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).
Femme Orchestre
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
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Je veux jouer de toi, je t'apprendrai plus vite
Que j'appris le piano
Plus douces sont tes touches
Ma musique est dans ta bouche
J'ai le rythme dans ta peau
Je veux jouer de toi, ô femme instrumentale
Permets que je les touche
Tu me diras c'est beau
Ma musique est dans ta bouche
J'ai le rythme dans ta peau
Je veux jouer de toi, de tes cuisses de cuivre
De tes violons de soie, je désire poursuivre
Des études farouches
Sans jamais de repos
Ma musique est dans ta bouche
J'ai le rythme dans ta peau
Je veux trouver des sons sur toi, sous tous les angles
Maracas, percussions, ton délicieux triangle
Cet instrument fait mouche
Accordé au pipeau
Ma musique est dans ta bouche
J'ai le rythme dans ta peau
Enfin les grandes orgues s'élevant de ta gorge
Quand bouge ma baguette
Ô femme, femme orchestre !
Qu'elle soit violente ou douce
Clef de sol ou clef de dodo
Ma musique est dans ta bouche
J'ai le rythme dans ta peau
The lyrics of Claude Nougaro's "Femme Orchestre" depict a passionate and sensual relationship between the singer and a woman, using musical metaphors to describe their connection. The singer expresses his desire to play the woman like a musical instrument, stating that he will learn to play her faster than he learned to play the piano. He compares her to the soft keys of a piano and describes how his music is in her mouth and rhythm is in her skin.
The singer continues to express his desire to play the woman, referring to her as an instrumentalist. He wants to adjust the end of her cymbals with his fingers and asks for permission to touch them. He believes that she will tell him it's beautiful, as his music is in her mouth and his rhythm is in her skin.
The lyrics then take a more explicit turn as the singer expresses his desire to play her thighs like copper, her silk violins, and pursue passionate studies without any rest. He describes how his music is in her mouth and his rhythm is in her skin.
The singer further explores the woman's body as a source of musical sounds, wanting to find different sounds by exploring her from all angles. He mentions maracas, percussions, and her delicious triangle, indicating a desire to experiment with various musical elements. He believes that this instrument is perfectly tuned to his pipe, emphasizing a strong musical connection. His music is still in her mouth, and his rhythm is still in her skin.
In the final stanza, the lyrics reach a climax as the singer refers to the woman's throat as the grand organ that rises. When he moves his baton, the woman becomes an orchestra, both violent and gentle. Whether it is the key of G or the key of sleep, his music is still in her mouth, and his rhythm is still in her skin.
Overall, "Femme Orchestre" showcases Nougaro's poetic and metaphorical approach to describing an intense and passionate relationship, using musical elements to express the depth of the connection between the singer and the woman.
Line by Line Meaning
Je veux jouer de toi, ô femme chromatique
I want to play you, oh chromatic woman
Je veux jouer de toi, je t'apprendrai plus vite
I want to play you, I will teach you faster
Que j'appris le piano
Than I learned the piano
Plus douces sont tes touches
Sweeter are your keys
Ma musique est dans ta bouche
My music is in your mouth
J'ai le rythme dans ta peau
I have rhythm in your skin
Je veux jouer de toi, ô femme instrumentale
I want to play you, oh instrumental woman
Ajuster sous mes doigts le bout de tes cymbales
Adjust under my fingers the tip of your cymbals
Permets que je les touche
Allow me to touch them
Tu me diras c'est beau
You will tell me it's beautiful
Je veux jouer de toi, de tes cuisses de cuivre
I want to play you, with your copper thighs
De tes violons de soie, je désire poursuivre
With your silk violins, I desire to continue
Des études farouches
Fierce studies
Sans jamais de repos
Without ever resting
Je veux trouver des sons sur toi, sous tous les angles
I want to find sounds on you, from all angles
Maracas, percussions, ton délicieux triangle
Maracas, percussion, your delightful triangle
Cet instrument fait mouche
This instrument hits the target
Accordé au pipeau
In tune with the pipe
Enfin les grandes orgues s'élevant de ta gorge
Finally, the grand organs rising from your throat
Quand bouge ma baguette
When my wand moves
Ô femme, femme orchestre !
Oh woman, orchestra woman!
Qu'elle soit violente ou douce
Whether she be violent or gentle
Clef de sol ou clef de dodo
Treble clef or bass clef
Ma musique est dans ta bouche
My music is in your mouth
J'ai le rythme dans ta peau
I have rhythm in your skin
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: Maurice VANDER, Claude NOUGARO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind