Claude Nougaro (September 9, 1929 Toulouse – March 4, 2004 Paris) was a Fre… Read Full Bio ↴Claude Nougaro (September 9, 1929 Toulouse – March 4, 2004 Paris) was a French songwriter and singer.

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 anges
Claude Nougaro Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

À midi les anges mangent
Sur la nappe de l'azur
La resplendissante orange
Du soleil bien mûr
Quand le repas est fini
C'est la nuit, c'est la nuit

À minuit les anges lavent

Leurs grandes ailes dorées
À la fontaine suave
De la voie lactée
Quand le dernier sort du bain
C'est le matin, c'est le matin

Au printemps les anges volent
Comme de jolis papiers
En laissant leurs auréoles
Tomber à leurs pieds
Quand l'un d'eux vous vole autour
C'est l'amour, c'est l'amour

En hiver les anges bâillent
Et sommeillant à demi
Ils s'étendent sur la paille
Comme des brebis
Quand le plus bavard s'endort
C'est la mort, c'est la mort

Alors, alors
Nous devenons tous des anges
On se réveille à midi
Devant la superbe orange
Du soleil qui luit
Quand le bon Dieu nous sourit

C'est la vie, c'est la vie
C'est la vie, c'est la vie

Overall Meaning

The song "Les anges" by Claude Nougaro represents the different stages of life through the metaphor of angels. The lyrics suggest that angels have different rituals and practices that are analogous to human existence, and that we are all on a journey similar to theirs. The song begins by describing how the angels have their lunch in the azure sky, eating the ripe orange of the sun. After finishing their meal, they enter into the night, which is the end of the day.

The next verse focuses on the midnight activities of angels. They wash their large golden wings at the Milky Way's sweet fountain. When they are finished, they exit the bath and their day starts all over again. The third verse portrays the angels' activities during the spring season. They fly around like pretty pieces of paper, leaving their halos behind. If an angel comes around you, it means love is near.

The last verse depicts the wintertime customs of the angels. They get tired and, while sleeping, rest on the straw like sheep. After the most talkative one falls asleep, the others follow. Eventually, their slumber leads to death, which is the end of the cycle. In the end, the song concludes by affirming that in this journey of life, we all become angels. We wake up at noon, in front of the splendid sun, when the Lord is smiling, and it is life.

Line by Line Meaning

À midi les anges mangent
At noon, the angels eat

Sur la nappe de l'azur
On the azure tablecloth

La resplendissante orange
The resplendent orange

Du soleil bien mûr
Of the ripe sun

Quand le repas est fini
When the meal is over

C'est la nuit, c'est la nuit
It's night, it's night

À minuit les anges lavent
At midnight, the angels wash

Leurs grandes ailes dorées
Their big golden wings

À la fontaine suave
At the sweet fountain

De la voie lactée
Of the Milky Way

Quand le dernier sort du bain
When the last one gets out of the bath