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.
France dimanche
Charles Trenet Lyrics
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De l'allée des marronniers
France dimanche, tu te penches
Sur la joie du quartier
Quel est ce charmant cortège
De filles et de garçons?
Quel est ce joli manège
De regards polissons?
C'est celle de mes souvenirs
De mes jeunes amourettes
De mes premiers désirs
France dimanche, sous les branches
De l'allée des marronniers
France dimanche, tu te penches
Sur mon cœur tout entier
La sortie de la grande messe
Dans la rue de l'Argenterie
À tout l'air d'une kermesse
Devant les pâtisseries
Allons cousine germaine
Choisir le gâteau des Rois
La foule qui nous entraîne
Joyeuse, nous y conduira
Nous y verrons les deux filles
Du colonel du Barda
Elles sont vraiment très gentilles
Lui est un peu gaga
France dimanche de province
En dépit d'mon air moqueur
Il fallait que tu devinsses
La chanson de mon cœur
À Paris on se promène
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Qu'ils sont loin, cousine Germaine
Nos petits marronniers
Pourtant c'est le même dimanche
Pourtant c'est la même joie
Pourtant sous les mêmes branches
L'odeur des fleurs d'autrefois
M'invite à la même fête
Et de Joinville à Nogent Les valses des guinguettes
Sont musiques d'antan
France Dimanche, sous les branches
Ta jeunesse refleurit
France dimanche, quelle revanche
Au cœur du vieux Paris!
The lyrics of Charles Trenet's song "France dimanche" evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for the joys and memories of the past. The song opens with the image of France dimanche, a personification of the country, leaning over the neighborhood, observing a charming procession of boys and girls. The atmosphere is festive, filled with mischievous glances and the excitement of young love and desires. The lyrics speak of the city in celebration, reminiscent of the singer's own memories of youthful romances and first desires.
As the song progresses, it shifts to a different scene, the exit of a grand mass on Argenterie Street, resembling a lively fair in front of the pastry shops. The singer talks about going with his cousin Germaine to choose the King's cake and getting swept away by the joyful crowd. The mention of the Colonel du Barda and his two lovely daughters adds a touch of intrigue and playful charm to the narrative. Despite the singer's initial teasing tone, he confesses that France dimanche, representing provincial life, had to recognize the song of his heart.
In the final verse, the setting changes to Paris, specifically the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The contrast between the grandeur of the capital and the simplicity of the small marronnier-lined alleys becomes apparent. However, despite the difference, the same joy and sense of celebration are felt under the branches. The scent of flowers from yesteryear invites the singer to the same festivities, as he reflects on the valses of the guinguettes (dance halls) in Joinville and Nogent. The refrain repeats the striking image of France dimanche, symbolizing a revived youth and a victorious return to the heart of old Paris.
Lyrics © RAOUL BRETON EDITIONS, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Charles Trenet
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind