Biography
The young François Feldman spent his adolescence listening soul music, including songs by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and James Brown, among other artists. His father gave him his first guitar at fourteen years of age, and François won first prize several times in the radio contests he entered. He created his first group at the age of 14 and appeared in a few clubs. In 1980, Feldman recorded his first song, "You Want Every Night", then "Ma Petite Vidéo" in 1982, "Folle sur les bords" in 1983 summer, "Wally boule noire" and "Obsession" in 1984, and finally "Amour de corridor" in 1985, but all these singles remained unsuccessful.
In 1986, he became famous with his song "Rien que pour toi" which reached number 12 on the SNEP Singles Chart and sold 200,000 units. Thereafter, Feldman had many hits in France, becoming a well established star in France. He has sold very well over his 25-year career, selling about ten million albums in several countries, including Belgium, Italy, Canada and Japan.
Released in 1989, his second studio album entitled Une Présence was more successful and contains several hit singles, such as "Joue pas", recorded as a duet with Joniece Jamison, "Les Valses de Vienne", "Petit Frank" and "C'est toi qui m'as fait" which were all top-2 hits in France. The same year, he wrote the hit single "J'aurais voulu te dire" for Caroline Legrand. This album was followed by Magic Boul'vard, released in 1991, and provided to Feldman a third number one hit in France, "Joy", a song dedicated to the singer's daughter.
Since 1993, and his album Indigo, Feldman has been less successful and unable to repeat his previous feats on the charts. Despite releasing four albums, he has been almost absent from the media and his sales have become more restricted. He currently continues his artistic career giving popular concerts throughout France.
In 2007, "Rien que pour toi" was covered by Tatiana Laurens who took part in the French TV reality show Secret Story.
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Elle Glisse
François Feldman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Emporté dans la lumière
Eros
L'a jetée dans le cosmos
D'un côté le ciel
De l'autre une étincelle
L'espoir
De vivre une autre histoire
Elle glisse
Sur la neige ou l'eau salée
Elle glisse
Assoiffée de liberté
Elle glisse
Sur toutes les pages qu'elle a tournées
Elle glisse
Et rien ne peut l'arrêter
Là où son les signes
Sans attache et sans racine
L'amour
Lui offre un billet de retour
(Lui offre un billet de retour)
Elle glisse
Sur la neige ou l'eau salée
Elle glisse
Assoiffée de liberté
Elle glisse
Sur toutes les pages qu'elle a tournées
Elle glisse
Et rien ne peut l'arrêter
Sur les traces de détresses
Le parfum qu'elle lui laisse
Elle glisse
Sans vertiges et sans regrets
Elle glisse
A trois cent soixante degrés
Sur un océan déchaîné
Elle veut juste l'oublier
Elle glisse
Elle veut juste l'oublier
Elle glisse
Elle veut juste l'oublier yé yé yé yé yé yé oh
Elle glisse
Elle glisse
Elle gisse
Et rien ne peut l'arrêter
Elle glisse
Elle glisse
Et rien ne peut l'arrêter
The lyrics to François Feldman's song "Elle Glisse" describe a woman who is searching for freedom and escaping from a past love. The first stanza describes her as light as air, carried away by the light and thrown into the cosmos by Eros (the Greek god of love). She is torn between the sky and a spark of hope for a new story. The repetition of "elle glisse" (she slides) throughout the song suggests her movement towards this new life; she slides on snow or saltwater, thirsty for freedom, and slides through the pages of her past.
In the second stanza, the lyrics suggest that she is searching for signs and is untethered, but love offers her a return ticket. This can be interpreted as the woman needing to leave behind the memories of a past relationship in order to find herself and move forward. The final stanza continues this theme, describing her as sliding without vertigo or regret, leaving behind a perfume (a reminder of her past love). She slides 360 degrees on a turbulent ocean, determined to forget.
Overall, the lyrics communicate a sense of movement and change. The woman in the song is on a journey towards freedom and is determined to leave her past behind. The repetition of "elle glisse" creates a sense of momentum, as if she is getting further and further away from her past with each slide.
Line by Line Meaning
Plus légère que l'air
She is weightless, unburdened by her past
Emporté dans la lumière
She is propelled forward by a bright future
Eros
Love, the driving force behind her movements
L'a jetée dans le cosmos
Love propels her into the vast unknown, without fear or hesitation
D'un côté le ciel
One side represents limitless possibilities
De l'autre une étincelle
The other side represents a spark of hope
L'espoir
The hope of living a better story
De vivre une autre histoire
Of leaving the past behind and starting anew
Elle glisse
She moves fluidly, without hindrance
Sur la neige ou l'eau salée
Her movements are not limited to any one terrain
Assoiffée de liberté
She craves freedom and independence
Sur toutes les pages qu'elle a tournées
Her life is like a book, with every page turned leading to a new adventure
Et rien ne peut l'arrêter
Nothing can hinder her progress or stop her from following her dreams
Là où son les signes
She follows the signs that lead her to her destiny
Sans attache et sans racine
She is unbound by attachment or roots
Lui offre un billet de retour
Love offers her a way back, a safety net
Sur les traces de détresses
She leaves behind a trail of troubles and woes
Le parfum qu'elle lui laisse
The memory of her lingers, like a fragrance
Sans vertiges et sans regrets
She moves forward without hesitation or regret
A trois cent soixante degrés
She moves in all directions, without limits
Sur un océan déchaîné
Her journey is tumultuous, like a stormy sea
Elle veut juste l'oublier
She desires only to forget and move on from her past
Elle gisse
She slides smoothly, effortlessly
Et rien ne peut l'arrêter yé yé yé yé yé yé oh
Nothing can get in the way of her unstoppable spirit
Contributed by Owen O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.