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).
Toi là-haut
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Moi parfois pas beaucoup.
Mais mon père y croyait alors comme mon père est mort, je prie mon père ...
Toi là-haut mon père qui est aux cieux,
Moi tout bas à genoux sur un prie dieu
Je te vois, j'entend toujours ta voix
Toi là-haut et moi tout bas on ne se quitte pas.
Toi là-haut bontée sans mélange
Barython d'un opéra d'ange
Moi ton fils dans cette vie sans toi
Toi là-haut et moi tout bas on s'aimera Papa
On s'aimera ... Papa.
The lyrics of the song "Toi là-haut" by Claude Nougaro revolve around the idea of belief in God and how it affects one's relationship with their deceased loved ones. The first verse asks the question of whether or not the listener believes in God, to which the singer admits that they sometimes struggle to believe. However, the second line reveals that the singer's father did believe, and since his father has passed away, the singer prays to him instead.
The chorus then addresses the singer's father, who is believed to be in heaven. The singer is on their knees, praying to their father as if he were God. They can see him and hear his voice, even though he is not physically present. The last two lines of the chorus reveal that the singer and their father will always be connected, even though they are physically separated.
The final verse is a reflection on the singer's relationship with their father. They describe their father as pure goodness, like a baritone in an angelic opera. Even though their father is not present in their current life, the singer still loves him deeply and believes that they will always love each other.
Overall, the song speaks to the malleability of faith and the power of love to connect us even after death. The singer's lack of belief in God does not negate their belief in their father's continued presence and influence in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Le bon dieu... vous y croyez vous ?
Do you believe in God? I sometimes don't believe much. But since my father believed in Him, I pray to my father...
Toi là-haut mon père qui est aux cieux,
You, my father who is in heaven, I am down here on my knees praying. I can see you and I can still hear your voice. You're up there and I'm down here, but we don't leave each other.
Moi tout bas à genoux sur un prie dieu
I am down on my knees, praying at a prie-dieu.
Je te vois, j'entend toujours ta voix
I see you, and I always hear your voice.
Toi là-haut et moi tout bas on ne se quitte pas.
You are up there, and I am down here, but we will never leave each other.
Toi là-haut bontée sans mélange
You are up there, pure goodness without any mixture.
Barython d'un opéra d'ange
You are the baritone of an angelic opera.
Moi ton fils dans cette vie sans toi
I am your son, living this life without you.
Toi là-haut et moi tout bas on s'aimera Papa
You are up there, and I am down here, but we still love each other, Papa. We will always love each other.
On s'aimera ... Papa.
We will love each other, Papa.
Contributed by Colin F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.