Claude Nougaro (September 9, 1929 Toulouse – March 4, 2004 Paris) was a Fre… Read Full Bio ↴Claude Nougaro (September 9, 1929 Toulouse – March 4, 2004 Paris) was a French songwriter and singer.

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).

L'Amour Sorcier
Claude Nougaro Lyrics

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Gué gué gué, je suis l'Amour Sorcier
Gué gué gué, ma tête est oiseau
Gué gué gué, je suis l'Amour Sorcier
Gué gué gué, mon corps est taureau

Gué gué gué, suis fait moitié-moitié
Gué gué gué, d'esprit et de peau
Gué gué gué, la terre c'est mes souliers

Gué gué gué, le ciel mon chapeau

Gué gué gué, mesdames et missiés
Gué gué gué, venez mes agneaux
Gué gué gué, je suis l'Amour Sorcier
Gué gué gué, j'ai ce qu'il vous faut

Gué gué gué, pour vous désaltérer
Gué gué gué, me ferai ruisseau
Gué gué gué, et je m'enflammerai
Gué gué gué, pour vous tenir chauds

Gué gué gué, je suis l'Amour Sorcier
Gué gué gué, ja tête est oiseau
Gué gué gué, je suis l'Amour Sorcier
Gué gué gué, mon corps est taureau

Venez à moi, venez par milliers
La terre et le ciel, on va les marier
Mais je vous fais peur et vous préférez
Lancer vos sagaies, lancer vos sagaies

Gué gué gué, j'ai un moral d'acier
Gué gué gué, je vous guérirai

Gué gué gué, mesdames et missiés
Vous verrez, l'amour c'est pas sorcier, oh

Overall Meaning

The song "L'Amour Sorcier" by Claude Nougaro speaks of love as a powerful force that can enchant and intoxicate people. The lyrics describe the singer as the "Sorcerer of Love," with a head of a bird and a body of a bull, who is composed of both spirit and flesh. The Sorcerer of Love invites people, particularly women, to come to him and drink from his river and to become warm from his fire. However, people are afraid of him, and instead of coming to him, they would rather launch their weapons at him. The singer reassures them that he has a strong will and will heal them, proving that love is not a difficult thing to achieve.

In essence, the song is a metaphor for the power of love. The Sorcerer of Love symbolizes love itself, which can be both intoxicating and scary. Love can give people the courage to face their fears, but it can also make people anxious and confused. Through the Sorcerer of Love, Nougaro expresses the transcendental and transformative power of love, which can heal all.

L'Amour SorcierClaude Nougaro Lyrics

L'Amour Sorcier
Claude Nougaro Lyrics