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).
Un Ecureuil A Central Park
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Décor Un châtaignier de Central Park
Coco Bel oeil soupire après Gerbe de feu, la belle écureuille
Je bande dessinée pour une jeune écureuille
qui me snobe un peu en m'roulant de l'oeil
mais oh! là là, oh! là là, oh! là là ma jolie
je ne suis pas Disney de la dernière pluie
et d'abord vise ma queue
quel panache
Et que penses tu de mes moustaches?
belle Gerbe de Feu
et que dis tu de mes noisettes?
y en a pas trois, y en a que deux
pointure fillette
c'est le nectar de Central Park
Gerbe de Feu, ma Jeanne d'Arc
je serai ton Robin des Bois
que tu le veuilles ou pas
Gerbe de Feu, l'écureuille
Casse toi, dit l'écureuille
Coco Bel oeil dégage
t'es qu'un blaireau à barbe
Coco Bel oeil casse toi
mais oh! là là, oh! là là, oh! là là
j'rêve ou quoi?
on dirait qu't'es sorti
d'un cartoon d'Tex Avery
Moi, je mouille pour une mouette
qui t'a une autre silhouette
c'est une mouette poète
Elle perche au sommet de l'Empire State Building
tu vois l'standing
Ascenseur particulier
je te laisse à tes châtaigniers
oh! là là!
Quand ma mouette descend du ciel
On dirait Superman
Elle me prend sous son aile
Et l'on survole Manhattan
En s'roulant des pelles
Hou! là là, hou! là là
Deuxième acte. Même décor sous la lune
Rongée de jalousie
Coco Bel oeil se mite
Dans Central Park la nuit
les carottes sont cuites
ah! là là ah là là
quel affront
l'épouvantable garce
Ah! si j'étais King Kong
ah! oui si j'étais King Kong, King Kong
je grimperais sur la terrasse
de son gratte ciel à la Kong
King Kong King Kong
pour lui cueillir à ma manière
un p'tit bouquet d'hélicoptères
hou! là là, hou! là là
Troisième acte
l'enchanteur, le magicien de Central Park, Merlin le Noir
passait par là. Il entendit cette supplique
et d'un coup de sa canne magique, il l'exauça
Et nous retrouvons au final
de cette comédie musicale
Coco Bel oeil, Gerbe de Feu
trinquant un drink ou deux
là haut, en haut des nids
de la Cinquième Avenue
oh! là là, oh! là là
Gerbe de Feu est tout émue
oh! là là
et depuis
elle me fait mouette mouette
je lui fais mouette mouette
on se fait mouette mouette
et puis ça y est
The song "Un écureuil a Central Park" by Claude Nougaro depicts a musical comedy in three acts and seventeen scenes, set against the backdrop of a chestnut tree in Central Park. Coco Bel Oeil is infatuated with Gerbe de Feu, a beautiful female squirrel who keeps ignoring him. Coco Bel Oeil tries to charm her with his impressive tail, mustache, and nuts but Gerbe de Feu shuts him down and tells him to leave. Coco Bel Oeil, jealous of Gerbe de Feu's attraction to a seagull poet, dreams of being King Kong and picking a bouquet of helicopters from her building. However, things take a magical twist when Merlin le Noir appears and grants Coco Bel Oeil's wish. In the end, Coco Bel Oeil and Gerbe de Feu are together, sharing a drink on a nest high above the Fifth Avenue.
The song is primarily a playful and humorous take on love and infatuation. Coco Bel Oeil, the singer, is portrayed as a charming and endearing character who tries to win Gerbe de Feu's affection with his wit and humor. However, Gerbe de Feu is more interested in a seagull poet and does not reciprocate Coco Bel Oeil's feelings. The song's setting in Central Park adds a sense of whimsy and magic to the narrative.
Line by Line Meaning
Comédie musicale en trois actes et dix sept tableaux
This is a three act musical featuring seventeen scenes
Décor Un châtaignier de Central Park
This musical takes place in Central Park with a chestnut tree as the backdrop
Coco Bel oeil soupire après Gerbe de feu, la belle écureuille
Coco Bel oeil yearns for Gerbe de feu, the beautiful squirrel
Je bande dessinée pour une jeune écureuille
I am a comic book character for a young squirrel
qui me snobe un peu en m'roulant de l'oeil
Who snubs me a bit by rolling her eyes
mais oh! là là, oh! là là, oh! là là ma jolie
But ooh la la my pretty girl
je ne suis pas Disney de la dernière pluie
I am not the latest Disney character
moi c'est du sérieux
I am serious
et d'abord vise ma queue
First check out my tail
quel panache
What style
Et que penses tu de mes moustaches?
