After cutting a further EP featuring a cover of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me" ("O pauvre moi") which was buried by a rival version by Sacha Distel and an adaptation of the Fraternity Brothers' "Passion Flower" ("Tout l'amour"), he was drafted and spent from 1959 to 1961 he was a soldier in North Africa. Subsequently he was a singer and guitarist in various bistros. On his return, he resumed his singing career with the minor 1961 hit "Oh Marie-Line" but by then he had been overtaken by newer singers such as Johnny Hallyday. He also began to write songs, penning tunes for Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan, Dalida, Richard Anthony, German-based star Caterina Valente, actress Marie Laforêt and Austrian singer Udo Jürgens.
After enjoying a major hit with the French version of Pat Boone's "Speedy Gonzales" ("Le petit Gonzalès"), despite competition from a version by Dalida, in 1963 he became to the first signing to the new Disc AZ label, issuing two further EPs for them before unleashing his best recording of the period, a revival of Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee". Further hits followed but by the mid-sixties his star had waned and he moved into record production, most notably for Michel Corringe. He returned in 1970 with the French hit "Même un clown" but his international breakthrough came in 1971 with "Butterfly",[3] which he recorded in several languages and which has sold seven million copies.[4] It charted across Europe, reaching #1 in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and France, #5 in the Netherlands, and #10 in the UK;[5] in the US it peaked at #78. It was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America.[6] It has since became a pop standard, and was also used in the film The Mad Aunts Strike Out.
After this brief success, he enjoyed several other European hits, including "Ti-laï-laï-laï (l'armenien)", which reflected his Armenian roots, but he never again recorded anything with the same impact as his breakthrough hit. Among the more interesting recordings from this period are his "Atmosphère" album, which included both "Butterfly" and the funky groover "Sexologie", and the follow-up, logically titled "Atmosphère 2", which featured the hit "D'Amérique au coeur du Japon", as well as the late seventies' "Gone With the Wind" album, which housed the nostalgic "Les temps changent". Alongside his own recordings, he continued to dedicate himself to composing music for other artists.
Gérard made a comeback to the live scene with a concert at the Paris Olympia theatre on 20 November 1978. The concert was a sell-out and included a 21-piece band and orchestra conducted by French composer and trumpeter, Yvan Julien. A full troupe of circus performers joined Gérard on stage for the finale. Anton Karas also performed his composition "Harry Lime Theme" from the film, The Third Man.
Gérard enjoyed a further major hit in the French pop charts with "Mélodie mélodie", taken from his 1978 album of the same name. This led to various television and radio appearances in France and Germany. Following the Paris Olympia concert, he took the nucleus of the orchestra and formed a seven-piece band, Horde, with which he played a number of shows in Paris and the south of France in 1978 and 1979. He continued to record into the eighties before retiring into the shadows to enjoy the benefits of his not inconsiderable royalties.
Butterfly
Danyel Gérard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu me dis qu'on oublie le meilleur
Malgré les horizons
Je sais qu'elle m'aime encore
Cette fille que j'avais surnommée
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Dans un mois je reviendrai
Près de toi je resterai
L'océan c'est petit, tout petit
Pour deux cœurs où l'amour a grandi
Malgré ce que tu dis
Tu vois qu'elle m'aime encore
Cette fille que j'avais enlacée
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Dans un mois je reviendrai
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Près de toi je resterai
Notre amour est si grand, oui si grand
Que le ciel y tiendrait tout dedans
Malgré ce que tu dis
Je sais qu'elle m'aime encore
Cette fille que j'avais embrassée
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Dans un mois je reviendrai
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Près de toi je resterai
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Dans un mois je reviendrai
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Près de toi je resterai
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Dans un mois je reviendrai
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Près de toi je resterai
The song "Butterfly" by Danyel Gerard is a romantic ballad about a love that has survived distance and time. The singer is separated from his loved one and is reassured by a friend that they will forget each other, but he remains confident that she still loves him. The singer compares their love to a butterfly, fragile but beautiful, and declares that he will return to her in a month and stay by her side. The song is filled with hope and longing for the reunion of two hearts that belong together.
