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).
Cogne
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nos gamins qui boxent
Ont-ils tout vu vraiment
De la Century-Fox
Quand ils prennent les gants
Est-ce par amour des bosses
Ou par peur d’un accident
Cogne, cogne
Même si c’est le coeur qui cogne
Quand on a rien dans les pognes
C’est des coups de poings
Cogne, cogne
Ainsi va la vie qui cogne
Pousse nos coeurs et nous éborgne
Dans les cordes au loin
Seraient ils si méchants
Sans les cités nos mioches
Sans l’béton entêtant
Sans cet amour à la pioche
À quoi rêvent “ces enfants
Aux kalachnikoffs”
Que les balles soient à blanc
A moins d’une catastrophe......
The lyrics of Claude Nougaro's song "Cogne" delve into the world of boxing and reflect on the motivations behind the sport. The opening lines, "Ont-ils ça dans le sang, nos gamins qui boxent, ont-ils tout vu vraiment de la Century-Fox," pose the question of whether the young boxers have an inherent inclination towards the sport or if their interest is influenced by what they've seen on the silver screen. The reference to Century-Fox, a famous film production company, suggests that the allure of boxing could stem from its portrayal in movies.
As the lyrics continue, the focus turns to the boxers themselves. The question of why they put on the gloves is raised, wondering whether it is out of a love for the physical challenge or simply a fear of the potential consequences, symbolized by the phrase "par peur d'un accident, d'un coup de foudre, féroce" (fear of an accident, a fierce stroke of lightning). Despite the uncertainty surrounding their motivations, the chorus emphasizes the power and determination that boxing requires. "Cogne, cogne, même si c'est le coeur qui cogne" (Punch, punch, even if it's the heart that pounds) expresses the idea that one must persevere and fight, even if it feels like their heart is bound up in the action. The phrase "quand on a rien dans les pognes" (when you have nothing in your fists) suggests a sense of resilience and the need to fight despite the odds.
Later, the lyrics shift to contemplate the influence of the boxers' environment. The question is raised whether the young fighters would be so vicious if not for the tough communities they come from, without the unrelenting concrete surroundings represented by the phrase "sans les cités, sans l'béton entêtant" (without the neighborhoods, without the persistent concrete). The mention of the love expressed through hard work, represented by "cet amour à la pioche" (this love with a pickaxe), suggests that their harsh environment may foster aggression, but also instill a strong work ethic and passion.
Ultimately, "Cogne" explores the complexities of boxing, questioning the motivations behind it while acknowledging the resilience and determination required. It also delves into the influence of one's surroundings and the potential for aggression to be both a product of that environment and a means of survival.
Line by Line Meaning
Ont-ils ça dans le sang
Do they have it in their blood
Nos gamins qui boxent
Our kids who box
Ont-ils tout vu vraiment
Have they really seen it all
De la Century-Fox
From the Century-Fox
Quand ils prennent les gants
When they put on the gloves
Est-ce par amour des bosses
Is it out of love for the bumps
Ou par peur d’un accident
Or out of fear of an accident
D’un coup de foudre, féroce
From a fierce lightning strike
Cogne, cogne
Hit, hit
Même si c’est le coeur qui cogne
Even if it's the heart that's pounding
Quand on a rien dans les pognes
When you have nothing in your fists
C’est des coups de poings
They are punches
Cogne, cogne
Hit, hit
Ainsi va la vie qui cogne
That's how life hits
Pousse nos coeurs et nous éborgne
Pushes our hearts and blinds us
Dans les cordes au loin
In the ropes far away
Seraient ils si méchants
Would they be so mean
Sans les cités nos mioches
Without the cities, our kids
Sans l’béton entêtant
Without the stubborn concrete
Sans cet amour à la pioche
Without this love with a pickaxe
À quoi rêvent “ces enfants
What do these children dream of
Aux kalachnikoffs”
About Kalashnikovs
Que les balles soient à blanc
That the bullets be blanks
A moins d’une catastrophe
Unless there's a catastrophe
Lyrics © BALANDRAS EDITIONS
Written by: Didier SUSTRAC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sin Palabras
M.A.G.N.I.F.I.Q.U.E ! ! ! 👏
Bravo Didier 👍 et merci Claude ❤.
Didier Sustrac - chaîne officielle
merci !
QuiQui Lamothe
Salut Didier! Je "tombe" sur cette vidéo, le passé ressurgit ;) Magnifique chanson, heureuse de ce beau parcours!
Didier Sustrac - chaîne officielle
💖
Eric Plat
Merci Didier pour ce bijou avec le grand Nougaro💖
Claudine Steen
Toute belle découverte que cette chanson interprétée par Claude Nougaro et Didier Sustrac..merci beaucoup..🌺🌼🌿🎶
et tout bel anniversaire à vous Monsieur Nougaro, en ce 9 septembre 2021..🌹🌿🎶
michel Garcia
Toujours un grand plaisir à écouter et ré écouter ... Avec tendresse et amitié
Michel
françoise royer
Le dernier disque de Nougaro et Didier Sustrac un de mes amis, j'adore !
Barbara Chefles
Juste écouter et savourer en rêvant 🌞
Didier Sustrac - chaîne officielle
🙏