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).
Don Quichotte Et Sancho
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mon dada, mon dada
Et l'utopie, c'est mon topo
Mon topo, mon topo
La poésie, c'est mon dada
Et l'utopie, mon topo, mon topo
On peut me traiter de fada
Ce sera toujours mon B.A.-ba
Ma devise, mon credo
La poésie, c'est mon dada
Et l'utopie, mon topo, mon topo
Don Quichotte qui chevauche sur son pâle palefroi
Et Sancho qui le suit en gardant son sang-froid
Chantent ça en duo, de moulin en château
Au p'tit trot des sabots
Et soudain, au galop, au galop, au galop
La poésie, c'est mon dada
Et l'utopie, c'est mon topo
La poésie, c'est mon dada
Et l'utopie, mon topo
Chantent Don Quichotte et Sancho
La poésie, c'est mon dada
Mon drapeau, mon barda
Et l'utopie, c'est mon topo
J'ai le rêve dans la peau
La poésie, c'est mon dada
Et l'utopie, mon topo, mon topo
Don Quichotte qui chevauche sur son pâle palefroi
Et Sancho qui le suit en gardant son sang-froid
Chantent ça en duo, pour les vaches, pour les veaux
Par les monts, par les vaux
Et encore au galop, au galop, au galop
La poésie, c'est mon dada
Et l'utopie, c'est mon topo
La poésie, c'est mon dada
Et l'utopie, mon topo
Chantent Don Quichotte et Sancho
Et l'utopie, mon topo
Chantent Don Quichotte et Sancho
The lyrics of Claude Nougaro's song "Don Quichotte Et Sancho" convey the poet's passion for poetry and his unwavering belief in utopian ideals. The repetition of phrases like "La poésie, c'est mon dada" (Poetry is my thing/hobby) and "Et l'utopie, c'est mon topo" (And utopia is my thing) emphasizes the central themes of the song.
Nougaro proudly declares that poetry is his passion, his dada. It is the essence of his being, his guiding principle. Similarly, utopia is his topography, his way of seeing and navigating the world. He embraces the notion that society may consider him strange or eccentric (referred to as "fada," "fêlé," and "marteau"), but he remains steadfast in his devotion to poetry and his pursuit of an idealistic world. He sees Don Quichotte and Sancho, the legendary characters from Miguel de Cervantes' novel, as symbols of this poetic and utopian journey. Don Quichotte, the idealistic knight, rides on his pale palefroi (pale horse) with Sancho, his loyal squire, by his side. Together, they traverse from windmill to castle in a rhythm described as the trot of the horses' hooves. The song culminates in a triumphant gallop, symbolizing the passion and energy inherent in both poetry and utopia.
Line by Line Meaning
La poésie, c'est mon dada
Poetry is my passion
Mon dada, mon dada
My beloved, my beloved
Et l'utopie, c'est mon topo
And utopia is my ideal
Mon topo, mon topo
My compass, my compass
On peut me traiter de fada
One can call me crazy
De fêlé, de marteau
Insane, mad
Ce sera toujours mon B.A.-ba
It will always be my basics
Ma devise, mon credo
My motto, my creed
Don Quichotte qui chevauche sur son pâle palefroi
Don Quixote riding on his pale steed
Et Sancho qui le suit en gardant son sang-froid
And Sancho who follows him, keeping his composure
Chantent ça en duo, de moulin en château
Sing this together, from windmill to castle
Au p'tit trot des sabots
To the gentle trot of hooves
Et soudain, au galop, au galop, au galop
And suddenly, at a gallop, at a gallop, at a gallop
Mon drapeau, mon barda
My flag, my gear
J'ai le rêve dans la peau
I have the dream in my heart
Pour les vaches, pour les veaux
For the cows, for the calves
Par les monts, par les vaux
Through the mountains, through the valleys
Et encore au galop, au galop, au galop
And still at a gallop, at a gallop, at a gallop
Et l'utopie, mon topo
And utopia, my compass
Chantent Don Quichotte et Sancho
Don Quixote and Sancho sing
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: Arnaud Dunoyer De Segonzac, Claude Nougaro
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind