Son of an opera singer and an Italian piano teacher (Liette), he was raised by his grandparents in Toulouse, where he heard Glenn Miller, Édith Piaf and Louis Armstrong (among others) on the radio.
In 1947 he failed his baccalaureat and commenced a career in journalism, writing for various journals including Le Journal des Curistes at Vichy and L'Echo d'Alger. At the same time he wrote songs for Marcel Amont (Le barbier de Belleville, Le balayeur du roi) and Philippe Clay (Joseph, La sentinelle). He met Georges Brassens, who became his friend and mentor.
In 1949 he performed his military service in the foreign legion at Rabat, Morocco.
He sent his lyrics to Marguerite Monnot, Édith Piaf's songwriter, who put them to music. (Méphisto, Le Sentier de la guerre). He started to sing for a livelihood in 1959 in a Parisian cabaret in Montmartre, Le lapin agile.
In 1962, he decided to sing his works himself: Une petite fille and Cécile ma fille (dedicated to his daughter, born in 1962 to his wife Sylvie, whom he met at Le lapin agile). These songs made him immediately known to the larger public, which he had already started to penetrate by participating in the concerts of Dalida.
A car accident immobilised him for several months in 1963. The following year he travelled to Brazil, and sang in prestigious halls in Paris: the Olympia, the Palais, the Théâtre de la Ville.
Following the death of his friend Jacques Audiberti in 1965 he wrote, in homage, the song Chanson pour le maçon.
The events of May 1968 inspired him to the torrential Paris Mai, a plea for life, which would be banned from the airwaves. The same year he recorded his first live album at the Olympia: Une soirée avec Claude Nougaro.
His career continued normally punctuated with success: Le jazz et la java, Tu verras, Île de Ré, Armstrong, Toulouse, Petit taureau. But in 1984, his recording company did not renew his contract. Nougaro left for New York, seeking inspiration, and while there wrote and recorded a self-financed disc, Nougayork, whose resounding success was a surprise.
In 1988 Victoires de la musique rewarded him with best album and best artist, and between 1993 and 1997 he released three new albums.
His health deteriorated after 1995, when he underwent a heart operation. In 2003, his condition left him unable to appear at the festival du Verbe at Toulouse. From 1998 to 2004 he devoted himself more to concerts and festivals, apart from an album in aid of children suffering from AIDS. Having undergone further surgery in early 2004, he died of cancer in March, 74 years old.
His music drew inspiration, among other sources, from American jazz, from which he borrowed heavily (Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins), but also from Brazilian music (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Baden Powell de Aquino, Chico Buarque).
A Musset
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
-Pérés sont les chants
Les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés sont
Les chants les plus
Beaux les plus déses-
-Pérés sont les chants
Plus désespérés
Sont les chants les plus
Beaux, les plus déses-
-Pérés sont les
Chants, les plus beaux, les
Plus désespérés
Sont les chants, les
Plus beaux, les plus dé-
-Sespérés sont les chants
Les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés sont les
Chants les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés sont les chants
Les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés sont les chants les plus beaux
Les plus désespérés
Sont les chants les plus beaux
Les plus déses-
-Pérés sont les chants
Les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés
Sont les chants les plus beaux
Les plus désespérés
Sont les chants les plus
Beaux, les plus déses-
-Pérés sont les chants
Les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés sont
Les chants les plus beaux
These lyrics by Claude Nougaro in his song "A Musset" explore the idea that the most beautiful and powerful songs are often born out of deep despair and desperation.
The repetition of the phrase "Les plus beaux, les plus désespérés sont les chants" emphasizes this message. It suggests that the most heartfelt and emotionally charged songs are the ones that touch us the most deeply. By repeating this line throughout the song, Nougaro underscores the significance of this idea.
The use of repetition also serves to create a rhythm and musicality to the lyrics, mirroring the nature of songs themselves. It is as if the song itself is embodying the message it is conveying.
The short, fragmented lines further contribute to the intensity of the lyrics. They give the impression of fragmented thoughts or emotions, reflecting the tumultuous state of despair and longing that inspires such beautiful songs. The repetition of words like "désespérés" (desperate) and "chants" (songs) reinforces the idea that these elements are inextricably linked.
Overall, these lyrics suggest that art, specifically music, has the power to transform despair into something beautiful. By expressing our innermost emotions through song, we can find solace and connection. The more intense and desperate our emotions, the more potential there is for creating truly beautiful and impactful music.
Line by Line Meaning
Les plus déses-
-Pérés sont les chants
The most desperate songs are the most beautiful
Les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés sont
Les chants les plus
Beaux les plus déses-
-Pérés sont les chants
The most beautiful and desperate songs are the most beautiful
Les plus beaux, les
Plus désespérés
Sont les chants les plus
Beaux, les plus déses-
-Pérés sont les
Chants, les plus beaux, les
Plus désespérés
The most beautiful and most desperate songs are the most beautiful
Sont les chants, les
Plus beaux, les plus dé-
-Sespérés sont les chants
Les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés sont les
Chants les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés sont les chants
The most beautiful and most desperate songs are the most beautiful
Les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés sont les chants les plus beaux
The most beautiful and most desperate songs are the most beautiful
Les plus désespérés
Sont les chants les plus beaux
The most desperate songs are the most beautiful
Les plus déses-
-Pérés sont les chants
The most desperate songs are the most beautiful
Les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés
Sont les chants les plus beaux
The most beautiful and most desperate songs are the most beautiful
Les plus désespérés
Sont les chants les plus
Beaux, les plus déses-
-Pérés sont les chants
The most desperate songs are the most beautiful
Les plus beaux, les plus
Désespérés sont
Les chants les plus beaux
The most beautiful and most desperate songs are the most beautiful
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: Maurice Vander, Claude Nougaro, Alfred De Musset
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mimi Ourmi
cet hommage à Musset est une grande réussite . Merci Claude, tu nous manques
gluups
Merveille !
Anette Felix
A propos d'un poète algérien et d'un de ses admirateurs qui se pose l'éternelle question "Un poète peut-il mourir ?"
Non ! Un poète ne saurait mourir ! Peut-être d'ailleurs que quelques-uns s'en rendent compte... Avant...
Et pour certain.. cela donne "les chants désespérés sont les chants les plus beaux"... Et cela se poursuit... En purs sanglots...
ARTHUR Maïté Union nationale Gem France
petit toro tu me manques
Michel VARA
en pensant à jean-louis
Michel VARA
à Claire de TOULOUSE
Normance
Et orchestré apr J-C Vannier