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).
Ma Femme
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et je l'aime
Mon charbon m'interdit sa luminosité
Et je l'aime
Elle est belle à pâlir et moi vous me voyez
Et je l'aime
Ses yeux sont un matin, la nuit m'a dévoyé
Et je l'aime, et je l'aime
Et ma cendre à l'envers reconstitue la flamme
Et je l'aime
Et mon cœur, vieux tocard, le voilà qui ramdame
Et je l'aime
Et j'entends une voix me crier : "C'est ta femme, ta femme" ...
L'humain je le crachais, elle est la fleur humaine
Et je l'aime
Je savais me haïr, elle exténue la haine
Et je l'aime
Je pelotais la mort, son ventre tend la vie
Et je l'aime
Je m'armais de mes larmes, désarmée elle rit
Et je l'aime, et je l'aime
Et je cours dans les rues bondissant hors des drames
Et je l'aime
Une brise inconnue me peuple d'oriflammes
Et je l'aime
Et j'entends cette voix affamée : "C'est ta femme, ta femme" ...
Rendez vous à huit heures, elle arrive à huit heures
Toc, toc, toc
En moi l'ancien Satan attend qu'elle me leurre...
Pas du tout
Je lui dis comme on dit, je lui dis mes problèmes
Et je l'aime
Je me peins tout bossu, roué sur la vie blême
Je te aime, je te aime
Je te aime depuis que je t'ai vue passer
Je te aime
Toi le bel avenir veux tu de mon passé
Je te aime
Mais je suis tout petit, ô maman, ô madame
Je vous aime
Mon âme tonne en moi que vous êtes ma femme
Que vous êtes ma femme
Elle même
In Claude Nougaro's song "Ma Femme," the lyrics describe the singer's deep and unconditional love for his wife. The song starts with the line "J'en suis à mon septembre, elle en est à son mai" which translates to "I am in my September, she is in her May." This metaphorical comparison suggests that the singer is at a later stage in life while his wife is still youthful and full of vitality. Despite the age difference, the singer expresses his love for her and finds her beautiful, even though his own flaws and struggles make him feel unworthy.
The singer continues to express his love for his wife, comparing her to a morning with her eyes and stating that his heart has been awakened by her. He also mentions that his "cendre à l'envers," or inverted ashes, are reigniting the flame of their love. This could imply that his past struggles and failures have been transformed into a renewed passion for life and love through his relationship with her.
The lyrics also touch on the singer's previous negative perceptions of humanity and himself. He confesses that he used to "crachais" or despise humans but his wife, whom he calls the "fleur humaine" or human flower, has softened his hatred. She brings tenderness and joy to his life, replacing his desire for death with a commitment to live. Instead of arming himself with tears, he finds disarmament and laughter in her.
Throughout the song, the singer's love for his wife is depicted as a transformative force. It has the power to heal wounds, rekindle passion, and uplift his spirit. The repetition of "Et je l'aime" emphasizes the depth and intensity of his love, while the repeated refrain of "C'est ta femme, ta femme" reinforces the importance of their bond.
Line by Line Meaning
J'en suis à mon septembre, elle en est à son mai
I am at the autumn of my life, while she is in the spring of hers
Mon charbon m'interdit sa luminosité
My darkness prevents me from appreciating her brightness
Elle est belle à pâlir et moi vous me voyez
She is so beautiful that it makes me pale in comparison
Ses yeux sont un matin, la nuit m'a dévoyé
Her eyes are like a morning sun, but darkness has corrupted me
Et ma cendre à l'envers reconstitue la flamme
Even my ashes can reignite the flame within me
Et mon cœur, vieux tocard, le voilà qui ramdame
And here is my heart, an old fool, gathering itself
Et j'entends une voix me crier : "C'est ta femme, ta femme" ...
And I hear a voice shouting at me: 'She is your woman, your woman'...
L'humain je le crachais, elle est la fleur humaine
I used to despise humanity, but she is the human flower
Je savais me haïr, elle exténue la haine
I knew how to hate myself, but she exhausts the hatred
Je pelotais la mort, son ventre tend la vie
I flirted with death, but her womb brings forth life
Je m'armais de mes larmes, désarmée elle rit
I armed myself with tears, but she disarms me with laughter
Et je cours dans les rues bondissant hors des drames
And I run through the streets, bouncing away from the dramas
Une brise inconnue me peuple d'oriflammes
An unknown breeze fills me with banners of joy
Et j'entends cette voix affamée : "C'est ta femme, ta femme" ...
And I hear this hungry voice saying: 'She is your woman, your woman'...
Rendez vous à huit heures, elle arrive à huit heures
Appointment at eight o'clock, she arrives at eight o'clock
Toc, toc, toc
Knock, knock, knock
En moi l'ancien Satan attend qu'elle me leurre...
Inside me, the former Satan waits for her to deceive me...
Pas du tout
Not at all
Je lui dis comme on dit, je lui dis mes problèmes
I tell her things as they are, I tell her about my problems
Je me peins tout bossu, roué sur la vie blême
I paint myself as hunchbacked, worn out by a bleak life
Je te aime, je te aime
I love you, I love you
Je te aime depuis que je t'ai vue passer
I have loved you since I saw you pass by
Toi le bel avenir veux tu de mon passé
You, the beautiful future, do you want my past?
Je te aime
I love you
Mais je suis tout petit, ô maman, ô madame
But I am so small, oh mother, oh lady
Je vous aime
I love you
Mon âme tonne en moi que vous êtes ma femme
My soul thunders inside me that you are my woman
Que vous êtes ma femme
That you are my woman
Elle même
She herself
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: Maurice VANDER, Claude NOUGARO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nico Nice
Que c'est bon Nougaro sur scène ! Dans une chanson rare aux belles harmonies jazz.
Béatrice Guichard
J'apprécie Nougaro qui a de belles chansons
Dimitris Span
CLAUDE NOUGARO FOREVER !!!
💖🌹
Laurent Roux
Né en 1962 .
Le 9 septembre.
La même année que Cécile...
Le même jour que claude...
Oh !!!!claude..
A toi là-haut. 🙏
Le Septembre a trouvé son ....Mai..🗽