Emblematic French singer from the 80's, Daniel Balavoine (1952-1986) partic… Read Full Bio ↴Emblematic French singer from the 80's, Daniel Balavoine (1952-1986) participated in the first Starmania rock-show (later played in the USA as 'Tycoon') and wrote many popular songs that shook French youth during his time, such as Le Chanteur, L'Aziza, Sauver l'amour ...

Very engaged in the civil society, he sang and personified the lust for life, the hopes and the doubts of his generation, often clashing with politicians, elites, and older generations. He is especially famous for a tense debate about the struggles, hopes and doubts of French youth with the then first secretary of the French Socialist party, François Mitterrand, who was later twice elected president of France. Later he also had problems in a misunderstood verbal clash about French veterans.

Daniel Balavoine loved Africa and this transpires in many of his songs. He dedicated himself to humanitarian projects and took part in the Paris-Dakar rallye two times. The third time he took part only for humanitarian reasons. On the 14th january 1986, around 8pm, his helicopter crashed between Mali and Burkina-Faso, killing all five passengers, putting an end to his career, and leaving behind his pregnant wife Corine and his son Jeremy.

Le Blues Est Blanc
Daniel Balavoine Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Je vous parle de ces drôles de soir
Qui font qu'on se sent comme sur un sol mouvant
De ces instants bizarres
Où tout devient beaucoup trop grand

La nuit prend un goût de gardénal
Quand on apercoit plus la lueur du phare
Que l'eau entre dans les cales

Le plus beau devient si banal
Qu'on aurait envie
D'affaler toutes les voiles

Le blues est blanc
Quand le cœur broit du noir
Quand tout nous sépare de notre histoire
Le blues est blanc
Quand le cœur broie du noir
Pour la mort on verserait des arrhes
Et dans le cafard
On ne sait meme plus dans quel sens on rame
On croit qu'on a perdu la flamme

Faut pas pleurer ce n'est pas un drame
On a tous eu un jour ce genre d'état d'âme
Et aspiré par la lame
On a peur meme des télégrammes
On voudrait changer
Mais changer pour quel programme

Le blues est blanc
Quand le cœur broit du noir
Quand tout nous sépare de notre histoire
Le blues est blanc
Quand le cœur broie du noir
Pour la mort on verserait des arrhes
Et dans le cafard
On ne sait meme plus dans quel sens on rame
On croit qu'on a perdu la flamme

Et dans le cafard
Faut pas pleurer

Faut pas faire un drame
On a tous eu ces états d'âme

Overall Meaning

In "Le Blues Est Blanc," Daniel Balavoine describes the feeling of being lost and overwhelmed. He talks about "drôles de soir" (strange nights) where everything becomes too much to handle and the world seems to be moving under our feet. He describes the sensation of being adrift at sea, with no light to guide us and the water entering the hold. Everything that was once beautiful becomes mundane and ordinary, prompting the urge to give up and let the sails come down.

Balavoine uses the metaphor of the blues, which traditionally represents sadness and melancholy, to describe this feeling of despair. However, he twists the traditional meaning of the blues by making it white, indicating that the sadness is so complete that it has washed out all color and emotion. He talks about how this feeling can make us feel disconnected from our own history, as if we are no longer the same person we used to be. Balavoine also talks about the fear that comes with this feeling and the desire to change, but not knowing what direction to take.

Overall, "Le Blues Est Blanc" is a poignant description of the feeling of being lost and overwhelmed. Balavoine captures the sense of despair that can come with this feeling and offers words of comfort and understanding to those who may be experiencing it.

Line by Line Meaning

Je vous parle de ces drôles de soir
I'm talking to you about these strange evenings

Qui font qu'on se sent comme sur un sol mouvant
That make us feel like we're on unstable ground

De ces instants bizarres
Of these bizarre moments

Où tout devient beaucoup trop grand
Where everything becomes too big

La nuit prend un goût de gardénal
The night takes on a taste of sleeping pills

Quand on apercoit plus la lueur du phare
When we can no longer see the light of the lighthouse

Que l'eau entre dans les cales
When the water comes into the holds

Le plus beau devient si banal
The most beautiful things become so mundane

Qu'on aurait envie
That we would want

D'affaler toutes les voiles
To lower all the sails

Le blues est blanc
The blues is white