And what do you think of my mustache?
belle Gerbe de Feu
Beautiful Gerbe de Feu
et que dis tu de mes noisettes?
And what about my nuts?
y en a pas trois, y en a que deux
There are not three, there are only two
pointure fillette
Small size
c'est le nectar de Central Park
It's the nectar of Central Park
Gerbe de Feu, ma Jeanne d'Arc
Gerbe de Feu, my Joan of Arc
je serai ton Robin des Bois
I will be your Robin Hood
que tu le veuilles ou pas
Whether you like it or not
Casse toi, dit l'écureuille
Said the squirrel, go away
Coco Bel oeil dégage
Coco Bel oeil, get out
t'es qu'un blaireau à barbe
You're just a bearded fool
mais oh! là là, oh! là là, oh! là là
But ooh la la, ooh la la
j'rêve ou quoi?
Am I dreaming or what?
on dirait qu't'es sorti
It seems like you came out of
d'un cartoon d'Tex Avery
A Tex Avery cartoon
Moi, je mouille pour une mouette
I have a thing for a seagull
qui t'a une autre silhouette
Who has a different silhouette than you
c'est une mouette poète
It's a poet seagull
Elle perche au sommet de l'Empire State Building
She perches at the top of the Empire State Building
tu vois l'standing
You see the class
Ascenseur particulier
Special elevator
je te laisse à tes châtaigniers
I'll leave you to your chestnuts
Quand ma mouette descend du ciel
When my seagull descends from the sky
On dirait Superman
It looks like Superman
Elle me prend sous son aile
She takes me under her wing
Et l'on survole Manhattan
And we fly over Manhattan
En s'roulant des pelles
While kissing
Hou! là là, hou! là là
Ooh la la, ooh la la
Rongée de jalousie
Consumed by jealousy
Coco Bel oeil se mite
Coco Bel oeil gets depressed
Dans Central Park la nuit
In Central Park at night
les carottes sont cuites
It's all over
ah! là là ah là là
Ah! la la, ah la la
quel affront l'épouvantable garce
What an insult from that terrible girl
Ah! si j'étais King Kong
Ah! If I were King Kong
je grimperais sur la terrasse
I would climb up to the terrace
de son gratte ciel à la Kong
Of her Kong-like skyscraper
pour lui cueillir à ma manière
To pick her my way
un p'tit bouquet d'hélicoptères
A little bouquet of helicopters
l'enchanteur, le magicien de Central Park, Merlin le Noir
The enchantment, the magician of Central Park, Merlin the Black
passait par là. Il entendit cette supplique
Happened to be there. He heard this plea
et d'un coup de sa canne magique, il l'exauça
And with a wave of his magic wand, he granted it
Et nous retrouvons au final
And we finally find
de cette comédie musicale
The end of this musical
Coco Bel oeil, Gerbe de Feu
Coco Bel oeil, Gerbe de Feu
trinquant un drink ou deux
Toasting one or two drinks
là haut, en haut des nids
Up high, at the top of the nests
de la Cinquième Avenue
On Fifth Avenue
oh! là là, oh! là là
Ooh la la, ooh la la
Gerbe de Feu est tout émue
Gerbe de Feu is very moved
et depuis
And since then
elle me fait mouette mouette
She makes me do seagull noises
je lui fais mouette mouette
I make seagull noises to her
on se fait mouette mouette
We make seagull noises to each other
et puis ça y est
And that's it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, LES EDITIONS DU CHIFFRE NEUF
Written by: CLAUDE NOUGARO, PHILIPPE P. SAISSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
gerard bec
quel artiste! une cohésion entre les paroles et la musique un génie
Jean-Patrick Bladet
Un super Claude Nougaro toujours égal à lui-même avec ses jeux de mots "magiques" dans ses chansons toujours bien ciselées et son phrasé incomparable...Salut Claude !
Laurent Roux
Mars 2022
Normal c'est du "nouga
Toulousain "
Le meilleur !!!!
Wizhka
Inolvidable esta performance de Claude: un gran bravo!!!
Laurent Roux
Sacré personnage
Sacré monsieur
Laurent Roux
Ôh claude!!!!
"Toi là-haut "🧞♂️
Bise à coco bel œil !!!
😉😉😉😉🌠
marie-josée parodi
qu'est ce qu'il nous manque un grand oh la la
jam63112
L'orchestre est hot
Claudy Pezet
bonsoir ! toujours à la recherche du gardien de phare live ! Merci !
Endzeitstille
version de ballet redha est tres bien!