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).
Toutes les musiques
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tous les poèmes qui sont encore dans les stylos
Toutes les chansons qui sont encore dans l'air, dans l'eau
Je les entends déjà chanter dans le silence
Quand s'avance
Venant vers moi mon bel amour qui me sourit
Alors j'entends par-delà les jours et les nuits
Chanter, chanter le monde
À l'infini
Chaque bonheur a son clavier
Chaque ciel bleu son encrier
Chacun de nous a son poète
Qui aujourd'hui ou bien demain
L'enfermera dans un refrain
Toutes les musiques qui sont encore dans les pianos
Tous les poèmes qui sont encore dans les stylos
Toutes les chansons qui sont encore dans l'air, dans l'eau
Je les entends déjà fredonner dans l'espace
Quand tu passes
Quand nous partons tous deux, bras dessus, bras dessous
Et que nous laissons nos deux cœurs faire les cent coups
Alors j'entends, tant pis si vous me croyez fou
Chanter, chanter le monde
À cause de nous
Tous les soleils qui sont encore au fond des nuits
Les arcs-en-ciel qui sont encore au fond des pluies
Les vérités qui sont encore au fond des puits
Je les vois déjà briller quand j'espère
Que notre amour
Sera toujours
Plus grand, plus beau
Alors pour toi j'inventerai même s'il le faut
Toutes les musiques, toutes les musiques
Qui sont encore dans les pianos
In the song Toutes les musiques, Claude Nougaro celebrates the power of music, poetry, and song to capture and express the whole range of human emotions, experiences and hopes. He begins by listing "toutes les musiques qui sont encore dans les pianos" (all the music that’s still in the pianos), "tous les poèmes qui sont encore dans les stylos" (all the poems still in the pens), and "toutes les chansons qui sont encore dans l'air, dans l'eau" (all the songs still in the air, in the water). He expresses his belief that these melodies, verses, and tunes are already singing in the silence and waiting to be released.
Nougaro sings about his beloved partner, who he sees coming towards him, appearing almost too beautiful to be real. The moment they meet, the whole world starts to sing as if it was grandly celebrating their love. According to Nougaro, every happiness has its keyboard, every blue sky has its inkwell, and every person has a poet who will someday capture their life in a ballad. The song paints a beautiful picture of how music is an integral part of human expression and emotions, and it is never too far away, waiting to be drawn out.
Overall, the song is a hopeful and optimistic look at the power of music and poetry. It suggests that every emotion, every feeling, every moment can be better represented in a song or a poem. Music has the power to connect us, to express deep emotions and to even transform the way we experience life.
Interesting facts about "Toutes les musiques" by Claude Nougaro:
Line by Line Meaning
Toutes les musiques qui sont encore dans les pianos
All the unheard melodies that still reside in pianos, waiting to be played.
Tous les poèmes qui sont encore dans les stylos
All the unwritten poems that linger in pens, waiting to be put on paper.
Toutes les chansons qui sont encore dans l'air, dans l'eau
All the songs that are yet to be sung, that float invisibly in the air or ripple in water.
Je les entends déjà chanter dans le silence
I can already hear them singing in the silence, waiting to be discovered and performed.
Quand s'avance
When there's a feeling of something coming closer, something that's meant to be.
Venant vers moi mon bel amour qui me sourit
When my beloved approaches me, giving me a smile so beautiful that it seems almost unreal.
Presque trop beau pour être vrai, mais c'est bien lui
Almost too good to be true, but it's indeed the one I love.
Alors j'entends par-delà les jours et les nuits
Then I can hear beyond the passing of time, beyond day and night.
Chanter, chanter le monde
The melodies, the poems, the songs all come together to sing the world into being.
À l'infini
Endlessly, forever.
Chaque bonheur a son clavier
Every happiness has its own musical key, its own way of sounding out.
Chaque ciel bleu son encrier
Every blue sky has its own inkwell, from which to write poetry.
Chacun de nous a son poète
Each of us has a poet inside, waiting to be awakened.
Qui aujourd'hui ou bien demain
That poet might come out today, or tomorrow.
L'enfermera dans un refrain
That poet might take the inspiration and put it into a simple, recurring melody.
Je les entends déjà fredonner dans l'espace
I can already hear those songs humming in the space around us, waiting to be given voice.
Quand tu passes
When I'm with you, and you pass by, something in the air sings out and echoes our love.
Quand nous partons tous deux, bras dessus, bras dessous
When we go out together, arm in arm, feeling the rhythm and the life around us.
Et que nous laissons nos deux cœurs faire les cent coups
When we let ourselves fall in love, let our hearts beat recklessly and passionately.
Alors j'entends, tant pis si vous me croyez fou
Then I hear the melodies of the world more clearly, even if others think I'm crazy.
Chanter, chanter le monde
The songs of the world keep singing, keep growing, keep drawing us together.
À cause de nous
Because of us, who let ourselves love, who let our hearts open to the music of the world.
Tous les soleils qui sont encore au fond des nuits
All the suns that shine in the darkness of each night, waiting to rise again.
Les arcs-en-ciel qui sont encore au fond des pluies
All the rainbows that form in the rain, beauty that we sometimes overlook.
Les vérités qui sont encore au fond des puits
All the truths that are hidden deep within wells, waiting to be brought to light.
Je les vois déjà briller quand j'espère
I can already see them shining brightly in the future, when I let myself hope.
Que notre amour
When I know that our love is true, strong and beautiful.
Sera toujours
When I believe that our love will always endure, and will always be there to guide and uplift us.
Plus grand, plus beau
When I know that our love will continue to grow, and will always become something greater, something more beautiful.
Alors pour toi j'inventerai même s'il le faut
Then, for you, I'll create something new and beautiful, even if I have to invent it from scratch.
Toutes les musiques, toutes les musiques
All the melodies in the world, all the songs, all the rhythms that make life worth living and loving.
Qui sont encore dans les pianos
All those melodies still waiting to be brought to life, still waiting to be played and heard.
Contributed by Micah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
christiane lavigne
Merveilleux Claude toutes les musiques tout les poèmes avec Michel Legrand vous en aviez des musiques et des poèmes à offrir et des rires que de souvenirs