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).
Cadencé
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ô toi ma famille humaine
Je voudrais swinguer jusqu\'à demain
Je voudrais te faire danser
Sur la prière cadencée
Qui s\'élève de tes chaudes mains
Eh bien pourquoi pas c\'est parti
On va se payer une partie
Avec l\'homme, le petit homme noir
Qui a tellement besoin de chaleur
De nuits blanches de toutes les couleurs
C\'est parti tout est relancé
Maintenant on ne va penser
Qu\'à danser qu\'à danser qu\'à danser
Qu\'à danser qu\'à danser qu\'à danser
Qu\'à danser jusqu\'à demain
Pour que s\'ouvrent les chemins
D\'une planète en peau de tam tam
Qu\'à danser pour faire éclore
Sur la tige de nos corps
La corolle éternelle de notre âme
Eh bien pourquoi pas allons y
Ça manque un peu de frénésie
De mécanique ondulatoire
Avec l\'homme, le petit homme noir
Qui a tellement besoin de chaleur
De nuits blanches de toutes les couleurs
C\'est parti tout est relancé
Maintenant on ne va penser
Qu\'à danser qu\'à danser qu\'à danser
Qu\'à danser qu\'à danser qu\'à danser
Allez tout le monde debout
Les filles montrez moi un bout
De vos chorégraphies spontanées
Les lève tôt et les couche tard
Brandissons les étendards
Des lendemains qui dansent toute la journée
Cadencés, cadencés, cadencés
The song Cadencé by Claude Nougaro is a call to all humans to come together and dance in unity. The opening lines talk about the joy of clapping hands and how it unites us all as a family of human beings. The desire to swing and dance until tomorrow reflects the need for joy and unity in our lives. The prayerful cadence that rises from our warm hands is a symbol of our collective energy and vitality.
Nougaro talks about the little black man who needs warmth and all the colors of the night. He is reminding us that we must dance together, regardless of our color, race, or background. We must dance until the paths of the planet open up to us, and the eternal soul of our being blossoms like a corolla. He is urging everyone to come together and show their dance moves, and let it be a celebration of the joy of being alive.
The song's message is simple yet powerful, calling on people to come together and experience the joy of dancing. It emphasizes the need to unite despite our differences and celebrate our humanity. With its lively beat and catchy tune, Cadencé is a song that continues to inspire people many years after it was first released.
Line by Line Meaning
Quand tu frappes dans tes mains
When you clap your hands
Ô toi ma famille humaine
Oh you, my human family
Je voudrais swinguer jusqu'à demain
I want to swing until tomorrow
Je voudrais te faire danser
I want to make you dance
Sur la prière cadencée
To the rhythmic prayer
Qui s'élève de tes chaudes mains
That rises from your warm hands
Eh bien pourquoi pas c'est parti
Well, why not, let's go
On va se payer une partie
We'll have a good time
Une bonne partie d'balançoire
A good swing party
Avec l'homme, le petit homme noir
With the man, the little black man
Qui a tellement besoin de chaleur
Who needs warmth so much
De nuits blanches de toutes les couleurs
Of sleepless nights of all colors
C'est parti tout est relancé
Here we go, everything is restarted
Maintenant on ne va penser
Now we're not going to think
Qu'à danser qu'à danser qu'à danser
Just dance, just dance, just dance
Qu'à danser jusqu'à demain
Just dance until tomorrow
Pour que s'ouvrent les chemins
So that the paths open
D'une planète en peau de tam tam
Of a planet in drum skin
Qu'à danser pour faire éclore
Just dance to make bloom
Sur la tige de nos corps
On the stem of our bodies
La corolle éternelle de notre âme
The eternal corolla of our soul
Eh bien pourquoi pas allons y
Well, why not, let's go
Ça manque un peu de frénésie
It lacks a bit of frenzy
De mécanique ondulatoire
Of wave mechanics
Les filles montrez moi un bout
Girls, show me a bit
De vos chorégraphies spontanées
Of your spontaneous choreographies
Les lève tôt et les couche tard
The early risers and the night owls
Brandissons les étendards
Let's raise the banners
Des lendemains qui dansent toute la journée
Of tomorrows that dance all day long
Cadencés, cadencés, cadencés
Rhythmic, rhythmic, rhythmic
Lyrics © LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: André CECCARELLI, Richard GALLIANO, Claude NOUGARO, Bernard ARCADIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind