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).
Côte D'Azur
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ça ne m'a pas fait mal sur le coup
Une fille est sortie de ma côte d'Azur
Au mois d'août
Je n'eus qu'un peu de sable au bord de ma blessure
Quand elle fut devant moi à genoux
Profilée sur la mer et peignant sa chevelure
Aux anges de Cocteau elle avait pris des airs
Elle m'allait comme un gant, ça c'est sûr
Fontaine jaillissant au plus sec du désert
Une fille est sortie de ma côte d'Azur
Et depuis nous vivons dans un bloc de bleu pur
Étendus parallèles ou croisés
Sur la table il y a du poisson, des fruits mûrs
Du rosé
Aujourd'hui quoi de neuf, mes amis, pas grand chose
Madame prend son bain, elle est là
Quand le ciel n'est pas bleu alors c'est qu'il est rose
Et voilà
Ma chanson, il vaut mieux que je l'arrête ici
Ça devient monotone le bonheur
On en reparlera si l'azur s'obscurcit
Ce qui sent trop la fraîcheur sent déjà le roussi
The lyrics of Claude Nougaro's song "Côte D'Azur" tell a story of a girl who emerges from the French Riviera, or the "Côte d'Azur." The singer describes how this girl came into his life in August, and it didn't cause him any pain at first. He uses the metaphor of a wound, saying that all he had was a little sand on the edge of his injury when she appeared before him.
The girl is described as having taken on an angelic appearance, reminiscent of the characters in Jean Cocteau's works. She fit him perfectly, like a glove. She is compared to a fountain springing forth in the driest part of the desert, highlighting her refreshing and captivating nature.
The second stanza suggests that they now live together in a state of pure blue bliss. They lie parallel or intertwined, surrounded by fish, ripe fruits, and rosé wine. The peaceful and idyllic scene indicates a content and harmonious relationship.
However, the singer acknowledges that there is not much new to report in their lives. When the sky is not blue, it is rose-colored. This line suggests that even when things are not perfect, they find beauty and joy in the different shades and experiences that life presents.
The song concludes with the notion that the singer will stop singing here because happiness can become monotonous. But he hints that if the azure sky becomes dim, they will revisit the song's theme. The final line suggests that something that appears too fresh and full of life may already be on the verge of decline.
Line by Line Meaning
Une fille est sortie de ma côte d'Azur
A girl emerged from my Côte d'Azur
Ça ne m'a pas fait mal sur le coup
At first, it didn't hurt me
Une fille est sortie de ma côte d'Azur
A girl emerged from my Côte d'Azur
Au mois d'août
In the month of August
Je n'eus qu'un peu de sable au bord de ma blessure
I only had a little sand at the edge of my wound
Quand elle fut devant moi à genoux
When she was in front of me on her knees
Profilée sur la mer et peignant sa chevelure
Outlined against the sea, brushing her hair
Dans son cou
On her neck
Aux anges de Cocteau elle avait pris des airs
She had taken on the airs of Cocteau's angels
Elle m'allait comme un gant, ça c'est sûr
She suited me perfectly, that's for sure
Fontaine jaillissant au plus sec du désert
Fountain springing from the driest desert
Une fille est sortie de ma côte d'Azur
A girl emerged from my Côte d'Azur
Et depuis nous vivons dans un bloc de bleu pur
And since then we have been living in a block of pure blue
Étendus parallèles ou croisés
Lying parallel or crossed
Sur la table il y a du poisson, des fruits mûrs
On the table there is fish, ripe fruits
Du rosé
Some rosé wine
Aujourd'hui quoi de neuf, mes amis, pas grand chose
Today, what's new, my friends, not much
Madame prend son bain, elle est là
Madame is taking her bath, she's there
Quand le ciel n'est pas bleu alors c'est qu'il est rose
When the sky is not blue, then it's pink
Et voilà
And there you have it
Ma chanson, il vaut mieux que je l'arrête ici
My song, it's better if I stop here
Ça devient monotone le bonheur
Happiness becomes monotonous
On en reparlera si l'azur s'obscurcit
We'll talk about it again if the azure darkens
Ce qui sent trop la fraîcheur sent déjà le roussi
What smells too fresh is already starting to wither
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: Maurice VANDERHAEGHEN, Claude NOUGARO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind