Qu'à danser Biguine à Bango
Is dancing the Biguine with Bango
Demoiselles vont dans la danse
Young ladies go and dance
Les mamis attendent là-haut
Mummies wait up top
En buvant avec les nourrices
Drinking with the nurses
Elles disent sous leurs chapeaux
They say under their hats
Mami, Mami, c'est un délice
Mummy, mummy, it's a delight
Quand on fait Biguine à Bango
When we dance the Biguine with Bango
Le mariage c'est une fête
Marriage is a celebration
Où l'on boit du lait de coco
Where we drink coconut milk
Et lorsque la nuit est complète
And when the night is complete
Papi, mami, s'en vont bientôt
Grandpa, grandma will soon leave
Alors tous deux vite on commence
So both of us quickly start
Les caresses dans le dodo
Cuddling in bed
On recule et puis on avance
We move back and forth
Et c'est la Biguine à Bango
And that's the Biguine with Bango
Bango, Bango a des p'tits frères
Bango has little brothers
Des p'tites sœurs qui dansent à Paris
Little sisters who dance in Paris
À Paris aussi on sait faire
In Paris, too, we know how to do it
La Biguine comme au pays
The Biguine like at home
Et tout comme à la Martinique
And just like in Martinique
Demoiselles ont le ventre gros
Young ladies have big bellies
On travaille pour la République
We work for the Republic
Quand on fait Biguine à Bango
When we dance the Biguine with Bango
Biguine à Bango
The Biguine with Bango
Biguine à Bango
The Biguine with Bango
Biguine à Bango
The Biguine with Bango
Lyrics © RAOUL BRETON EDITIONS
Written by: Charles Trenet, Raoul Breton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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La ouvre de Trenet será toujours.