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."
Ugly-Pretty
Christine and the Queens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's cease this long-time mockery
Without distraught there's no beauty
You're both resplendent ans rusty
Rusty
Pretty
Was your red mouth overflowing
The veins that flowed over your chin
Your chin
These flowers are sold (are sold)
This lover is cold (is cold)
The hour is gone (is gone)
The colour is wrong (is wrong)
And I, I want more (want more)
Than just a sip (than just a sip) of it all (of it all)
Ugly
Is the black flag you wave at me
Nausea to make history
You think I'm lost, you just tease me
Tease me
Klaus was
The closest one to embody
This sharpest taste, ugly-pretty
It was for love and love only
Only
These flowers are sold (are sold)
This lover is cold (is cold)
The hour is gone (is gone)
The color is wrong (is wrong)
And I, I want more (want more)
Than just a sip (than just a sip) of it all (of it all)
Ils ont insisté pour me montrer une vidéo
Où les visages s'effondraient
À cause de la mauvaise connexion
Où les pénétrations en gros plan
Promettaient des gouffres
J'ai pensé aux creux sur ta peau
J'ai pensé aux creux sur ta peau
These flowers are sold (are sold)
This lover is cold (is cold)
The hour is gone (is gone)
The color is wrong (is wrong)
And I, I want more (want more)
Than just a sip (than just a sip) of it all (of it all)
The song "Ugly-Pretty" by Christine and the Queens is about the paradoxical relationship between beauty and ugliness. The lyrics suggest that beauty and ugliness are not mutually exclusive, but in fact, they are interconnected. The song starts with the idea that without being distraught, there would be no beauty, and the person addressed in the song is described as both resplendent and rusty. The duality of beauty and ugliness is then further explored as the person's red mouth is described as overflowing and their veins overflowing their chin.
The second part of the song explores the idea of ugliness and how it can be seen as a powerful statement. The lyric "ugly is the black flag you wave at me" suggests that ugliness can be a response to societal norms of beauty. The song talks about Klaus, who is described as embodying the concept of "ugly-pretty," which is a term used to describe people or objects that are considered ugly in conventional terms but are regarded as beautiful in their uniqueness.
The final verse of the song introduces a French spoken word passage, which roughly translates to "They insisted on showing me a video where faces were collapsing because of a bad connection. Where close-up penetrations promised chasms. I thought of the hollows on your skin." This verse suggests that beauty and ugliness can be found in unexpected places, and sometimes, people's flaws or scars can be seen as beautiful in their imperfection.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretty
The artist suggests that people should stop mocking those who are different from them because true beauty lies in accepting the flaws and imperfections of others.
Let's cease this long-time mockery
The artist wants people to stop making fun of or excluding those who are different from them based on their appearance or behavior.
Without distraught there's no beauty
People's imperfections and struggles are what make them unique and beautiful, and should not be ignored or looked down upon.
You're both resplendent ans rusty
Everyone has aspects of themselves that are beautiful and flawed, and these qualities coexist in harmony to create a unique and authentic individual.
Pretty
Was your red mouth overflowing
The lightning's path under your skin
The veins that flowed over your chin
Your chin
The artist describes a person's physical appearance, including their lips, veins, and skin, and suggests that these features are both beautiful and unique.
These flowers are sold (are sold)
This lover is cold (is cold)
The hour is gone (is gone)
The colour is wrong (is wrong)
And I, I want more (want more)
Than just a sip (than just a sip) of it all (of it all)
The artist is unsatisfied with the superficial aspects of life, such as consumerism and fleeting experiences, and desires something more meaningful and authentic.
Ugly
Is the black flag you wave at me
Nausea to make history
You think I'm lost, you just tease me
Tease me
The artist describes the negativity and criticism that others direct towards her, and suggests that these attempts to bring her down will not succeed because she knows her own worth and identity.
Klaus was
The closest one to embody
This sharpest taste, ugly-pretty
It was for love and love only
Only
The artist describes a person named Klaus who embodied the unique and complex combination of beauty and ugliness, and suggests that this person's qualities were rooted in pure love and authenticity.
Ils ont insisté pour me montrer une vidéo
Où les visages s'effondraient
À cause de la mauvaise connexion
Où les pénétrations en gros plan
Promettaient des gouffres
J'ai pensé aux creux sur ta peau
J'ai pensé aux creux sur ta peau
The lyrics describe a video where people's faces are distorted and unrecognizable due to poor image quality, and the artist thinks about the imperfections and unique qualities of a person's skin instead of superficial appearances.
Lyrics © SONGS MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: HELOISE LETISSIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MMM
Ugly-Pretty est mon coup de foudre de cet album. Belle musique avec une super recherche de rythmes et de timbres d'instruments, et bien sûr une très humaine interprétation vocale. Un magnifique cocktail d'émotions saisissantes dès les premières secondes.
Bravo Christine & the Queens, et merci pour votre travail musical qui apporte beaucoup à la scène française. Que ça continue! Je vous le souhaite! Grosses bises.
Barbara Weaver
When a great artist writes for her own brilliant range — that’s when magic happens!
I’m in love with this chorus — thank you for sharing !
🙏🏽💔🙏🏻
marie-helene lotti
ce morceau est la chanson que je prefere sur l album ,merci Christine and the Queen tu fais partis des grandes de la scène française .Bonne continuation...
Chloé G
Cette musique est tellement magnifique! Elle est recherchée, je trouve le rythme parfait et ton anglais ... SUBLISSIME! Tes chansons sont mystérieuses et révélatrices... J'adore! ;)
Grandjean Mélissa
Juste un mot Magnifique!!!!!!Ce morceau me fait planer 💖
Mumbles Cares
This song is absolute magic. What an amazing band.
Solène
Waouh... Sûrement ma préférée de l'album ! J'ADORE -
Stephanie Jade Live Vocalist
Dunno why people complain about the language. Everyone can enjoy the song whether it's in French or English. Just google the lyrics if you're that interested? I just like the sound and vibe of the songs! She's so good.
so secret
agree
PanglossDr
Tout a fait d'accord