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).
Eau Douce
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De cette rivière
Fofolle mais pas farouche
L'eau
Si fraîche et claire
Vous met l'eau à
La bouche
Là
En l'écoutant
Jazzer
En cascadant sur les pierres
Usées
Là
L'eau a l'odeur
L'odeur d'une eau
De vie
L'an
Guille, la grenouille
Se grisent
À l'envi
L'or de la journée
Fait miroiter
Les verts
Et quand on y plonge à bras
Ouverts
Ô
Quel coup de fouet divin
Au
Royaume des
Alevins
On s'y fond, on y
Ondule
En prenant garde à lâcher ses bulles
Naître
Tous les bébés vous le diront
C'est dur
Etre ou ne pas être
C'est une question obscure
Là
Dans cette eau vive
Quand on retrouve l'air libre
On sent que rien n'est
Plus beau
Que vivre
Las
Il faut quitter les lieux
L'eau
Devient de glace
Adieu
On
Remet les gaz
Voiture
On quitte les eaux douces pour les hommes
Durs
L'eau de cette rivière
Fofolle mais pas
Farouche
L'eau
Si fraîche est claire
Vous met l'eau à
La bouche
Là
On peut s'asseoir
En l'écoutant
Jazzer
En cascadant sur les pierres
Usées.
The lyrics of Claude Nougaro's song Eau Douce are a beautiful tribute to the power and beauty of nature, specifically in relation to a river that flows through the area. The lyrics describe the water as 'fofolle', meaning crazy or wild but not dangerous, and 'si fraîche et claire', which means so fresh and clear. The water is said to make one's mouth water, as it is so appealing and attractive. The singer describes sitting by the river and listening to the water and its music, which is jazz-like and cascades over the old stones in the riverbed.
The singer notes that the water has a scent, the smell of life itself, which is appealing to all creatures great and small. The reference to Guille, the frog, getting intoxicated on the water highlights the addictive nature of this life-giving resource. The song further describes the beauty of the river and its inhabitants, including the baby fish that are born into this natural wonderland. The chorus advises the listener to enjoy life and all of its beauty while they can, as they will eventually have to leave and go back to the harder world of men. In conclusion, the song celebrates the simplicity and beauty of nature and how it allows us to escape for a time, giving us a much-needed break from reality.
Line by Line Meaning
L'eau
Water
De cette rivière
Of this river
Fofolle mais pas farouche
Crazy but not wild
L'eau
Water
Si fraîche et claire
So fresh and clear
Vous met l'eau à
La bouche
Makes your mouth water
Là
Here
On peut s'asseoir
We can sit
En l'écoutant Jazzer
Listening to jazz
En cascadant sur les pierres usées
Cascading on worn stones
Là
Here
L'eau a l'odeur
Water has the smell
L'odeur d'une eau De vie
The smell of water of life
L'an
The year
Guille, la grenouille
Guille, the frog
Se grisent À l'envi
Gets drunk at leisure
L'or de la journée Fait miroiter Les verts
The gold of the day makes the green shine
Et quand on y plonge à bras Ouverts
And when you plunge with open arms
Ô Quel coup de fouet divin
Oh, what a divine boost
Au Royaume des Alevins
In the kingdom of fry
On s'y fond, on y Ondule
We blend in, we ripple
En prenant garde à lâcher ses bulles
Being careful not to release bubbles
Naître Tous les bébés vous le diront
All babies will tell you
C'est dur Etre ou ne pas être
It's hard to be or not to be
C'est une question obscure
It's an obscure question
Là Dans cette eau vive
Here in this lively water
Quand on retrouve l'air libre
When we find fresh air again
On sent que rien n'est Plus beau
We feel that nothing is more beautiful
Que vivre
Than living
Las Il faut quitter les lieux
Alas, we must leave
L'eau Devient de glace Adieu
The water turns to ice. Goodbye
On Remet les gaz Voiture
We rev the car up
On quitte les eaux douces pour les hommes Durs
We leave the fresh water for tough men
L'eau de cette rivière
The water of this river
Fofolle mais pas Farouche
Crazy but not wild
L'eau Si fraîche est claire
The water is so fresh and clear
Vous met l'eau à La bouche
Makes your mouth water
Là On peut s'asseoir
Here we can sit
En l'écoutant Jazzer
Listening to jazz
En cascadant sur les pierres Usées
Cascading on worn stones
Contributed by Carter I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.