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).
Les P'Tits Bruns Et Les Grands Blonds
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quand ils sont entre garçons
Les p'tits bruns et les grands blonds
Rient comme des fous
Sont comme des frères
Mais quand se pointe un jupon
Les amitiés se défont
Les p'tits bruns et les grands blonds
Se font la guerre
Ils se disent en eux-mêmes
Dès qu'une beauté s'amène
Qui de nous prendra sa main
Le grand blond ou le petit brun
Le grand blond se rembrunit
Et le petit brun pâlit
Car ils se craignent chacun
Grand blond et petit brun
C'est très triste
Oui, très triste
Ce conflit qui éclate
Entre amis de naguère
Moi qui suis
C' que je suis
J' trouve que ça n' devrait pas être permis
Les p'tits bruns et les grands blonds
Quand ils sont entre garçons
Les p'tits bruns et les grands blonds
Rient comme des fous
Sont comme des frères
Mais quand se pointe un jupon
Les amitiés se défont
Les p'tits bruns et les grands blonds
Se font la gueule
Se font la guerre
Le blond se dit en lui-même:
"J' suis gagnant, y a pas d' problème
Car les filles c'est certain
Préfèrent les grands blonds aux p'tits bruns"
Tandis que le brun se dit:
"C'est d'accord je suis petit
Mais l'amour c'est mon rayon
Zéro pour les grands blonds"
Et y a toujours une blonde
Qui choisit le petit brun
Une brune dans le monde
Que l' blond aimera demain
Ainsi finit la triste guerre
Ils se retrouvent entre garçons
Rient comme des fous
Sont comme des frères
Les petits bruns et les grands blonds.
The lyrics of Claude Nougaro's song Les P'tits Bruns Et Les Grands Blonds addresses the dynamics between groups of friends and the complications that arise when romantic interests enter the picture. The song describes the camaraderie that exists between the "p'tits bruns" (small brunettes) and the "grands blonds" (tall blonds) when they are together as a group. They laugh and have fun and treat each other like brothers. However, when a woman enters the scene, things quickly turn sour. Friendships are broken, and the once-close group becomes divided.
The song portrays the insecurity that exists within young men when it comes to romance. Each of the "p'tits bruns" and "grands blonds" worries that they will not be chosen by the woman they desire. The "grands blonds" feel they have an advantage because they are tall and handsome, while the "p'tits bruns" believe their charm will win the day. They are both afraid of losing out to the other, and thus their friendships begin to crumble.
Nougaro's lyrics highlight how destructive jealousy and competition can be, particularly when they get in the way of friendship. The song also shows how silly and ultimately unimportant these conflicts can be when they are resolved. In the end, a woman chooses one of the "p'tits bruns," and the group resumes their friendship, as though nothing ever happened.
Line by Line Meaning
Les p'tits bruns et les grands blonds
This song talks about the friendship between short and tall boys
Quand ils sont entre garçons
When they are among themselves
Rient comme des fous
They laugh like crazy
Sont comme des frères
They are like brothers
Mais quand se pointe un jupon
But when a girl shows up
Les amitiés se défont
Friendships fall apart
Se font la gueule
They give each other the cold shoulder
Se font la guerre
They fight
Ils se disent en eux-mêmes
They think to themselves
Dès qu'une beauté s'amène
As soon as a beauty comes along
Qui de nous prendra sa main
Who will take her hand
Le grand blond ou le petit brun
The tall blonde or the short brunette
Le grand blond se rembrunit
The tall blonde gets sad
Et le petit brun pâlit
And the short brunette gets pale
Car ils se craignent chacun
Because they fear each other
C'est très triste
It's very sad
Oui, très triste
Yes, very sad
Ce conflit qui éclate
This conflict that erupts
Entre amis de naguère
Between friends from the past
Moi qui suis C' que je suis
As for me who I am
J' trouve que ça n' devrait pas être permis
I think it shouldn't be allowed
Le blond se dit en lui-même:
The blonde thinks to himself:
J' suis gagnant, y a pas d' problème
I'm the winner, no problem
Car les filles c'est certain
Because it's certain that girls
Préfèrent les grands blonds aux p'tits bruns
Prefer tall blondes to short brunettes
Tandis que le brun se dit:
Meanwhile, the brunette thinks:
C'est d'accord je suis petit
It's alright, I'm short
Mais l'amour c'est mon rayon
But love is my specialty
Zéro pour les grands blonds
Zero for tall blondes
Et y a toujours une blonde
And there's always a blonde
Qui choisit le petit brun
Who chooses the short brunette
Une brune dans le monde
A brown-haired girl in the world
Que l' blond aimera demain
That the blonde will love tomorrow
Ainsi finit la triste guerre
Thus ends the sad war
Ils se retrouvent entre garçons
They meet among themselves again
Rient comme des fous
They laugh like crazy
Sont comme des frères
They are like brothers
Les petits bruns et les grands blonds.
The short brunettes and tall blondes
Contributed by William D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Yanis Taleb
this is nice, Keep going!
I'm pianist and do some video too :)
ISABELLE COLL
Je vous aime M. Nougaro