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'Eglise
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
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Me voici tel que m'a créé
Je ne sais quel artiste au génie triste
Couché debout pauvre mortel
Me voici tel que je suis né
Sous le pinceau du grand Picasso de là haut
Holà mon pote, sors de l'église
Et loin de l'orgue, retrouve ton orgueil
Laisse tomber le vin de messe
Et laisse plutôt tomber ta main aux fesses
De la souris qui vient de te faire
de l'œil, de l'œil, de l'œi, lde l'œil
Mais la souris sourit aux anges
Et sous sa frange son front est pur
Et dans ses yeux rayonne tant d'azur
Qu'elle me plonge dans un dilemme
Et je ne sais plus si je l'emmène
Dans un hôtel ou bien alors devant l'autel
Holà mon pote sors de l'église
Tout ça mon pote c'est des bêtises
Sors de la chapelle et remets ton chapeau, ton chapeau
Il faut avoir les pieds sur terre
Les seins des filles c'est pas des saint Pierre
Et les cantiques, on gagne peu dans ce boulot
Boulot, boulot, boulot, boulot
Un peu de boue un bout de ciel
Me voici tel que m'a créé
Je ne sais quel artiste au génie triste
Couché debout, pauvre mortel
Me voici tel que je suis né
Sous le pinceau du grand Picasso de là-haut
de là-haut, ho ho ho!
Sors de l'église
Sors de l'église, de a montagne
Sors de l'église
Sors de l'église
Sors de l'église
Sors!
The lyrics of Claude Nougaro's song "L'Eglise" talk about the conflict between earthly desires and religious piety. The singer describes himself as a creation of a melancholic genius artist, possibly Picasso, with a mixture of mud and sky. He questions the purpose of his existence and the artist's intentions. However, he addresses his friend, urging him to leave the church, dismissing it as nonsense. He advises his friend to abandon religious rituals, such as drinking the sacramental wine and instead focus on asserting his pride. The singer humorously suggests that his friend should let go of his pious nature and give in to the advances of a flirtatious woman who has caught his attention. He emphasizes her purity, comparing her to an angel, and becomes torn between taking her to a hotel or marrying her in a church. The singer continues to mock the religious institution, urging his friend to leave the chapel and put his hat back on, suggesting that he should remain grounded in reality. He acknowledges the importance of earthly pleasures, like women's breasts, rather than devoting oneself to religious hymns, as they don't lead to financial success. The song concludes with the repetition of the opening lines, emphasizing the contrast between the mundane and the divine, and instructing the listener to leave the church.
Line by Line Meaning
Un peu de boue, un bout de ciel
A mixture of imperfections and aspirations
Me voici tel que m'a créé
Here I am, just as I was created
Je ne sais quel artiste au génie triste
I don't know which artist, with a melancholic genius
Couché debout pauvre mortel
Lying down or standing, poor mortal
Me voici tel que je suis né
Here I am, just as I was born
Sous le pinceau du grand Picasso de là haut
Under the brush of the great Picasso up there
Holà mon pote, sors de l'église
Hey, my friend, come out of the church
Tout ça mon pote c'est des bêtises
All that, my friend, is nonsense
Et loin de l'orgue, retrouve ton orgueil
And away from the organ, regain your pride
Laisse tomber le vin de messe
Forget about the sacramental wine
Et laisse plutôt tomber ta main aux fesses
And rather let go of your wandering hands
De la souris qui vient de te faire de l'œil
From the mouse that just flirted with you
Mais la souris sourit aux anges
But the mouse smiles to the angels
Et sous sa frange son front est pur
And beneath her bangs, her forehead is pure
Et dans ses yeux rayonne tant d'azur
And in her eyes radiates so much azure
Qu'elle me plonge dans un dilemme
That she plunges me into a dilemma
Et je ne sais plus si je l'emmène
And I no longer know if I take her
Dans un hôtel ou bien alors devant l'autel
To a hotel or perhaps to the altar
Sors de la chapelle et remets ton chapeau, ton chapeau
Come out of the chapel and put your hat back on, your hat
Il faut avoir les pieds sur terre
One must have their feet on the ground
Les seins des filles c'est pas des saint Pierre
Girls' breasts are not saintly
Et les cantiques, on gagne peu dans ce boulot
And you don't earn much with hymns in this job
Un peu de boue, un bout de ciel
A mixture of imperfections and aspirations
Me voici tel que m'a créé
Here I am, just as I was created
Je ne sais quel artiste au génie triste
I don't know which artist, with a melancholic genius
Couché debout, pauvre mortel
Lying down or standing, poor mortal
Me voici tel que je suis né
Here I am, just as I was born
Sous le pinceau du grand Picasso de là-haut
Under the brush of the great Picasso up there
Sors de l'église
Come out of the church
Sors de l'église, de la montagne
Come out of the church, from the mountain
Sors de l'église
Come out of the church
Sors de l'église
Come out of the church
Sors de l'église
Come out of the church
Sors!
Come out!
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: Claude Nougaro, Michel Legrand
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind