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 paradis
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Te souviens tu du paradis ?
Un Dieu nous y gavait d'oranges et de cerises
Mais une pomme un jour provoqua son courroux
Et nous voilà dehors, sans même une valise
Sous l'orage et l'éclair, marchant droit devant nous
Te souviens tu du paradis ?
On cherchait un abri sous l'orage qui cogne
Le ciel pleuvait des larmes, tu pleurais de la pluie
Pas l'ombre d'un palais, pas même un hôtel borgne
Allons donc chez le diable ! Il n'était pas chez lui
Ô Ève, Ève, mon petit,
Te souviens tu du paradis ?
Des siècles ont passé et nous voici ce soir
Dans cette chambre obscure, sous un toit de Paris
Avec le paradis au fond de la mémoire
Et des disques de jazz, au pied de notre lit.
Ô Ève, Ève, mon petit,
Te souviens tu du paradis ?
Allons, viens près de moi, sans craindre de discorde
Le pommier de ton corps ne m'est plus interdit
Et si Dieu, de nouveau, défendait que j'y morde
Laisse moi le chasser de notre paradis...
The lyrics of Claude Nougaro's Le paradis take us on a journey from the paradise of Adam and Eve to a present-day bedroom in Paris. The song starts by addressing Eve, asking her if she remembers the paradise they once lived in. The earlier verses of the song describe their expulsion from Eden. They were lavished with oranges and cherries by God, but one day they committed the original sin of eating the forbidden apple causing their banishment from paradise. Now they find themselves outside without even a suitcase, walking in the thunder and lightning, seeking refuge. They end up at the devil's house but he is not there. These lines allude to the biblical story of Adam and Eve's banishment from the Garden of Eden following the original sin.
The later verses of the song bring us back to the present day, where centuries have passed, and the pair are in their Parisian apartment. There, in a dark room with jazz music playing, they are reminiscing about the paradise they once lived in. Claude Nougaro sings that even though they are no longer in paradise, they still have a piece of it in their memory. They invite each other back to enjoy one another's company, disregarding any potential consequences. They also hint at their willingness to reinstate the forbidden fruit into their lives, suggesting that they are not afraid of the consequences of tasting it once again.
Overall, the song takes us on an emotional journey from the beginning of humanity to the present day, reminding us of the simplicity and beauty of what we once had and what we could potentially have again.
Line by Line Meaning
Ô Ève, Ève, mon petit, Te souviens tu du paradis ?
The singer is asking Eve if she remembers the paradise they were once in
Un Dieu nous y gavait d'oranges et de cerises
In the paradise, God gave them plenty of oranges and cherries
Mais une pomme un jour provoqua son courroux
But one day, the anger of God was provoked by an apple
Et nous voilà dehors, sans même une valise, Sous l'orage et l'éclair, marchant droit devant nous
As a result, they were banished from paradise without any luggage, and had to walk aimlessly under a storm
On cherchait un abri sous l'orage qui cogne, Le ciel pleuvait des larmes, tu pleurais de la pluie, Pas l'ombre d'un palais, pas même un hôtel borgne, Allons donc chez le diable ! Il n'était pas chez lui
They searched for shelter under the pouring rain but couldn't find any, so they decided to try the devil's, but he was not there either
Des siècles ont passé et nous voici ce soir, Dans cette chambre obscure, sous un toit de Paris, Avec le paradis au fond de la mémoire, Et des disques de jazz, au pied de notre lit.
Centuries have passed since then, and now they find themselves in a dark room under the Parisian roof, with the memories of paradise and jazz records by their bed
Allons, viens près de moi, sans craindre de discorde, Le pommier de ton corps ne m'est plus interdit, Et si Dieu, de nouveau, défendait que j'y morde, Laisse moi le chasser de notre paradis...
The singer invites Eve to come close to him, and assures her that he won't be punished for tasting the forbidden apple again. He suggests that they make their own paradise, even if God disagrees.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: Claude NOUGARO, Michel LEGRAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sophie Lemaire
Quelle admirable chanson (paroles et musique), même si théologiquement on pourrait la contester...
Eric Taieb
Trop belle chanson !!
Keep calm and have fun
rrrrrr, la voix de cet homme ! rrrrrrr, l'orrrgue de ces années là ! j'en rrrronrrrronne encore, moi qui n'était pas née, mais en suis imprrrégnée...!
Stephanie Doyon
...mais une pomme un jour provoqua son courroux (Sa peine).
Eric Taieb
Non ... Sa colère !!