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).
Il y a avait une ville
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
J?y comprends rien
Y avait une ville
Et y a plus rien
Je m?souviens que j?marchais
Que j?marchais dans une rue
Au milieu d?la cohue
C?était plein de couleurs
De mouvements et de bruits
Une fille m?a souri
Et je m?souviens que j?la suivais?
Je la suivais
Sous le joyeux soleil de Mai
Chemin faisant j?imaginais
Un mot gentil pour l?aborder
Et puis voici
Que dans le ciel bleu de midi
De plus en plus fort j?entendis
Comme arrivant de l?infini
Ce drôle de bruit
Ce drôle de bruit
Je m?souviens que les gens
S?arrêtèrent de marcher
Et d?un air étonné
Tout le monde a levé le nez
Vers le ciel angélique
Couleur de paradis
D?ou sortait cette musique
Comme accordée sur l?infini?
C?était étrange?
Est-ce qu?il allait neiger des anges
Les gens guettaient dans un mélange
D?inquiétude et d?amusement?
Et brusquement,
Il y eut un éclair aveuglant
Et dans un souffle incandescent
Les murs se mirent à trembler
Qu?s?est-il-passé ?
J?y comprends rien
Y avait une ville
Et y a plus rien
Y a plus rien qu?un désert
De gravats de poussière
Qu?un silence à hurler
À la place ou il y avait
Une ville qui battait
Comme un c?ur prodigieux
Une fille dont les yeux
Etaient pleins du soleil de mai
Mon Dieu, mon Dieu
Faites que ce soit
Un mauvais rêve
Réveillez-moi
Réveillez-moi
Réveillez-moi
The song "Il y avait une ville" by Claude Nougaro is a powerful and emotional piece that reflects on the destruction and loss of a once vibrant city. The lyrics depict a narrator who reminisces about walking through the streets of the city in the midst of the bustling crowd and under the joyful May sun. The singer recalls following a girl who smiled at him, and as he continues to follow her, a strange noise grows louder and louder, seemingly coming from the infinite. The people around him stop and look towards the angelic blue sky, wondering what is happening. Suddenly, there is a blinding flash of light and the walls begin to tremble.
In the second part of the song, the singer is left bewildered and pained by the sight that now greets him. The vibrant city has been reduced to ruins and dust, leaving only a desolate silence. The once-beating heart of the city has vanished, along with the girl whose eyes were filled with the sun of May. The singer pleads with God, hoping that it is all just a bad dream and begs to be awakened.
The lyrics of "Il y avait une ville" convey a profound sense of loss and devastation caused by an unknown disaster. It serves as a metaphor for the impermanence of life and the sudden and inexplicable nature of tragedy. Through vivid imagery and poignant emotions, Claude Nougaro captures the essence of grief and longing, making the listener reflect on the fragility of existence.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: Benjamin WALTER, Claude NOUGARO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Xavier Prévost
Ce premier disque de Nougaro n'est pas du niveau des suivants, chez Philips, à partir de 1962. Mais il y avait déjà cette chanson, reprise plus tard. Heureux de retrouver sur le net ce tout premier disque, même s'il n'est pas du niveau des suivants. Merci à qui l'a mis en ligne !
Patrick de Beaussier
superbe, toute ma jeunesse !
tigreadroit
Cette version doit dater de 1958 je crois . Il était déjà vachement en avance le mec , et personne ne l'a jamais rattrapé . Un géant de la chanson française , un pur génie . Cela dit , je préfère la version de 1964 .
zetaleyne trompelamort
C'est vraiment ça !
Le premier slammer, le premier rappeur, bref un monument ❤❤
christiane lavigne
Moi j adore c est Les premiers enregistrement et compositions
Il ont fait cela avec Michel Legrand. Après il y à eu Le Cinéma Armstrong Une petite fille en pleur etc plus jazzy Ici il sont encore influencé par la guerre 40'45
à mon avis
Samba Dieng
Mon prof m'a montré cette musique
Lalola😇
Je n'aime pas...
roguilleaume
Ce n'est peut-être pas la meilleure version. Essayez celle-ci https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luiByXD05hA
L' orchestration, le rythme et l'interprétation y sont différents et confèrent au texte de Nougaro une bien plus grande puissance.