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).
Bidonville
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Elle s'appelle Bidon
Bidon, Bidon, Bidonville
Vivre là-dedans, c'est coton
Les filles qui ont la peau douce
La vendent pour manger
Dans les chambres, l'herbe pousse
Pour y dormir, faut se pousser
C'est une boîte de sardines, Bidon
Donne-moi ta main, camarade
Toi qui viens d'un pays
Où les hommes sont beaux
Donne-moi ta main, camarade
J'ai cinq doigts, moi aussi
On peut se croire égaux
Regarde là, ma ville
Elle s'appelle Bidon
Bidon, Bidon, Bidonville
Me tailler d'ici, à quoi bon?
Pourquoi veux-tu que je me perde
Dans tes cités? À quoi ça sert?
Je verrais toujours de la merde
Même dans le bleu de la mer
Je dormirais sur des millions
Je reverrais toujours, toujours Bidon
Donne-moi ta main, camarade
Toi qui viens d'un pays
Où les hommes sont beaux
Donne-moi ta main, camarade
J'ai cinq doigts, moi aussi
On peut se croire égaux
Serre-moi la main, camarade
Je te dis "au revoir"
Je te dis "à bientôt"
Bientôt, bientôt
On pourra se parler, camarade
Bientôt, bientôt
On pourra s'embrasser, camarade
Bientôt, bientôt
Les oiseaux, les jardins, les cascades
Bientôt, bientôt
Le soleil dansera, camarade
Bientôt, bientôt
Je t'attends, je t'attends, camarade!
The song "Bidonville" by Claude Nougaro paints a picture of poverty, hopelessness and despair in the slums. The lyrics are a testimony of the harsh living conditions in a slum called Bidon. The repetition of the word Bidonville in the chorus shows the desperation and the lack of identity in the residents of the slum. There is a feeling of hopelessness and resignation as the singer declares there is no point of leaving the slum because they will still see the same misery even in a different place. The song shows the cultural and social differences between the two worlds as the singer invites his companion from a different country to join him in solidarity, even though they come from different worlds, they are still humans and can remain equal.
Nougaro paints a vivid picture of the situation in Bidon through his lyrics. The girls in the slums sell their bodies to get food; the houses are overcrowded to the point that you have to push people to be able to get some sleep. The children play, but instead of a ball, they use a can of sardines. The lyrics also show the powerlessness of the people in the slum to affect any change in their lives. The slum is a prison so well constructed and tight-knit that leaving seems like an unattainable dream. The lyrics of Bidonville give a voice to the voiceless and tells the story of a community that needs help.
Line by Line Meaning
Regarde là, ma ville
Look there, my city
Elle s'appelle Bidon
It's called Bidon
Bidon, Bidon, Bidonville
Bidon, Bidon, Bidonville
Vivre là-dedans, c'est coton
Living inside there is tough
Les filles qui ont la peau douce
The girls who have soft skin
La vendent pour manger
Sell it to eat
Dans les chambres, l'herbe pousse
Grass grows in the rooms
Pour y dormir, faut se pousser
You have to push to sleep there
Les gosses jouent, mais le ballon
The kids play, but the ball
C'est une boîte de sardines, Bidon
It's like a can of sardines, Bidon
Donne-moi ta main, camarade
Give me your hand, comrade
Toi qui viens d'un pays
You who come from a country
Où les hommes sont beaux
Where men are handsome
J'ai cinq doigts, moi aussi
I have five fingers too
On peut se croire égaux
We can believe we're equals
Me tailler d'ici, à quoi bon?
Why bother leaving here?
Pourquoi veux-tu que je me perde
Why do you want me to get lost
Dans tes cités? À quoi ça sert?
In your cities? What's the point?
Je verrais toujours de la merde
I'd always see garbage
Même dans le bleu de la mer
Even in the blue of the sea
Je dormirais sur des millions
I'd sleep on millions
Je reverrais toujours, toujours Bidon
I'd always see, see Bidon
Serre-moi la main, camarade
Hold my hand, comrade
Je te dis "au revoir"
I say goodbye to you
Je te dis "à bientôt"
I say see you soon
Bientôt, bientôt
Soon, soon
On pourra se parler, camarade
We'll be able to talk, comrade
On pourra s'embrasser, camarade
We'll be able to kiss, comrade
Les oiseaux, les jardins, les cascades
Birds, gardens, waterfalls
Le soleil dansera, camarade
The sun will dance, comrade
Je t'attends, je t'attends, camarade!
I'm waiting for you, I'm waiting for you, comrade!
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Salut Ô Éditions, SO2 Édition, Quatryo Éditions, O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Baden Powell De Aquino, Claude Nougaro, Ray Gilbert, Vinicius De Moraes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind