Émilie Simon is a French singer and composer born on July 17, 1978 in Montp… Read Full Bio ↴Émilie Simon is a French singer and composer born on July 17, 1978 in Montpellier. She began her musical education at a French conservatory at 7 years old. By age 18, she was studying Musicology at the University in Montpellier, France, and then obtained her Master in Musicology at the Sorbonne in Paris. Émilie was intrigued by the idea of combining her traditional musical education with new music technologies and studio experimentations. She developed these interests into unique skills at the cutting edge new technology music school, the IRCAM in Paris, which to this day remains the only center in the world dedicated to contemporary musical research and production, bringing science and art together in order to widen instrumentation and rejuvenate musical language.

Here she met Cyrille Brissot who she still works with today to develop and build specific instruments adapted to Émilie’s needs, both in the studio and on stage, including the “Brissot” - a breathtaking arm controller that allows her to remotely control, modulate and transform her live voice through a series of controlled effects. Émilie uses a variety of other new technology devices including Yamaha’s “Tenori-on” and a variety of other new hardware and software. Émilie uses this technology to give herself a wide range of versatility on stage, including being able to control everything – from beats to multiple instruments to vocal harmonies and modulation simultaneously while alone on stage.

Shortly after Ircam, Émilie Simon signed a record deal with Barclay/Universal France. Her debut single, entitled “Désert” was released in October 2002. Since then, she has written, arranged, performed and produced her two records and the original music for the French (original) version of March of the Penguins. There, Émilie used many diverse and inventive techniques including rubbing pieces of ice together to produce beats and sounds, and blended them with her electronic machinery and inviting lyrics.

Despite garnering best album honors in the electronic category at France’s
“Victoires de la Musique” Awards for her debut, and being touted as one of the most promising female artists, the Montpellier-bred chanteuse is quick to champion her independence as an artist over such acclaim. “[Awards] are nice, but it’s like a cherry on top, really,” the singer/songwriter insists. “It’s great when you have the feeling you are doing something important or that you’re understood. But it doesn’t alter the way I work in any way. I’m always thinking back on what I have done, because I don’t want to be redundant. I want to make music without rules, without anybody telling me what I have to do.”

Émilie Simon first made her mark on the U.S. in the fall of 2006 with her debut U.S. release, The Flower Book on Nov. 7, 2006. Her plush, artful soundscapes had already yielded her significant praise and awards in her French homeland, as well as acclaim across the rest of Europe and Japan. Singing in both French and English, Émilie allows her music to flow naturally, rewarding her with devoted fans worldwide. A year and a half after The Flower Book’s release, Émilie is currently residing in New York City and writing her next record. She will be performing shows in NYC this Fall to preview her new material. Having always begun the creative process in the recording studio, and then following with live performances, Émilie is trying a new approach. For the new record, she will let the songs breathe and evolve in a live environment before heading into the studio.

Paris J'Ai Pris Perpète
Emilie Simon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Paris, j'ai pris perpète
Paris, j'ai perdu la tête pour toi
Ah ah ah

Paris, quelle comédienne
Paris, quelle mise en scène de choix
Ah ah ah

Ah ah ah
Paris, tu prends tes airs de diva
Avec moi, Paris, Paris
Ah ah ah

Et moi je ne respire que toi
Et j'adore ça, Paris, Paris

Paris, quelle capitale
De Montparnasse à Pigalle j'y crois
Ah ah ah

Paris, j'ai pris perpète
Tu m'as fait tourner la tête mille fois
Ah ah ah

Ah ah ah
Paris, tu prends tes airs de diva
Avec moi, Paris, Paris
Ah ah ah

Et moi je ne respire que toi
Et j'adore ça, Paris, Paris

Ouh ouh ouh
Paris, Paris

Paris, Paris
Ouh ouh ouh
Paris, Paris
Ouh ouh ouh
Ah ah

(Ah ah ah)

Ah ah ah

Ouh ouh ouh Ah ah

Oh oh

Overall Meaning

The song "Paris j'ai pris perpète" by Emilie Simon is about the city of Paris and the singer's infatuation with it. The title of the song, "j'ai pris perpète," translates to "I took life imprisonment," which could suggest that Paris has captured the singer's heart forever. The song opens with the singer saying "Paris, j'ai perdu la tête pour toi" which translates to "Paris, I've lost my mind for you." The singer is metaphorically confessing their love for Paris and comparing it to a comédienne with a perfect mise en scène, i.e. Paris is like a flawless actress who always puts on an impressive show.

Throughout the lyrics, the singer describes the different areas of Paris such as Montparnasse and Pigalle, and how they are convinced that Paris is the perfect capital city. The singer is completely infatuated with Paris and claims that they only breathe for Paris, and that they love it. Paris is portrayed as a diva who takes on a different persona depending on who she's with, but with the singer, Paris puts on her most impressive performance.

The repetitions of "Ah ah ah" and "Ouh ouh ouh" throughout the song serve as a transitional function between the verses and chorus, and also add to the overall dreamy and romantic atmosphere of the lyrics. The song ends with several repetitions of "Paris, Paris" which goes to show how the singer's love for Paris is beyond words.

Line by Line Meaning

Paris, j'ai pris perpète
Paris, I have been sentenced for life

Paris, j'ai perdu la tête pour toi
Paris, I have lost my mind for you

Paris, quelle comédienne
Paris, what a great actress you are

Paris, quelle mise en scène de choix
Paris, what a well-picked stage you are

Paris, tu prends tes airs de diva
Paris, you act like a diva

Avec moi, Paris, Paris
With me, Paris, Paris

Et moi je ne respire que toi
And I only breathe you

Et j'adore ça, Paris, Paris
And I love it, Paris, Paris

Paris, quelle capitale
Paris, what a capital

De Montparnasse à Pigalle j'y crois
From Montparnasse to Pigalle, I believe in it

Tu m'as fait tourner la tête mille fois
You have made me dizzy a thousand times