The lyrics of "Butterfly" are filled with emotion and imagery. The butterfly is a symbol of transformation, beauty, and fragility, and it represents the singer's feelings towards his loved one. Despite being physically apart, their love has only grown stronger, and it is so powerful that it could fit in the sky. The singer is sure that they will be reunited, and his determination is evident in the repetitive refrain of "Butterfly, my Butterfly, in a month I will return, Butterfly, my Butterfly, I will stay by your side."
Overall, "Butterfly" is a touching and heartfelt love song that celebrates the power of love and the belief that distance cannot break a true connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu me dis, loin des yeux loin du cœur
You say to me, out of sight, out of mind
Tu me dis qu'on oublie le meilleur
You say that we forget the best
Malgré les horizons
Despite the distances
Je sais qu'elle m'aime encore
I know she still loves me
Cette fille que j'avais surnommée
That girl I had nicknamed
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Dans un mois je reviendrai
In a month I will come back
Près de toi je resterai
I will stay close to you
L'océan c'est petit, tout petit
The ocean is small, very small
Pour deux cœurs où l'amour a grandi
For two hearts where love has grown
Malgré ce que tu dis
Despite what you say
Tu vois qu'elle m'aime encore
You see that she still loves me
Cette fille que j'avais enlacée
That girl I had hugged
Notre amour est si grand, oui si grand
Our love is so big, yes so big
Que le ciel y tiendrait tout dedans
That the sky could hold everything inside
Je sais qu'elle m'aime encore
I know she still loves me
Cette fille que j'avais embrassée
That girl I had kissed
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Dans un mois je reviendrai
In a month I will come back
Près de toi je resterai
I will stay close to you
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Dans un mois je reviendrai
In a month I will come back
Près de toi je resterai
I will stay close to you
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Butterfly, my Butterfly
Dans un mois je reviendrai
In a month I will come back
Près de toi je resterai
I will stay close to you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Danyel Gerard, Howard Barnes, Ralph Bernet
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@motriz7
C'était l'époque où le Bonheur rythmait avec poésie, chanté par des voix charmeuses enveloppantes qui portaient jusqu'au mariage. ❤
@jumecker001
Je suis entrain de vieillir mais cette chanson est faite pour l'éternité.
@ThomasClark-xt3xy
Lovely song. Only just heard this on oldies radio. Greetings from England. 🏴
@motriz7
Si tu l'écoute avec ton coeur, tu ne vieilliras pas.❤
@suzettecouzy7996
❤ que de beaux souvenirs d'une jeunesse sans la violence d'aujourd'hui 😢
@MultiSilberpfeil
Des moments inoubliables... merveilleuses années... les années 60 et 70... musique de qualité... ! Une époque où les choses étaient beaucoup plus détendues. Gros contraste avec la société d'aujourd'hui...! Danyel Gérard... pur sentiment de jeunesse...!
@berniethebolt3007
So true, every word..
@esthercastrolessa5084
LES PLUS BELLES ANNÉES POUR LA MUSIQUE! EN FRANCE ...AU BRÉSIL! QUE DE SOUVENIRS!
@jeanpierrechartier5084
mes 18 ans les amours fous sans prise de tête. Les moments les plus fous de ma vie.que de merveilleux souvenirs , les études, l'université et l amour de vivre Maintenant +de 60, mais plein d'espoir sur l'amour. Une vie bien remplie dans des conditions formidables. Je souhaiterai à tous ceux qui me lisent autant de bonheur. J'ai trouvé une femme sensible dévouée qui m a donné trois beaux enfants et maintenant nous prolongeons ce temps entre la mer, la montagne et notre Charente.
Bonheur à vous tous
@axelleawah3799
Une belle vie!!!!! Heureux homme!!!!