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).
Odette
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Entre ses doigts ardents il recueillait ta tête
Attirant vers ses yeux ton regard inondant
Toujours luisaient en lui ce front, ce grain, ces lèvres
Doucement ciselés par une chair orfèvre
Où rayonnait soudain le diadème des dents
Il croyait ce bébé bientôt quadragénaire
Qu'un mot d'ordre des nuits, une loi planétaire
Et brûlant dans tes bras adorables brasiers
Il baisait le cœur du mystère.
À minuit dans un bar, oasis de ses dunes
Il avait ressenti comme un rayon de lune
Se poser sur son front tatoué de tourments
Cherchant d'où lui venait la curieuse caresse
Derrière le piano où jouait Aron Bridgers
Il avait vu la femme au visage éléphant
Au whisky il n'est rien qui soit inconcevable
D'un geste encore sûr, s'asseyant à sa table
Il demanda abrupt : " Est ce que je suis beau ? "
La beauté, la laideur formaient ses grands bobos
Et le temps renversa son sable.
Issue d'un Orient aux clartés fabuleuses
Dans nos quartiers latins tu te sentais frileuse
Parfois l'homme possède une bonne chaleur
Dans sa chambre ce fut ta première venue
Et la glace éclairée admira l'inconnue
Et les draps de son lit hissèrent tes couleurs
Il y eut d'autres nuits et d'autres jours qui passent
Les âges discordants, l'étrangeté des races
Ne t'empêchèrent pas étudiante d'aimer
Ce petit homme noir par ta voix désarmé
Et trouvant sous ta main sa place.
Avec son air verni arriva le mariage
Car il faut qu'un matin les amants s'engrillagent
Dans un duo certain de s'enlacer au temps
Une tête assoiffée remplaça l'autre tête
Plus lourde qu'allégée par un travail poète
Et la porte eut le bruit qu'il faisait en sortant
Ton sommeil eut l'odeur de ses fuites nocturnes
Où pâlissait déjà le beau rayon de lune
Ton visage étoilé se ternit peu à peu
Puis il reflamboya déployant ses cheveux
Habité d'une autre fortune
L'homme crie longuement quand jalousie le tord
Il sanglote, il hurle que l'univers a tort
Il s'arrache le cœur, son cœur criblé de dettes
Il t'aimait
Il t'aimait
Odette
The lyrics of Claude Nougaro's song "Odette" describe a passionate and tumultuous love affair between the singer and a woman named Odette. The song paints a vivid picture of their relationship, filled with intense emotions and the inevitable challenges that come with love.
In the first verse, the singer describes Odette's beauty, comparing her black hair to crackling violets and praising her captivating gaze. He sees her as a work of art, with her perfectly crafted forehead, complexion, and lips, shining like a precious jewel. The singer believes that their lives crossed paths as though guided by destiny or a universal law, and he is deeply enamored by the mystery and allure of Odette.
The second verse shifts to a scene in a bar at midnight, where the singer feels a strange sensation on his troubled forehead. As he looks behind the piano, he sees a woman with an elephant-like face, which adds to the surreal atmosphere of the song. The singer, unshaken by this encounter, boldly asks if he is handsome. The themes of beauty and ugliness intertwine as he seeks validation and acceptance in a world where societal standards fluctuate. Time takes a toll on his self-esteem, and his perception of himself changes.
The third verse introduces Odette's background, describing her as coming from a fabulously bright East, but feeling somewhat cold in the Latin quarters of Paris. The singer acknowledges that sometimes a man can provide warmth and comfort, and their first encounter takes place in his room. Their love blossoms, defying the discord between their ages and races. Despite Odette being a student, it doesn't stop her from loving the singer, who is described as a small, black man disarmed by her voice. They find solace in each other's touch.
The fourth verse marks a significant change in their relationship as they enter into marriage. The singer suggests that it is inevitable for lovers to become imprisoned by commitment. A new head replaces the old one, perhaps indicating a shift in power dynamics or the fading of passion. The door closes with a sound, echoing the departure of the old love. Odette's sleep becomes tainted by the nocturnal escapades of her partner, and the radiant moonlight that once illuminated her face begins to fade. However, it rekindles itself, and her face regains its sparkle, now possessed by a different destiny.
