F. R. David was born Elli Robert Fitoussi in Menzel Bourguiba, then in the … Read Full Bio ↴F. R. David was born Elli Robert Fitoussi in Menzel Bourguiba, then in the French protectorate of Tunisia, to a Tunisian Jewish family.[1][2] In Paris, David began his music career as Robert Fitoussi.[1] He first performed with French garage band Les Trèfles.[1] After one EP, they mutated into Les Boots, but achieved very little commercial success. Adopting his new stage name, he went solo in 1967 and recorded some orchestral pop psych with Michel Colombier, including a version of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" ("Il Est Plus Facile"). He enjoyed minor hits with the Éric Charden penned "Symphonie" and a cover of the Bee Gees' "Sir Geoffrey Saved the World", but this success did not last. He then created Aztec Records with Sonopress & Carrer and started producing with Michael Haubrich and they wrote and produced several groups. The first was called Cockpit, followed by David Cast, Doc & Prohibition Group, Ragga, Alain Maria, Freddy Meyer, and DD Daughterdydawn with Vangelis Papathanassiou.

During the early 1970s, David formed the progressive rock group David Explosion but their one album was not a success. He was a guitarist for Vangelis in the early 1970s.[1] With Vangelis, he also appeared as vocalist on some of his early 1970s albums. David's voice is also heard on the 1974 single "Who" by Vangelis under the name 'Odyssey'. David then joined French rock band Les Variations, appearing on their final album Café De Paris (1975), which featured an early rock-disco crossover "Superman, Superman". When the band broke up, he went solo again. His personal "trademarks" are his sunglasses and his guitar (a white Fender Stratocaster).

His most recognised song was his hit "Words" in 1982, which sold eight million records worldwide, topped various charts around Europe in late 1982, and reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in spring 1983,[3] surpassing a rival version by 1960s hitmakers the Tremeloes, and going on to becoming the 22nd best-selling single in the UK during 1983. The song appears in the Oscar-nominated film for Best Picture, Call Me by Your Name. The song is a catchy, slightly plaintive synth-led mid-tempo ballad sung in a slender, high-pitched voice.

During the 1990s, he took time out from his own music career and focused on writing and composing for other well known artists. David released another album, Words – '99 Version in 2000 which contains mostly covers. In 2009, he released the album Numbers, which was in collaboration with other musicians and featured songs that David himself most preferred.[4]

Between 2010 and 2011, he went on a national French tour of 52 concerts.[4]

The Things I Missed
F.R. David Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

God damn, you don't never give me time to call you back
But you always give me time to come and break ya back
You know I move slow when I'm off the dro
Don't worry cause I'm sitting right next to my phone
I'm just trying to do what I gotta
On the road, on the hustle, tryna get these dollars
I'm trying to stack, these other niggas want chains and watches
I need billions to give to my kids and my mama

I need the keys to a benz and you want a purse
I need a ten story crib and you want some hair
I need this, that, and everything else in the world
So just give me some time, and you'll get your times worth
I merge into yo lane, and we can ride abreast and make this thang work
And if you give it to me, Ima make the thang hurt
Baby my word is my bond
I'll have you making love faces all night long
Yeah, huh, shit
She don't give it up, she ain't easy dawg
I need you to believe me y'all
The way Lil Mama put that pussy on me
Got me sitting side ways, yeah just like Paul
She turn me on, got me going off
I'm on the way whenever she call
But if I don't, she cussing me out telling me pick up the phone
Uh, shit, and it's like that
"Where the fuck you at, what you doing?"
Now it's a fight and
I'm just trying to chill, got a wood Ima light that
You text me, I swear to god Ima text right back
What, you don't trust me or something?
But you fucking me and say you love me, what you fronting?
Never confront any problems, you just running
Till it's time to make love and I hate that shit
So please, just ease up off of the breaks
I know it takes time and my time is what I'm gon take
But my time is what I won't waste
So if you down, "I want to be down", is what you got to say
We got forever and a day, don't get in ya own way
No console I won't play, I'm so stoned but no way will I
Let you slip through my fingers
You the only reason that I turn on my ringer
Go ahead and bling it
Yeah, huh, shit
She don't give it up, she ain't easy dawg
I need you to believe me y'all
The way Lil Mama put that pussy on me
Got me sitting side ways, yeah just like Paul
She turn me on, got me going off
I'm on the way whenever she call
But if I don't, she cussing me out telling me pick up the phone
Yeah, huh, shit
She don't give it up, she ain't easy dawg
I need you to believe me y'all
The way Lil Mama put that pussy on me
Got me sitting side ways, yeah just like Paul
She turn me on, got me going off
I'm on the way whenever she call
But if I don't, she cussing me out telling me pick up the phone
She a bad bitch
Damn I like the way that ass switch
Yeah lil mama, she mad thick
Let me see if she gon back it up
AYE
She a bad bitch
Damn I like the way that ass switch
Yeah lil mama, she mad thick

Let me see if she gon back it up
AYE

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of F.R. David's song "The Things I Missed" express the artist's longing for a natural and authentic connection, in the context of a world that is increasingly artificial and confused. The singer laments the loss of simplicity and honesty in human relationships and communication, as everything seems to be packaged and constructed, creating a sense of disorientation and disillusionment.

The first verse describes the singer's ego as being too visible and desperate for attention. He also struggles to find the right rhythm in his life and experiences a sense of exhaustion and frustration. The chorus emphasizes the themes of packaging and missed opportunities, as the singer regrets the loss of his and his loved one's natural qualities and emotions, which have been covered or distorted by the forces of fashion, confusion, and revolution.

The second verse deals with the existential questions of choice, reason, and freedom, which are often paradoxical and difficult to balance. The singer feels overwhelmed by the world's demands and expectations, and he questions whether he is capable of finding his own truth and identity, while being constantly influenced or shattered by external factors. The bridge, using the metaphor of mirrors, highlights the conflict between truth and lies, and the singer's inner turmoil, as he tries to navigate through the complex and illusory reality.

In summary, the lyrics of "The Things I Missed" reflect F.R. David's artistic vision of a world that has lost its purity and soul, and the singer's personal struggle to resist the pressures and temptations of modern life, in order to reclaim his natural and authentic self.

Line by Line Meaning

やさしい声で僕にささやく
Whispering in a gentle voice to me

見せかけのリアリズム
Fake realism

悲しいくらい目立ちたがりの
Sad and conspicuous

僕の小さなエゴ
My small ego

急ぎ過ぎたり待ち疲れたり
Going too fast or getting tired of waiting

うまくあわないリズム
A rhythm that doesn't fit well

息を切らしてやっとつかんだ
Gasping for breath, finally grasped

僕のしるしは何処
Where is my mark

Fashion 全てのことが
Fashion, everything

Confusion つくりつくられ
Confusion, created and recreated

Revolution きっと気付くはずさ
Revolution, surely we will realize