Éric Serra's father Claude was a famous French songwriter in the 1950s and '60s, and, as such, Éric was exposed to music and its production at a young age. His mother died when he was just seven years old. In the early '80s, Serra met director Luc Besson and was asked to score his first movie Le Dernier Combat (1983). Serra has scored all of Besson's directed movies to date, except Angel-A (2005) (scored by Anja Garbarek), and several that Besson has written such as Wasabi.
In 1995, Éric Serra was chosen to compose the score to the James Bond film GoldenEye, and produced a much more modern-sounding avant-garde soundtrack compared to previous Bond films. It met with mixed reviews from film critics. Serra's score is often criticized by Bond fans, and is considered the farthest departure from a traditional Bond score and, by some, as the most inappropriate in the series history. Others find it highly innovative, with the main problem the lack of John Barry's traditional theme. The producers later hired John Altman to provide the music for the tank chase in St. Petersburg. Serra's original track for that sequence can still be found on the soundtrack as "A Pleasant Drive In St. Petersburg".
Occasionally, and mainly due to his album released by this name, he is known in credits as RXRA (pronounced like his name, in French). An example is "Little Light of Love" on The Fifth Element soundtrack, which is credited to RXRA.
From 1980 to 1988, Éric Serra played bass guitar for French singer Jacques Higelin.
Éric Serra is also a songwriter, notably having written "It's Only Mystery" for the film Subway and "My Lady Blue" for Le Grand Bleu. In 1988, Éric Serra released an album of rock music titled RXRA which resembles the artist's name when pronounced as initial letters in French.
Most recently he composed the music for the new Criss Angel/Cirque Du Soleil show 'Criss Angel: Believe' to open at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, in October 2008.
Serra has spent little time in front of the camera, choosing to work behind the scenes instead. However, on French television he has made a number of appearances performing music, and notably appeared in the Luc Besson movie Subway in which he plays 'Enrico the bassist'.
Lucia Di Lammermoor
Eric Serra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah, quella voce m'e qui nel cor discesa!
Edgardo! io ti son resa,
Edgardo! Ah! Edgardo, mio!
Si, ti son resa! fuggita io son da' tuoi nemici.
Aaaah! nemici.
Un gelo me serpeggia nel sen!
Trema ogni fibra!
Presso la fonte meco t'assidi al quanto!
Si, presso dal fonte meco t'assidi...
The above lyrics are from the famous operatic piece "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Eric Serra. The lyrics describe the singer, Lucia, who is overcome with emotion upon hearing the sweet sound of her lover's voice, Edgardo. She speaks of how his voice has descended upon her heart and how she has fled from her enemies to be with him. Lucia expresses her love for Edgardo and describes how every fiber in her body trembles at the thought of him. She even invites him to sit by the fountain with her, hoping to spend some time together.
The lyrics of this piece are a perfect example of how music can convey emotion and tell a story without any need for a language. The music is intense, emotional and dramatic, and adds to the overall effect of the lyrics. The use of repetition, as in "Edgardo! Ah! Edgardo, mio!" adds to the dramatic effect of the piece.
Line by Line Meaning
Il dolce suono mi colpi di sua voce!
The sweet sound struck me with his voice!
Ah, quella voce m'e qui nel cor discesa!
Ah, that voice has descended into my heart!
Edgardo! io ti son resa,
Edgardo! I am yours,
Edgardo! Ah! Edgardo, mio!
Edgardo! Ah! My Edgardo!
Si, ti son resa! fuggita io son da' tuoi nemici.
Yes, I am yours! I have fled from your enemies.
Aaaah! nemici.
Ah! Enemies.
Un gelo me serpeggia nel sen!
A chill creeps through me!
Trema ogni fibra!
Every fiber trembles!
Vacilla il pie!
The foot staggers!
Presso la fonte meco t'assidi al quanto!
Sit down with me by the fountain for a while!
Si, presso dal fonte meco t'assidi...
Yes, sit down with me by the fountain...
Contributed by Aaliyah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@smrriti07
Il dolce suono mi colpì di sua voce
Ah, quella voce m'è qui nel cor discesa
Edgardo, io ti son resa
Edgardo, ah, Edgardo mio!
Sì, ti son resa
Fuggita io son da' tuoi nemici
Ah, nemici
Un gelo mi serpeggia nel sen
Trema ogni fibra
Vacilla il piè
Presso la fonte meco t'assidi alquanto
Sì, presso tal fonte meco t'assidi
@SweetPandora93
Fifth Element brought me here. Who's still loving this film in 2022??
@faithspeaks469
I just saw it the first time today in 2023!
@JRBJRBJRB
Even in 2023 yesss i love the movie 👌🏻
@andregreen8040
@SweetPandorao3 Same here.
@aidafultz3982
We love this song! Merci! 🥰 💝
@divinesaifsaif2993
In 2022 this opera song and this unique music perfect and amazing 👑🏅👑
@Kardash05-86
Это шедевр
@jasminepecor6407
Soft but so strong just beautiful. Why do I feel so???
@annerobidoux5095
Merveilleux!👍👍👍
@NashKetchum
What a strange surprise finding this song in Jean Reno's 22 Bullets. Lo and behold, I found Luc Besson's name buried in the credits as one of the writers. I love subtle crossovers like this.