"Rital" is a difficult to translate French slang term used to refer in a derogatory sense to people of Italian descent, the song deals with Barzotti's experiences as a young child and how "he wanted to be named Dupont (a common French surname)," but the song also deals with his pride concerning the term, exemplified in lines such as "Je suis rital et je le reste," which translates to "I'm Italian and will so remain." Barzotti's career contained throughout the 1980's, and his last major successful song was in 1990's "Aime-moi" (English:Love Me), at which point many people believed his career was far from over. Although Barzotti profited from the wave of nostalgia which gripped France at the turn of the 21st century, he was unable to capture the musical prominence he had once held. Because of his distinctive voice and great successes in the French music industry, he is considered one of the most prominent French pop musicians of the 1980s. Barzotti's music was also popular in Francophone Canada, with songs such as "Je ne t'écrirai plus," (English: I Won't Write You Anymore), "Prends bien soin d'elle," (English: Take Good Care of Her), "C'est moi qui pars," (English: It's Me Who's Leaving), and "J'ai les bleus," (English: I Have the Blues).
Barzotti's songs have also been featured in movies and DVDs in France, the movies in which his songs have been featured have sold more than five million copies. He also wrote the Belgian entry to the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest.
Barzotti's compilation "best of" was released in France in 2003, and he also recorded a more traditional Italian song, "Vado Via." He has released a new single, "Jada," on August 8, 2007, the proceeds from which go to benefit children in poor countries who do not have access to education.
Je vous aime
Claude Barzotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qu'elles emmènent en s'en allant
Les femmes vous prennent et puis vous jettent
Sont bien plus machos que les mecs
Où sont les femmes d'autrefois
Qui ne nous coupaient pas en trois
Le père, le mari et l'amant
C'était le même en d'autres temps
Un jour elles ont tout voulu
Et on leur a tout accordé
Nous sommes les dindons, les cocus
De leur nouvelle liberté
Où êtes-vous femmes d'antan
Qui savaient faire en même temps
Et les enfants, et les tartines
Et la tendresse et la cuisine
Oh, femmes
Femmes, femmes, on vous aimait pourtant
Plus un homme ne vous comprend
Femmes
Femmes, femmes, qu'avez-vous fait de nous
Nous sommes là, regardez-nous
Femmes
On ne comprend plus rien du tout
On ne sait plus à quoi on joue
Femmes
Plus aucun homme ne sait vraiment
Ce que vous voulez et comment
Femmes, femmes, femmes
Le temps de vouloir vivre à deux
Vous voilà déjà reparties
Le temps d'avoir ce que l'on veut
On n'en a déjà plus envie
Où sont donc les femmes d'avant
Celles qui nous laissaient le temps
De leur faire un moment la cour
Avant de leur faire l'amour
Oh, femmes
Femmes, femmes, on vous aimait pourtant
Plus un homme ne vous comprend
Femmes
Femmes, femmes, qu'avez-vous fait de nous
Nous sommes là, regardez-nous
Femmes
On ne comprend plus rien du tout
On ne sait plus à quoi on joue
Femmes
Plus aucun homme ne sait vraiment
Ce que vous voulez et comment
Femmes, femmes, femmes
Femmes, femmes, femmes, femmes, femmes
Femmes, femmes, femmes, femmes, femmes
Oh, femmes, je vous aime
The lyrics of Claude Barzotti's song "Je vous aime" depict a nostalgic and regretful tone towards the changes in women's roles and behavior in modern society. The first stanza highlights the reversal of traditional gender roles, with women now having the power to “make [men] have children” and leave without looking back. The second stanza emphasizes the loss of the “women of old,” who could balance family and emotional needs with tasks like cooking and homemaking. The chorus adds to this sentiment of confusion and frustration, with the repetition of the title phrase “Femmes, femmes, femmes.”
Overall, the song seems to be a lament for the simplicity and comfort of the past, where men knew their roles as providers and women knew their place as homemakers, and there was less ambiguity and complexity in romantic relationships. However, the lyrics also suggest a sense of helplessness and lack of understanding towards the changes, as men are left feeling bewildered and uncertain about what women want and how to connect with them.
Interestingly, the song's tone and message have been somewhat controversial, with some interpreting it as outdated or even anti-feminist. It is worth noting that the song was released in 1984, a time of shifting social and cultural values in France, and that Barzotti's own personal history as a man of Italian heritage may have influenced his perspective.
* Claude Barzotti's birth name is Francesco Barzotti.
* He became famous in the 1980s with hits like "Madame" and "Le Rital."
* "Je vous aime" peaked at number 8 on the French charts and remained on the charts for 17 weeks.
* It was also a hit in Belgium.
* The song was written by Barzotti and arranged by French musician Michel Bernholc.
* It has been covered by various artists, including Belgian singer Salvatore Adamo.
* Barzotti has since distanced himself from the song, suggesting that it does not reflect his current views on gender and relationships.
* The music video for "Je vous aime" features Barzotti walking through a deserted city and singing in front of a stone statue.
* Barzotti has released over 25 albums throughout his career.
* He retired from performing in 2013.
Chords (key of G):
Verse: G - D - Am - D
Chorus: G - Em - C - D
Line by Line Meaning
Elles vous font faire des enfants
Women make you have children
Qu'elles emmènent en s'en allant
That they take away when they leave
Les femmes vous prennent et puis vous jettent
Women take you and then throw you away
Sont bien plus machos que les mecs
Are much more macho than men
Où sont les femmes d'autrefois
Where are the women of the past
Qui ne nous coupaient pas en trois
Who did not cut us into three
Le père, le mari et l'amant
Father, husband and lover
C'était le même en d'autres temps
It was the same in other times
Un jour elles ont tout voulu
One day they wanted everything
Et on leur a tout accordé
And we gave them everything
Nous sommes les dindons, les cocus
We are the fools, the cuckolded
De leur nouvelle liberté
Of their new freedom
Où êtes-vous femmes d'antan
Where are you, women of the past
Qui savaient faire en même temps
Who knew how to do both at the same time
Et les enfants, et les tartines
And the children, and the sandwiches
Et la tendresse et la cuisine
And the tenderness and the cooking
Oh, femmes
Oh, women
Femmes, femmes, femmes, on vous aimait pourtant
Women, women, women, we loved you, nonetheless
Plus un homme ne vous comprend
No man understands you anymore
Qu'avez-vous fait de nous
What have you done to us
Nous sommes là, regardez-nous
We are here, look at us
On ne comprend plus rien du tout
We don't understand anything anymore
On ne sait plus à quoi on joue
We don't know what we're playing anymore
Plus aucun homme ne sait vraiment
No man really knows
Ce que vous voulez et comment
What you want and how
Le temps de vouloir vivre à deux
The time of wanting to live as two
Vous voilà déjà reparties
You're already gone
Le temps d'avoir ce que l'on veut
The time to have what we want
On n'en a déjà plus envie
We don't want it anymore
Où sont donc les femmes d'avant
Where are the women of before
Celles qui nous laissaient le temps
Those who gave us time
De leur faire un moment la cour
To court them for a while
Avant de leur faire l'amour
Before making love to them
Femmes, femmes, femmes, femmes, femmes
Women, women, women, women, women
Oh, femmes, je vous aime
Oh, women, I love you
Lyrics © SM PUBLISHING FRANCE, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Anne-Marie Gaspard, Bernard Estardy, Claude Barzotti
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind