"Dalida" was a pseudonym of Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (1933-1987), also kn… Read Full Bio ↴"Dalida" was a pseudonym of Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (1933-1987), also known as يولاندا كريستينا جيجليوتي and, following French naturalisation, Yolanda Gigliotti, was a singer of Italian origin, who made her career in France. She received fifty-five gold records, and was the first female singer to get a diamond disc.

Born on the 17th January 1933 in Shoubra, Cairo, Egypt, she was the child of an opera violinist, and was given singing lessons at an early age. She developed into a beautiful young lady and, in 1954, she won the Miss Egypt beauty contest and immediately left for Paris, France, to pursue a career in motion pictures.

Despite her looks, her first films were less than successful, but she began performing in music halls and cabarets, singing in French, Italian, Arabic in which she was fluent, and other languages. Using the stage name Dalida she recorded songs; her second single titled "Bambino" brought instant fame. In 1957, she appeared at the Paris Olympia as the opening act for Charles Aznavour and later the same year for Gilbert Bécaud. She would go on to record in several languages, touring the globe including sold-out performances, in late 1978, at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

During her career, Dalida recorded 500 French songs, 200 of which were translated into Italian, and 300 into other languages. She sold more than 150 million albums world-wide, winning numerous awards, and achieving more than seventy gold records. Yet, despite her fame and fortune, her personal life was difficult and filled with much drama and tragedy. In 1961 she married her mentor Lucien Morisse, but the marriage lasted only a few months, and she left him for the painter Jean Sobieski (later the father of American actress Leelee Sobieski). A few years later, her still distraught ex-husband died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In 1967 her new lover, the Italian singer, Luigi Tenco also took his own life, and Dalida too attempted suicide. She was living with the flamboyant and less than reputable Richard Chanfray (referred to as the Comte de St Germain) when he took his own life in July 1983. She recovered from these tragedies and continued to perform, but by her own accounts, life had little meaning and she spent years searching for personal fulfillment, including traveling to Nepal to study the Hindu religion.

She died on the 3rd May 1987 as a result of an overdose of sleeping pills, leaving behind a suicide note that said: "Life has become unbearable ... forgive me."

2) A mononym of a young Lebanese singer living in Kuwait. She released two albums, "Tedalal" (2005) and "Eltegaina" (2008) and she filmed 3 video clips "Wadel Ma'i", "Haram" & "Eltegaina".

3) Back from the dead in Moselle (France), DALIDA is reborn, her squint is now a blindness and her voice a strident groan.
Obsessed by Krautrock band alienating repetitions, she modifies her repertoire, no more poignant songs, she's now exploring the sonic transe.
« Nobody have to steal our own death, it's a part of our life, that's why it's really important to live this moment »
Terrestrial incarnation : Klaus Legal and DaiKiRi (members of Le Singe Blanc, Judas Donneger, La Race, Myster Möebius...)

Quand S'Arrêtent Les Violons
Dalida Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
Quand s'arrêtent les violons

Les lumières du soir
Valsent le chant d'adieu
D'un soleil dérisoire
Qui s'éteint comme il peut
La pluie retient encore
Son envie de pleurer
On dirait le décor
Quand s'arrêtent les violons

La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

Tu disais qu'on aurait
Toute l'éternité
Tu disais, tu disais
Et puis, tu m'as quittée
La pluie retient encore
Son envie de pleurer
On dirait le décor
Quand s'arrêtent les violons
Je vais danser
Et faire tourner les étoiles
Lampions de ce carnaval
Où mon cœur va sombrer

La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
Quand s'arrêtent les violons

La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

Overall Meaning

The song "Quand S'Arrêtent Les Violons" by Dalida is a melancholic ballad that speaks of the end of a relationship. The song is a metaphor for the end of something beautiful, using the metaphor of violins stopping playing to describe how the beauty is lost when something comes to an end. The starting lines are repetitive and set the mood of the song, with the word "la" being repeated multiple times. The lights of the evening signify the end of something beautiful, and the goodbye song that the violins play is a representation of the end that the singer is struggling with.

The sadness and heartbreak are palpable throughout the song, with lines like "Tu disais qu'on aurait Toute l'éternité, Tu disais, tu disais, Et puis, tu m'as quittée" (You said we had all eternity, You said, you said, And then you left me), indicating how the singer was promised a beautiful life together that never materialized. The rain that holds back its tears is an indication of how the singer is still holding back her emotions about the failed relationship, even though it has ended.

The final lines talk about how the singer will try to move on by dancing and attempting to forget everything. However, the "carnival" is really where her heart will sink as she tries in vain to forget the beautiful memories she shared with the person she loved. The song is a testament to how beautiful things come to an end, and how sometimes, moving on can be the most painful thing of all.

Line by Line Meaning

La, la, la, la, la, la, la
The repetition of La represents the melody in the background

Quand s'arrêtent les violons
When the violins stop playing

Les lumières du soir
The evening lights

Valsent le chant d'adieu
Dancing to the farewell song

D'un soleil dérisoire
Of a futile sun

Qui s'éteint comme il peut
Extinguishing as it can

La pluie retient encore
The rain still holds back

Son envie de pleurer
Its urge to cry

On dirait le décor
It looks like the scenery

Tu disais qu'on aurait
You used to say that we would have

Toute l'éternité
All of eternity