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."
Kiss My Crass
Christine and the Queens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With hot baths
And black soap
I used to wash all of my dirt
But it was coming back again and then coming again, oh, ohoh
Coming back again and then coming again, oh, ohoh
Coming back again and then coming again, no, ohoh.
Oh Lord forgive me for I will sing
Oh Lord forgive me for I will stink
Cause I stopped fighting it, forever
I stopped fighting it, forever
I used to rub this ‘til I bleed
Cleaning up
Cleaned off
I used to rub this ‘til I bleed
But it was coming back again and then coming again, oh, ohoh
Coming back again and then coming again, oh, ohoh
Coming back again and then coming again, no, ohoh
Cause today
I wear it
Like diamonds
Cause today
I'm brave enough not to smell it
Oh Lord forgive me for I will sin
Oh Lord forgive me for I will sing
Oh Lord forgive me for I will stink
Cause It's a new day for all of us
For me and my blood and my teeth and my eyes and my ears and my shoulders and my sex and my feet and my knees and my arms and my hair and my lashes and my nose and my fingers and my nails and my tighs and my neck and my ass,
and my ass!
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass (Oh, oh)
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass (Oh, oh)
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass (Oh, oh)
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass (Oh, oh)
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Oh, oh, Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
J'sens pas très bon, ouais,
mais j'suis belle.
J'sens pas très bon, ouais,
mais j'suis belle.
J'sens pas très bon, ouais,
mais j'suis belle.
J'sens pas très bon, ouais,
mais j'suis belle.
J'sens pas très bon, ouais,
mais j'suis belle.
J'sens pas très bon, ouais,
mais j'suis belle.
The lyrics of "Kiss My Crass" by Christine and The Queens express a strong message of self-acceptance and challenging societal norms around cleanliness and appearance. The singer acknowledges that they used to wash away their dirt with hot baths and black soap, but it would always come back. They then ask for forgiveness for indulging in behaviors that go against societal norms, such as singing, smelling, and being "sale" (dirty in French). However, the song's power comes from the chorus, where the singer declares that they are brave enough to wear their dirt like diamonds and be proud of their body, regardless of what others may think. The song ends with a repetition of the phrase "J'sens pas très bon, ouais, mais j'suis belle" ("I don't smell great, yeah, but I'm beautiful"), emphasizing the singer's confidence in themselves and their refusal to conform to society's standards.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to wash all of my dirt
With hot baths
And black soap
I used to wash all of my dirt
But it was coming back again and then coming again, oh, ohoh
Coming back again and then coming again, oh, ohoh
Coming back again and then coming again, no, ohoh.
I tried to rid myself of everything that made me 'dirty' through intense bathing rituals, but no matter how much I cleaned, it kept coming back.
Oh Lord forgive me for I will sin
Oh Lord forgive me for I will sing
Oh Lord forgive me for I will stink
Cause I stopped fighting it, forever
I stopped fighting it, forever
I am giving up the fight against the parts of myself that society deems unworthy of love or forgiveness.
I used to rub this ‘til I bleed
Cleaning up
Cleaned off
I used to rub this ‘til I bleed
But it was coming back again and then coming again, oh, ohoh
Coming back again and then coming again, oh, ohoh
Coming back again and then coming again, no, ohoh
I would obsessively scrub away anything that made me feel dirty or unclean, but it always found a way to come back.
Cause today
I wear it
Like diamonds
Cause today
I'm brave enough not to smell it
Today, I accept and embrace the parts of me that I used to try to cleanse away, and I wear them like precious jewels. I'm brave enough to own my imperfections and accept them as integral parts of myself.
For me and my blood and my teeth and my eyes and my ears and my shoulders and my sex and my feet and my knees and my arms and my hair and my lashes and my nose and my fingers and my nails and my tighs and my neck and my ass,
and my ass!
Every part of me, even those that are typically considered taboo or shameful, deserves to be loved and accepted.
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass (Oh, oh)
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass (Oh, oh)
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass (Oh, oh)
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass (Oh, oh)
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
Christine est sale
Kiss my crass, kiss my crass
J'sens pas très bon, ouais,
mais j'suis belle.
I refuse to be ashamed of who I am or how society perceives me. I am dirty and crass, but I am also beautiful and deserving of love and respect.
Contributed by Caleb G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anthony Smith
Just found this and when you think you have heard everything, this pops up. Chris, I think you are superb.
CO
Chanson étonnante! mais c'est la signature de Christine...toujours dans l'insolite, c'est pour cela que je l'adore, elle est surprenante!
Vicky Wilhelmina
I will always live this little song. Rediscovered and on loop 🥰
Zachari Beldi
We love you Christine and the Queens ! Wonderful :)
Micheline Claes
UNE DECOUVERTE CETTE CHANSON....DOUBLE SENS SUPERBE!!!!
Diane Gaines
Wonderful. Can hear some Laurie Anderson influence. Thanks for posting.
Raibow Studio
Pure genius
buffymaniac
you are so brilliant for uploading these thank you so much!!! <33333
Eleana
Just, perfect.
Marcus K
j'adore cette fille :))