Crazy Horse has also released 5 albums of its own. They have received inconsistent critical reaction, partially due to the band's frequent and radical lineup changes; though bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina appear on every album, few other musicians have appeared on more than one. The band's first and best-received self-titled album also featured Jack Nietzsche, Nils Lofgren, and Danny Whitten, who became the topic of various Neil Young songs after his heroin overdose in late 1972. On Crazy Horse's 1972 album, "Loose," they were all replaced with John Blanton, Greg Leroy, and George Whitsell, who was a member of Crazy Horse's predecessor The Rockets. Crazy Horse's third album also released in 1972, "At Crooked Lake," replaced those three with Rick and Mike Curtis.
Later that decade in 1978, Crazy Horse released another album under its own name entitled "Crazy Moon." This would feature, along with the steady Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina, some guest work by Neil Young and guitarist Frank Sampedro, who had joined the band in 1975 for Young's album "Zuma." This lineup would be used for many of Crazy Horse's albums with Neil Young through the rest of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. In the late 1980s, Young used Frank Sampedro in his R&B-styled Bluenotes backing band, but did not use Molina or Talbot as he thought their style was unfitting. Now without Sampedro, Crazy Horse recruited Sonny Mone and Matt Piucci for their most recent album, "Left For Dead," released 1989. Piucci would later play on Billy Talbot's 2006 solo release. The album's title track is a pointed remark about their frustrating relationship with Young in the late 1980s, and included a number of other references to Neil Young and his work.
Un jour sans toi
Crazy Horse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Les mots que tu attendais
Mais si tu devais partir
Sache bien que j'en mourrais
Mon amour, un jour sans toi
C'est un jour tout gris
Le soleil meurt dans un ciel sans lumière
Je serai là, les mains vides le coeur blessé
Mon amour, un jour sans toi
C'est un jour de pluie
L'été s'en va et l'hiver prend sa place
Mais près de toi, le monde est plein de joie
Ne t'en va pas, ne me laisse pas un jour sans toi
Je te les chante aujourd'hui
Ces mots que tu attendais
Ils seront là dans ta vie
Pour que tu saches qu'à jamais
Mon amour, un jour sans toi
C'est un jour tout gris
Le soleil meurt dans un ciel sans lumière
Mais près de toi, le monde est plein de joie
Ne t'en va pas, ne me laisse pas un jour sans toi
Mon amour, un jour sans toi
C'est un jour de pluie
L'été s'en va et l'hiver prend sa place
Mais avec toi, ce monde est plein de joie
Ne t'en va pas, ne me laisse pas un jour sans toi
Mon amour, un jour sans toi
C'est un jour de pluie
L'été s'en va et l'hiver prend sa place
Mais avec toi, ce monde est plein de joie
Ne t'en va pas, ne me laisse pas un jour sans toi
The lyrics of Crazy Horse's "Un Jour Sans Toi" (A Day Without You) express the deep love and fear of loss felt by the singer for their beloved. The opening lines of the song, "Je n'ai jamais su te dire, les mots que tu attendais" (I never knew how to tell you the words you were waiting for), reveal the singer's insecurity and inability to express their true feelings to their partner. However, they do express the fear they have in their partner leaving, saying "Mais si tu devais partir, sache bien que j'en mourrais" (But if you had to leave, know that I would die).
The chorus repeats the sentiment that a day without their partner is a grey and disconnected existence, with the sun dying in a lightless sky, and the world without joy. The final lines of each chorus urge their partner not to leave, with the singer saying they will be there with an empty heart and hands. The final verse is a declaration of love, saying that the singer will sing the words their partner has been waiting for, and that those words will always be with them.
Overall, "Un Jour Sans Toi" is a poignant expression of love and the fear of loss that comes with it. The singer struggles to express themselves, but the message of the song is clear: their world is brighter, more joyful, and full of life with their partner in it.
Line by Line Meaning
Je n'ai jamais su te dire
I have never been able to express to you
Les mots que tu attendais
The words that you expected
Mais si tu devais partir
But if you were to leave
Sache bien que j'en mourrais
Know that I would die
Mon amour, un jour sans toi
My love, a day without you
C'est un jour tout gris
Is a very gloomy day
Le soleil meurt dans un ciel sans lumière
The sun dies in a sky without light
Comme un manège qui ne sait plus tourner
Like a carousel that no longer turns
Je serai là, les mains vides le coeur blessé
I'll be there, empty-handed and heartbroken
Mon amour, un jour sans toi
My love, a day without you
C'est un jour de pluie
Is a very rainy day
L'été s'en va et l'hiver prend sa place
The summer goes away and winter takes its place
Mais près de toi, le monde est plein de joie
But with you, the world is full of joy
Ne t'en va pas, ne me laisse pas un jour sans toi
Don't go away, don't leave me one day without you
Je te les chante aujourd'hui
Today I am singing them to you
Ces mots que tu attendais
These words that you expected
Ils seront là dans ta vie
They will be there in your life
Pour que tu saches qu'à jamais
So that you know forever
Mon amour, un jour sans toi
My love, a day without you
C'est un jour tout gris
Is a very gloomy day
Le soleil meurt dans un ciel sans lumière
The sun dies in a sky without light
Mais près de toi, le monde est plein de joie
But with you, the world is full of joy
Ne t'en va pas, ne me laisse pas un jour sans toi
Don't go away, don't leave me one day without you
Mon amour, un jour sans toi
My love, a day without you
C'est un jour de pluie
Is a very rainy day
L'été s'en va et l'hiver prend sa place
The summer goes away and winter takes its place
Mais avec toi, ce monde est plein de joie
But with you, this world is full of joy
Ne t'en va pas, ne me laisse pas un jour sans toi
Don't go away, don't leave me one day without you
Mon amour, un jour sans toi
My love, a day without you
C'est un jour de pluie
Is a very rainy day
L'été s'en va et l'hiver prend sa place
The summer goes away and winter takes its place
Mais avec toi, ce monde est plein de joie
But with you, this world is full of joy
Ne t'en va pas, ne me laisse pas un jour sans toi
Don't go away, don't leave me one day without you
Writer(s): valdi, donder, michaële
Contributed by Connor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.