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).
Armstrong
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
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Je suis blanc de peau
Quand on veut chanter l'espoir
Quel manque de pot
Oui, j'ai beau voir le ciel, l'oiseau
Rien, rien, rien ne luit là-haut
Les anges zéro
Je suis blanc de peau
On voit toutes tes dents
Moi, je broie plutôt du noir
Du noir en dedans
Chante pour moi, louis, oh oui
Chante, chante, chante, ça tient chaud
J'ai froid, oh moi
Qui suis blanc de peau
Armstrong, la vie, quelle histoire?
C'est pas très marrant
Qu'on l'écrive blanc sur noir
Ou bien noir sur blanc
On voit surtout du rouge, du rouge
Sang, sang, sans trêve ni repos
Qu'on soit, ma foi
Noir ou blanc de peau
Armstrong, un jour, tôt ou tard
On n'est que des os
Est-ce que les tiens seront noirs?
Ce serait rigolo
Allez louis, alléluia
Au-delà de nos oripeaux
Noir et blanc sont ressemblants
Comme deux gouttes d'eau
Armstrong, je ne suis pas noir
Je suis blanc de peau
Quand on veut chanter l'espoir
Quel manque de pot
Oui, j'ai beau voir le ciel, l'oiseau
Rien, rien, rien ne luit là-haut
Les anges... zéro
Je suis blanc de peau
Armstrong, tu te fends la poire
On voit toutes tes dents
Moi, je broie plutôt du noir
Du noir en dedans
Chante pour moi, louis, oh oui
Chante, chante, chante, ça tient chaud
J'ai froid, oh moi
Qui suis blanc de peau
Armstrong, la vie, quelle histoire?
C'est pas très marrant
Qu'on l'écrive blanc sur noir
Ou bien noir sur blanc
On voit surtout du rouge, du rouge
Sang, sang, sans trêve ni repos
Qu'on soit, ma foi
Noir ou blanc de peau
Armstrong, un jour, tôt ou tard
On n'est que des os
Est-ce que les tiens seront noirs?
Ce serait rigolo
Allez louis, alléluia
Au-delà de nos oripeaux
Noir et blanc sont ressemblants
Comme deux gouttes d'eau
The song "Armstrong" by Claude Nougaro captures the admiration of the singer towards Louis Armstrong. He acknowledges that he is white, while Armstrong was a black man, but as he sings of hope, he wonders with irony whether he has any luck because nothing he sees in the sky, like birds and angels, shines. He feels dark on the inside, while Armstrong is always smiling, showing off his white teeth. So he requests Armstrong to sing for him, and hopefully, his music will warm him up. He realizes that life is not always easy for anyone, no matter what color they are, and the only thing that we'll all have in common is that we'll all end up the same way, as bones.
Line by Line Meaning
Armstrong, je ne suis pas noir
I am not black like you, Armstrong
Je suis blanc de peau
I have white skin
Quand on veut chanter l'espoir
When we want to sing of hope
Quel manque de pot
What bad luck
Oui, j'ai beau voir le ciel, l'oiseau
Yes, I can see the sky, the bird
Rien, rien, rien ne luit là-haut
Nothing shines up there
Les anges zéro
The angels are nonexistent
Armstrong, tu te fends la poire
Armstrong, you are having a good laugh
On voit toutes tes dents
We can see all your teeth
Moi, je broie plutôt du noir
I am rather feeling down
Du noir en dedans
Darkness inside me
Chante pour moi, louis, oh oui
Sing for me, Louis, oh yes
Chante, chante, chante, ça tient chaud
Sing, sing, sing, it warms me up
J'ai froid, oh moi
I am cold
Qui suis blanc de peau
And I have white skin
Armstrong, la vie, quelle histoire?
Armstrong, what a story is life?
C'est pas très marrant
It's not very funny
Qu'on l'écrive blanc sur noir
Whether it's written black on white
Ou bien noir sur blanc
Or white on black
On voit surtout du rouge, du rouge
We mainly see red, red
Sang, sang, sans trêve ni repos
Blood, blood, without respite
Qu'on soit, ma foi
Whether we are,
Noir ou blanc de peau
Black or white-skinned
Armstrong, un jour, tôt ou tard
Armstrong, one day, sooner or later
On n'est que des os
We are only bones
Est-ce que les tiens seront noirs?
Will yours be black?
Ce serait rigolo
That would be funny
Allez louis, alléluia
Come on, Louis, Hallelujah
Au-delà de nos oripeaux
Beyond our disguises
Noir et blanc sont ressemblants
Black and white are similar
Comme deux gouttes d'eau
Like two drops of water
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Salut Ô Éditions, SO2 Édition, Quatryo Éditions, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: Maurice Vander, Claude Nougaro
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind