Letissier has used numerous personal and stage names, and remarked that he "just ha many names for all the layers". He began his career as Christine and the Queens. For his second studio album, he shortened it to Chris, which was accompanied by a shift to a persona described as "a woman playing with masculine tropes". In October 2021, he was using the name Rahim. This sparked a debate around cultural appropriation due to the name's Arabic origin. He eventually began using a succession of different names such as Sam le pompier (the French title of Fireman Sam) and a full stop before settling on Redcar, sometimes shortened as Red. In August 2022, he updated his pronouns to he/him across social media platforms. In 2023, with the release of fourth album Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, he seemed to have reverted to simply Chris. However, he still occasionally uses his birth name, about which he said: "Héloïse Letissier is my parents' provenance and I love my parents. I sometimes use Héloïse to reconnect me to my childhood, but my inner child name is Manamané."
Comme si
Christine and the Queens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just pretend that all along
I've been there, infectious
That's what I dream of when penning this verse
Even though
You just demured
'Cause my nerve passes for rude
Through your lips as you start to obsess on
Now show me how you care to hum along
C'est comme si on s'aimait
When you play me loud me, baby
C'est comme si on s'aimait
When you play me fast
C'est comme si on s'aimait
Focus on my voice and let go
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
C'est comme si on s'aimait
'Cause when you play me loud me, baby
C'est comme si on s'aimait
We are making love
C'est comme si on s'aimait
Now play me once again and let go
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Gave a glance, you couldn't see
Now you hear what's left of me
Through her car, the radio
Beats and pieces fell apart long ago
There's a pride in my singing
The thickness of a new skin
I am done with belonging
I'll defuse every time the story's out
And I'll wound every time a sister shouts
C'est comme si on s'aimait
When you play me loud
C'est comme si on s'aimait
When you play me fast
C'est comme si on s'aimait
Focus on my voice and let go
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
C'est comme si on s'aimait
'Cause when you play me loud baby
C'est comme si on s'aimait
We are making love
C'est comme si on s'aimait
Now play me once again and let go
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh, oh-oh, oh
Et tu me mets encore, encore, encore
Tu me mets encore, encore, encore
Encore
C'est comme si on s'aimait
C'est comme si on s'aimait
C'est comme si on s'aimait
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
C'est comme si on s'aimait
C'est comme si on s'aimait
C'est comme si on s'aimait
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
"Comme si" by Christine and the Queens is a song about the power of music to create emotional connections and simulate feelings of love and intimacy. The song is written in a conversational style, with Christine encouraging the listener to "pretend" that they love her and that they are "making love" when they listen to her music. She acknowledges that this may seem silly or contrived, but suggests that the emotions it evokes are no less real for being artificially constructed.
The opening verse of the song establishes the central theme of the power of music to create connection, even across great distances or differences in experience. Christine imagines herself as a charismatic presence capable of influencing the mood and emotions of her listeners. She acknowledges that her approach can be perceived as brash or impolite, but asserts that it is ultimately warm and inviting.
The chorus of the song repeats the idea of simulated love and connection through music, with Christine inviting the listener to "focus on my voice and let go" and to play the song again and again. The repetition of the phrase "c'est comme si on s'aimait" ("it's like we're in love") underscores the idea that the emotions created by the music are not necessarily "real" in the sense of being based on a specific relationship or experience, but are nevertheless powerful and meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's for the whole song
Just pretend that all along
I've been there, infectious
That's what I dream of when penning this verse
Let's imagine for this song that I have been here all along, infecting you with my music. This is what I want to achieve with this verse.
Even though
You just demured
'Cause my nerve passes for rude
I'm the warmth that now exudes
Through your lips as you start to obsess on
Now show me how you care to hum along
Even though you were hesitant at first because my confidence may have seemed like rudeness, now you can feel the warmth of my music. You can't help but obsess and hum along, so show me how much you care about it.
C'est comme si on s'aimait
When you play me loud me, baby
C'est comme si on s'aimait
When you play me fast
C'est comme si on s'aimait
Focus on my voice and let go
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
When you play my music loud and fast, it feels like we are in love. Focus on my voice and let go of everything else, just enjoying the moment together.
Gave a glance, you couldn't see
Now you hear what's left of me
Through her car, the radio
Beats and pieces fell apart long ago
You didn't notice me before, but now you can hear me through the radio in her car. The pieces of my music may be old, but they still carry my essence.
There's a pride in my singing
The thickness of a new skin
I am done with belonging
I'll defuse every time the story's out
And I'll wound every time a sister shouts
I take pride in my singing and in the thickness of my new-found confidence. I don't need to belong to a certain group anymore. I will remain calm every time my story is told, but I will feel pain every time a woman is wronged.
C'est comme si on s'aimait
When you play me loud
C'est comme si on s'aimait
When you play me fast
C'est comme si on s'aimait
Focus on my voice and let go
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
When you play my music loud and fast, it feels like we are in love. Focus on my voice and let go of everything else, just enjoying the moment together.
Oh-oh, oh, oh-oh, oh
Et tu me mets encore, encore, encore
Tu me mets encore, encore, encore
Encore
Et tu me mets encore, encore, encore
Tu me mets encore, encore, encore
Encore
C'est comme si on s'aimait
C'est comme si on s'aimait
C'est comme si on s'aimait
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
C'est comme si on s'aimait
C'est comme si on s'aimait
C'est comme si on s'aimait
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
When you hear my music, it feels like we are in love. It's like we are in our own world, just enjoying the moment together.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Heloise Letissier
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rossandraortiztorres4105
I love how wild and free and how she's so unapologetically herself. I wish I had that confidence.
@sechale
Yes :) unapologetically herself. It's gorgeous
@GilaGone
She gives us the strength when we can’t find it. Blessed human.
@SonyaSurprise81
Yes exactly, And she's beautiful
@jorgevaldez9690
When you don't need expensive outfits, thousands of lights and an army of dancers to make a great videoclip. Just wow, Chris, you don't fail to impress me with every new performance. I'm falling in love even more with you. Pure art!
@ibmsst
Jorge Valdez where you from?
@waycho8891
I feel like that
@jorgevaldez9690
@ibmsst México : )
@alexisbssnt7176
Why the need to put someone else down to compliment uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Both are great
@charlessluskonis5651
One of the best she's done. Beautiful expression of how society doesn't appreciate the gifts that those of us who live out of the "norm".