Eddy Mitchell (born Claude Moine July 3, 1942, Paris) is a French singer an… Read Full Bio ↴Eddy Mitchell (born Claude Moine July 3, 1942, Paris) is a French singer and actor. He began his career in the late 1950s, with the group Les Chaussettes Noires (The Black Socks), taking his name from the American expatriate tough-guy actor Eddie Constantine (later the star of Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville). The band performed at the Parisian nightclub Le Golf Drouot before signing to Barclay Records and finding almost instant success; in 1961 it sold two million records.

Heavily influenced by American rock & roll, Mitchell (who went solo in 1963) has often recorded outside France, at first in London, but later in Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee. Guitarist Jimmy Page and drummer Bob Graham were among the British session musicians who regularly supported him in London.

Charlie Charlie
Eddy Mitchell Lyrics

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Tu es mon univers d'enfant
Toi qui l'enchantais si souvent
Charlie
Charlie

Charlie
Toi que j'ai inventé
Tu étais ma complicité

Charlie
Charlie

Tu partageais tous mes chagrins
Ton monde ainsi devenait mien
Charlie
Charlie

Mais quand l'enfance fut passée
Mon adolescence t'a tué
Charlie
Charlie

Car l'amour venait de naître
Si doux, si grand
Mais refusant de supporter
Ta présence imaginaire
De mes jeunes années

J'appartiens au monde des grands
Je suis adulte maintenant
Charlie
Charlie

Je n'ai plus le droit de rêver
De me pencher sur mon passé
Charlie
Charlie

Car l'amour venait de naître
Si doux, si grand
Mais refusant de supporter
Ta présence imaginaire
De mes jeunes années

Tu es mon univers d'enfant
Toi qui l'enchantais si souvent
Charlie
Charlie

Charlie
Toi que j'ai inventé
Tu étais ma complicité
Charlie
Charlie

Mais quand l'enfance fut passée
Mon adolescence t'a tué

Charlie
Charlie

Overall Meaning

The song "Charlie Charlie" by Eddy Mitchell is a reflection of the singer's past and his imaginary friend, Charlie. Mitchell portrays Charlie as being a significant part of his childhood, someone who shared his sorrows and made his world a happier place. As a child, Charlie was Mitchell's universe, and he would enchant him often, which made him his confidant.

However, as Mitchell enters his teenage years, he realizes Charlie is just a figment of his imagination and he must focus on becoming an adult. He describes how he falls in love, which does not allow Charlie's presence to become a part of his life as he once was. The singer remarks that he can no longer dwell on his past and must now live in the present as an adult.

Thus, the song represents the transition from childhood to adulthood and the idea that as one grows older, they must let go of certain parts of their life. The imaginary friend, Charlie, symbolizes the singer's childhood, where everything was simpler, and he was happy in his little world, away from the complexities that came with adulthood.

Line by Line Meaning

Tu es mon univers d'enfant
You are my childhood universe

Toi qui l'enchantais si souvent
You who often enchanted me

Charlie
Charlie

Toi que j'ai inventé
You whom I invented

Tu étais ma complicité
You were my accomplice

Charlie
Charlie

Tu partageais tous mes chagrins
You shared all my sorrows

Ton monde ainsi devenait mien
Your world became mine

Charlie
Charlie

Mais quand l'enfance fut passée
But when childhood was over

Mon adolescence t'a tué
My adolescence killed you