Charles Trenet (May 18, 1913, Narbonne, France – February 19, 2001, Créteil… Read Full Bio ↴Charles Trenet (May 18, 1913, Narbonne, France – February 19, 2001, Créteil, France) was a French singer and songwriter, most famous for his recordings from the late 1930s through the mid-1950s, though his career continued through the 1990s. In an era in which it was exceptional for a singer to write his or her own material, Trenet wrote prolifically and preferred to record his own songs.

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.

La Vie Est une Aventure
Charles Trenet Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

La vie est une aventure jolie
Heureux qui sait la chanter
Heureux qui sait bien en profiter
Le temps d'un été
Vite s'efface

L'amour nous enchante la nuit, le jour
Heureux qui sait le garder

Heureux qui sait lui prendre un baiser
Pour l'apprivoiser
Quand il passe
Quand il passe
Il va, il se promène
Il chante, il est charmant
Il traîne des cœurs à la douzaine
Mad'moiselle pour vous quel beau roman

La vie est une aventure jolie
Heureux qui sait la chanter
Heureux qui sait bien en profiter
Le temps d'un été
Vite s'efface

Il va, il se promène
Il chante, il est charmant
Il traîne des cœurs à la douzaine
Mad'moiselle pour vous quel beau roman

La vie est une aventure jolie
Heureux qui sait la chanter
Heureux qui sait bien en profiter
Le temps d'un été
Vite s'efface
Mais il revient toujours
Le beau temps des amours

Et l'on dit, Dame Nature
La vie, quelle belle aventure

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Charles Trenet's song "La Vie Est une Aventure" celebrate the joy and beauty of life as an adventure. The singer expresses the sentiment that those who can sing and fully enjoy life are truly happy. The reference to the passing of time emphasizes the ephemeral nature of life, suggesting that moments and seasons quickly fade away.

The song also touches upon the theme of love. The singer declares that love enchants us both day and night, and those who can hold onto it and steal a kiss are fortunate. Love is portrayed as something to be tamed and captured, as the lyrics mention "apprivoiser" (to tame) and taking a kiss from love. The fleeting nature of love is also emphasized, as it passes by quickly, leaving a trail of hearts in its wake. The singer suggests that love is like a charming wanderer who captivatingly serenades and captures hearts.

Overall, the song celebrates the adventure of life and the beauty in embracing it fully. It emphasizes the importance of cherishing and making the most of each moment, as the transient nature of life's pleasures should be appreciated.

Line by Line Meaning

La vie est une aventure jolie
Life is a beautiful adventure

Heureux qui sait la chanter
Happy is the one who can sing it

Heureux qui sait bien en profiter
Happy is the one who knows how to enjoy it well

Le temps d'un été
For the time of a summer

Vite s'efface
Quickly fades away

L'amour nous enchante la nuit, le jour
Love enchants us at night, during the day

Heureux qui sait le garder
Happy is the one who knows how to keep it

Heureux qui sait lui prendre un baiser
Happy is the one who knows how to steal a kiss from it

Pour l'apprivoiser
To tame it

Quand il passe
When it passes by

Il va, il se promène
It goes, it strolls