The final lines of the song express the anguish and jealousy that overpower the singer. He screams and cries, convinced that the universe is wrong in its treatment of him. He rips apart his heart, burdened with debts, and laments the loss of Odette's love. The repetition of "Il t'aimait" (He loved you) emphasizes the intensity and weight of their love, even in the midst of heartbreak. The song ends with Odette's name, leaving the audience with a sense of the lasting impact this love story has had on the singer's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Par les lourds cheveux noirs crépitant de violettes
Through your thick, black hair crackling with violets
Entre ses doigts ardents il recueillait ta tête
Between his fiery fingers, he held your head
Attirant vers ses yeux ton regard inondant
Drawing your overflowing gaze towards his eyes
Toujours luisaient en lui ce front, ce grain, ces lèvres
His forehead, his complexion, his lips always shone within him
Doucement ciselés par une chair orfèvre
Gently carved by a masterful flesh
Où rayonnait soudain le diadème des dents
Where the tiara of teeth suddenly shone
Il croyait ce bébé bientôt quadragénaire
He believed this baby would soon be in their forties
Qu'un mot d'ordre des nuits, une loi planétaire
That a night's motto, a planetary law
Avaient croisé vos vies comme on tresse l'osier
Had intertwined your lives like weaving willows
Et brûlant dans tes bras adorables brasiers
And burning in your lovely arms like fires
Il baisait le cœur du mystère.
He kissed the heart of the mystery.
À minuit dans un bar, oasis de ses dunes
At midnight in a bar, oasis of his dunes
Il avait ressenti comme un rayon de lune
He had felt like a moonbeam
Se poser sur son front tatoué de tourments
Settling on his forehead marked by torments
Cherchant d'où lui venait la curieuse caresse
Wondering where the curious caress came from
Derrière le piano où jouait Aron Bridgers
Behind the piano played by Aron Bridgers
Il avait vu la femme au visage éléphant
He had seen the woman with the elephant face
Au whisky il n'est rien qui soit inconcevable
With whiskey, nothing is inconceivable
D'un geste encore sûr, s'asseyant à sa table
With a still confident gesture, sitting at his table
Il demanda abrupt : 'Est-ce que je suis beau ?'
He abruptly asked, 'Am I handsome?'
La beauté, la laideur formaient ses grands bobos
Beauty and ugliness formed his great wounds
Et le temps renversa son sable.
And time overturned his sand.
Issue d'un Orient aux clartés fabuleuses
Coming from an Orient with fabulous brightness
Dans nos quartiers latins tu te sentais frileuse
In our Latin neighborhoods, you felt chilly
Parfois l'homme possède une bonne chaleur
Sometimes a man possesses a good warmth
Dans sa chambre ce fut ta première venue
In his room, it was your first visit
Et la glace éclairée admira l'inconnue
And the illuminated mirror admired the unknown
Et les draps de son lit hissèrent tes couleurs
And the sheets of his bed raised your colors
Il y eut d'autres nuits et d'autres jours qui passent
There were other nights and passing days
Les âges discordants, l'étrangeté des races
The discordant ages, the strangeness of races
Ne t'empêchèrent pas étudiante d'aimer
Did not prevent you, as a student, from loving
Ce petit homme noir par ta voix désarmé
This little black man disarmed by your voice
Et trouvant sous ta main sa place.
And finding his place under your hand.
Avec son air verni arriva le mariage
With its polished air, marriage arrived
Car il faut qu'un matin les amants s'engrillagent
Because one morning lovers must be caged
Dans un duo certain de s'enlacer au temps
In a certain duet intertwining with time
Une tête assoiffée remplaça l'autre tête
A thirsty head replaced the other head
Plus lourde qu'allégée par un travail poète
Heavier than lightened by poetic work
Et la porte eut le bruit qu'il faisait en sortant
And the door made the noise it made when he left
Ton sommeil eut l'odeur de ses fuites nocturnes
Your sleep had the smell of his nocturnal escapes
Où pâlissait déjà le beau rayon de lune
Where the beautiful moonbeam was already fading
Ton visage étoilé se ternit peu à peu
Your starry face gradually dulled
Puis il reflamboya déployant ses cheveux
Then it flared up, unfolding its hair
Habité d'une autre fortune
Inhabited by another fortune
L'homme crie longuement quand la jalousie le tord
The man screams when jealousy twists him
Il sanglote, il hurle que l'univers a tort
He sobs, he screams that the universe is wrong
Il s'arrache le cœur, son cœur criblé de dettes
He tears out his heart, his heart riddled with debts
Il t'aimait
He loved you
Il t'aimait
He loved you
Odette
Odette
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: Maurice VANDER, Claude NOUGARO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind