From a series of minor parts, Pagny moved from cinema to TV. In 1985, he got co-writing credits for Michel Gerard's film "Blessure". Two years later, he recorded its first single "N'importe quoi". The success was immediate for this non-conformist.
He won a Victoire, a prestigious French music award, in 1989, yet the following year his second album bombed following a media boycott. "Don't bite the hand that feeds you"!
After a long period of reflection, he came back on top with his album "Rester Vrai" in 1994. In 1997, his album "Savoir aimer" brought him enormous popularity.
He now spends his time between France and Patagonia where he lives with his wife on a 4000 hectare farm pursuing his two passions: motor biking and fishing.
In 2004, Pagny took on an ambitious project: "Baryton", an album made up of titles of the traditional repertory with an amazing 70 member string orchestra and a 60 member choir under the direction of Yvon Cassar. This album was a true success.
In 2006 with the album "Abracadabra" Pagny returned to more of a pop style and delivered a superb album with poignant lyrics "Le Mur" or "Là où je t'emmènerai".
In 2007, "Pagny Chante Brel", launched a tribute album containing eleven songs by the great singer Jacques Brel.
In 2009, "C'est comme ça" came out as a spanish language album. Recorded in Miami with latin composers and musicians, this worthwhile effort showed the extend of his talent across language barriers.
On Nov 12th 2010, "Tout et son contraire" is Pagny's lucky 13th album. With a french album with songs penned by Grégoire, Calogéro, Pascal Obispo and Marc Lavoine, this album is more conventional fare for this now Miami Resident.
In 2010, Pagny also released Baryton. Gracias a la vida his first of two Spanish albums.
In 2013, Viellir avec toi, 2016 Habana his second spanish album, 2017 Le présent d'abord, 2018 Tout Simplement and 2019 Aime La vie.
Remarquably, since 1990 Pagny's albums have always reached the top 5 in the French market, a remarkable 30 year run.
Pagny is a recurring figure as a judge of the French version of the Voice.
Châtelet Les Halles
Florent Pagny Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et des murs tellement petits qu'on entend tout des voisins
Avec pour seul vis-à-vis des montagnes de parpaings
Où déambule l'ennui et se traînent des destins
Le samedi après-midi, prendre des souterrains
Aller voir où ça vit de l'autre côté, ligne un
Châtelet
Station balnéaire
Mais où y a pas la mer
Comme de banlieue la plage
Voir un peu de bleu
Échouer sa galère
Marquer son passage
Suivre les tags quand y a plus de repères
Châtelet, la fin du voyage
C'est pas ici Tahiti mais c'est toujours mieux que rien
Les baskets sur le parvis ne vont jamais très loin
On y piétine les débris et les abris clandestins
Éprouvant même du mépris à ceux qui tendent la main
De Harlem à Paris, s'engouffrer dans un train
Puis un couloir qu'on suit, ne pas aller plus loin, ligne un
Châtelet
Châtelet les Halles
Station balnéaire
Mais où y a pas la mer
Voir un peu de bleu, Châtelet
Échouer sa galère
Marquer son passage
Suivre les tags quand y a plus de repères
Châtelet, la fin du voyage
La fin du voyage
La fin du voyage
La fin du voyage
Châtelet
Châtelet les Halles
Station balnéaire
Châtelet les Halles
Fin du voyage (Châtelet les Halles)
Station balnéaire
Châtelet les Halles
La fin du voyage
The song "Châtelet Les Halles" by Florent Pagny describes the daily life of people living in a working-class neighborhood of Paris. The area is portrayed as gray and oppressive, with tiny walls that allow one to hear everything their neighbors do. Despite the narrowness, the only view available to them are the towering buildings made of concrete blocks. The tedium that characterizes life in this place is depicted by the dragging of destinies; it's a place where people are locked in their mundane routine, hoping to glimpse some kind of escape. The only way to alleviate such a reality is to take an underground train on a Saturday afternoon and visit the other side of the city. It's a chance to witness other people's way of life and to maybe see a bit of blue sky, a place to temporarily forget the struggles they face.
The song is centered on the urban area of Châtelet-Les Halles, a large underground shopping mall and train station located in the center of Paris. The song portrays it as some sort of unique escape for those who live in the working-class neighborhoods in the outskirts of Paris. It offers a chance of a brief respite from the difficulties they face every day. The titular "Châtelet" is depicted as a "beach resort," without the actual seaside but more like a station that offers a brief reminiscent of a beach. The song invites the listener to take a journey through the collective imagination of Parisian youth that spent their leisure time in public transportation exploits, graffiti on the walls of Parisian buildings, seeking to escape from their difficult daily realities.
Line by Line Meaning
Entre gris et graffitis où s'enferme le quotidien
In the midst of the grayness of everyday life locked away with graffiti
Et des murs tellement petits qu'on entend tout des voisins
And small walls where every sound of the neighbors can be heard
Avec pour seul vis-à-vis des montagnes de parpaings
With only walls of bricks as a view
Où déambule l'ennui et se traînent des destins
Where boredom strolls and fates drag
Le samedi après-midi, prendre des souterrains
On Saturday afternoons, taking the underground
Aller voir où ça vit de l'autre côté, ligne un
Going to the other side of Line 1 to see how life is like
Châtelet
Châtelet
Châtelet les Halles
Châtelet les Halles
Station balnéaire
Seaside resort
Mais où y a pas la mer
But where there is no sea
Comme de banlieue la plage
Like the beach of the suburbs
Voir un peu de bleu
To see a bit of blue
Échouer sa galère
To strand one's troubles
Marquer son passage
To leave one's mark
Suivre les tags quand y a plus de repères
Following the graffiti when there are no more landmarks
Châtelet, la fin du voyage
Châtelet, the end of the journey
C'est pas ici Tahiti mais c'est toujours mieux que rien
It's not Tahiti here, but it's still better than nothing
Les baskets sur le parvis ne vont jamais très loin
The sneakers on the square never go very far
On y piétine les débris et les abris clandestins
Where debris and secret shelters are trampled
Éprouvant même du mépris à ceux qui tendent la main
Even feeling disdain for those who lend a hand
De Harlem à Paris, s'engouffrer dans un train
From Harlem to Paris, to hop on a train
Puis un couloir qu'on suit, ne pas aller plus loin, ligne un
Then following a corridor, not going any further, on Line 1
La fin du voyage
The end of the journey
La fin du voyage
The end of the journey
La fin du voyage
The end of the journey
Châtelet
Châtelet
Châtelet les Halles
Châtelet les Halles
Station balnéaire
Seaside resort
Châtelet les Halles
Châtelet les Halles
Fin du voyage (Châtelet les Halles)
End of the journey (Châtelet les Halles)
Station balnéaire
Seaside resort
Châtelet les Halles
Châtelet les Halles
La fin du voyage
The end of the journey
Lyrics © ATLETICO MUSIC
Written by: Calogero Maurici, Francis Maggiulli, Lionel Florence, Maurici Gioacchino
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Danyle Ferreira
On ne se lasse pas de l'écouter 😍 sur scène c'est une petite pépite 👍 A très vite. Pensons bien fort à vous 😍😍❤️❤️
Hugo Sahki
🥰🎶
hugo nicolas
du lourd ce mec ,un des tout meilleurs de sa generation!
Evelyne Heguiaphal
J'adore cette chanson Florent Pagny a une voix talentueuse beaucoup de force et courage à vous et votre famille
Mne209_
Il m’est impossible de pas penser à Florent et cette chanson quand je vais à Paris. Et quand je descends à la Station Châtelet Les Halles mon esprit est complètement ailleurs. Merci pour ce partage.
Damien Deloche
Super chanson. Admirable Florent. Je te souhaite le meilleur
catherine pelletier
La guérison Florent , je vous souhaite le meilleur vous et votre famille !
Yvonne Maugère
Magnifique chanson j'adore l'écouter merci florent
mini fishy 2.0
Florent Pagny est a mon sens la plus grande voie Française
Hugo Sahki
🥰🎶