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).
La Clé
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
Pourquoi la porte est-elle toujours bouclée ?
N'attendez pas que je sois décédé
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
La belle vie faut pas nous l'enterrer
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
La clé
La clé je l'ai cherchée partout, partout
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
Même sous mon paillasson quand j'étais soûl
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
Tant cherchée que j'en suis devenu fou
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
Fou c'est normal que je m'adresse à vous
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
La clé, la clé
La clé, la clé
Je n' suis pas un saint
Je n' suis pas un saint
Mais dites-moi qui l'est ?
Je n' suis pas tout encre
Je n' suis pas tout encre
Vous n'êtes pas tout lait
Si vous l'êtes lancez-moi la première pierre
Saint Pierre jetez-moi la pierre
Ou bien donnez-moi, donnez-moi la clé
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
La clé
La clé
La clé en anglais ça se dit "the key"
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
Et le baiser se traduit par "the kiss"
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
De la vérité serait-ce l'esquisse ?
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
Est-ce que la clé du monde est un baiser ?
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
La clé, la clé
La clé, la clé
The song "La Clé" by Claude Nougaro talks about the search for the key to life, symbolized by the key to a locked door. The singer of the song pleads with Saint Peter to give him the key before he dies, as he believes that life is too beautiful to be wasted. He talks about how he has searched for the key everywhere, even under his doormat when he was drunk. The search for the key has driven him to madness, which is why he finally turns to Saint Peter for help. The singer questions his own worthiness and compares his sins to that of others, but also challenges the notion of moral purity and asks who is truly without sin. The song ends on a philosophical note, as the singer ponders whether the key to the world is a kiss.
The lyrics of "La Clé" can be interpreted in different ways. Some may see it as a plea for a meaningful life, while others may view it as a reflection on mortality and the inevitability of death. The search for the key symbolizes the human desire for knowledge, happiness, and fulfillment, and the singer's plea to Saint Peter is a metaphor for seeking answers from a higher power. The song highlights the importance of living life to the fullest, as one never knows when it may come to an end.
Line by Line Meaning
Donnez-moi la clé, donnez-moi la clé
The singer asks Saint Peter to give him the key to enter heaven.
Saint Pierre donnez-moi la clé
The singer keeps asking Saint Peter for the key because the door to heaven is always locked.
Pourquoi la porte est-elle toujours bouclée ?
The singer wonders why the door to heaven is always locked.
N'attendez pas que je sois décédé
The artist urges Saint Peter to give him the key now, instead of waiting until he dies.
La belle vie faut pas nous l'enterrer
The artist believes that we should not bury the good life, but enjoy it fully.
La clé je l'ai cherchée partout, partout
The singer has searched for the key to heaven everywhere, even under his doormat when he was drunk.
Même sous mon paillasson quand j'étais soûl
The singer looked for the key even under his doormat when he was drunk.
Tant cherchée que j'en suis devenu fou
The artist has searched for the key for so long that he has become crazy.
Fou c'est normal que je m'adresse à vous
It's normal for the artist to address Saint Peter because he thinks he might be crazy.
Je n' suis pas un saint
The artist admits that he is not a saint.
Mais dites-moi qui l'est ?
The singer questions who is actually a saint.
Je n' suis pas tout encre
The artist is not perfect.
Vous n'êtes pas tout lait
The singer implies that Saint Peter is not perfect either.
Si vous l'êtes lancez-moi la première pierre
If Saint Peter is perfect, he can cast the first stone at the singer.
Saint Pierre jetez-moi la pierre
The singer challenges Saint Peter to cast the first stone.
Ou bien donnez-moi, donnez-moi la clé
The artist asks Saint Peter to give him the key to enter heaven.
La clé en anglais ça se dit "the key"
The artist mentions that the word for "la clé" in English is "the key".
Et le baiser se traduit par "the kiss"
The singer mentions that the word for "le baiser" in English is "the kiss".
De la vérité serait-ce l'esquisse ?
The singer wonders whether the key to the truth is the kiss.
Est-ce que la clé du monde est un baiser ?
The artist questions whether the key to the world is the kiss.
La clé, la clé
The artist keeps asking for the key to enter heaven.
La clé
The artist keeps asking for the key to enter heaven.
Contributed by Julia Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.