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).
Le Piano de mauvaise vie «Jeru»
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
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Bring all of your fam'ly and I will bring mine
If I should bring my brothers, and you bring the others
Then I can sing a song like Jeru, just for you
Just for all the lovely people that you see in the road
We'll sing them a song in Jeruvian mode
If I can have a pref'rence, I'll even make ref'rence
Then if you'd be kind enough to tell me why you
write these extended bridges
can it be romance that always
haunts me in my reverie?
So why not come on over 'bout a quarter to eight
If you can come early I'll never be late
And now you're all invited, I hope you're delighted
To sing a little song like Jeru, just for you
just for me too
Gather around, tale to be told
Maybe it's new, maybe it's old, listen my friend
Blowin' away, doin' alright
Plain' all day, workin' all night, listen again
Movin' along, coverin' ground
Singin' the song, lovin' the sound, listen and then
blow together birds of a feather
Out playin' the blues and "I Got Rhythm"
All at once a moment came without a warning
Got so hot we had to cool it
Go for glory, tell you the story
Out payin' our dues until we found we were
assisting at an unexpected borning
'twas the birth of the Cool
So now I can tell you why I'm always
Trying to tell you, listen, come with me,
New York, and we're together in my reverie
So why don't you come over 'bout a quarter to two
Forget all the others, just me and just you
And while we're versifying
We'd better start trying
To write another song just for me
Just for you, one more Jeru
The lyrics of Claude Nougaro's song Le Piano de mauvaise vie "Jeru" is a mix of inviting someone to come over and sing a song together while also exploring the songwriter's motivation for writing extended bridges in his compositions. The song starts with an invitation to the singer's friend and family to come over at a specific time to sing a song in Jeruvian mode. The composer promises to sing a song for all the lovely people in the road, and if he can have a preference, he would even reference why he writes a song like Jeru just for them. It is evident from the lyrics that the songwriter is passionate about creating music and is happy to share it with the people he cares about.
The second part of the lyrics takes a different turn, talking about a tale to tell and going with the flow, blowing away, playing all day, and working all night. They sing about moving along, covering the ground, singing the song, and loving the sound, and then blowing together like birds of a feather with "I Got Rhythm" and the blues. The song then talks about a moment of unexpected borning, the birth of the Cool, and calls to go for glory and tell the story. They end the song with an invitation to come over at a specific time to write another song together, just for the two of them.
Line by Line Meaning
Why don't you come over 'bout a quarter to nine
Would you mind coming over around 8:45 pm?
Bring all of your fam'ly and I will bring mine
Would it be possible for you to bring your family when you come, and I'll bring mine as well?
If I should bring my brothers, and you bring the others
In case I bring my siblings, and you bring any other people,
Then I can sing a song like Jeru, just for you
I would be able to sing a song like Jeru for you and everyone else there.
Just for all the lovely people that you see in the road
This song is dedicated to all the wonderful individuals that you see while walking around.
We'll sing them a song in Jeruvian mode
In the style of Jeru, we will sing a song for them.
If I can have a pref'rence, I'll even make ref'rence
With your permission, I'd like to make a reference.
To why you write a song like Jeru, just for you
I'll talk about why I wrote a song like Jeru just for you.
Then if you'd be kind enough to tell me why you
If you're willing, might you explain to me why you
write these extended bridges
Write such long musical bridges?
can it be romance that always
Is it possible that it is love that constantly
haunts me in my reverie?
Appears in my daydreams?
So why not come on over 'bout a quarter to eight
Would you please come around 7:45 pm instead?
If you can come early I'll never be late
If you could arrive sooner, I would not end up being late.
And now you're all invited, I hope you're delighted
You're all invited, and I hope you're thrilled.
To sing a little song like Jeru, just for you
We will perform a small piece in the style of Jeru, dedicated to you.
just for me too
And to me as well.
Gather around, tale to be told
Gather together, because there is a story to be shared.
Maybe it's new, maybe it's old, listen my friend
It might seem fresh or familiar, but either way, my friend, please listen.
Blowin' away, doin' alright
Playing music with ease, doing just fine.
Plain' all day, workin' all night, listen again
Playing music all day, working all night, I urge you to listen once more.
Movin' along, coverin' ground
Continuing forward, making progress.
Singin' the song, lovin' the sound, listen and then
Singing out loud, loving the beat, I prompt you once more to listen.
blow together birds of a feather
Let's unite, birds of a similar kind,
Out playin' the blues and "I Got Rhythm"
Playing jazz, including the blues and "I Got Rhythm"
All at once a moment came without a warning
Suddenly, a moment appeared without notice.
Got so hot we had to cool it
It became so intense, that we had to take a break.
Go for glory, tell you the story
Let's go for greatness and let me tell you the story.
Out payin' our dues until we found we were
Putting in hard work until we realized we were
assisting at an unexpected borning
Witnessing the birth of something unexpected.
'twas the birth of the Cool
"Twas the birth of the Cool."
So now I can tell you why I'm always
Hence, I can now explain why I'm constantly
Trying to tell you, listen, come with me,
Trying to convince you to come with me, to listen.
New York, and we're together in my reverie
New York, and we're together in my daydreams.
So why don't you come over 'bout a quarter to two
Would you be willing to come by around 1:45 pm?
Forget all the others, just me and just you
Let's disregard everyone else and focus on just the two of us.
And while we're versifying
While we're writing poems,
We'd better start trying
We need to begin making an effort
To write another song just for me
To create another tune just for me,
Just for you, one more Jeru
Dedicated to you, one more song in the style of Jeru.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GERRY MULLIGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind