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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Le Serpent Qui Danse
François Feldman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De ton corps si beau,
Comme une étoffe vacillante,
Miroiter la peau !
Sur ta chevelure profonde
Aux âcres parfums,
Mer odorante et vagabonde
Comme un navire qui s'éveille
Au vent du matin,
Mon âme rêveuse appareille
Pour un ciel lointain.
Tes yeux, où rien ne se révèle
De doux ni d'amer,
Sont deux bijoux froids où se mêle
L'or avec le fer
A te voir marcher en cadence,
Belle d'abandon,
On dirait un serpent qui danse
Au bout d'un bâton.
Sous le fardeau de ta paresse
Ta tête d'enfant
Se balance avec la mollesse
D'un jeune éléphant,
Et ton corps se penche et s'allonge
Comme un fin vaisseau
Qui roule bord sur bord et plonge
Ses vergues dans l'eau.
Comme un flot grossi par la fonte
Des glaciers grondants,
Quand l'eau de ta bouche remonte
Au bord de tes dents,
Je crois boire un vin de Bohème,
Amer et vainqueur
Un ciel liquide qui parsème
D'étoiles mon cœur !
These lyrics are from the poem "L'Invitation au voyage" by Charles Baudelaire and were later adapted into a song by François Feldman. It is a sensual and dreamy piece, conveying a desire for escape and a longing for beauty. The song describes the singer's admiration of a beautiful, indolent woman, whose skin shimmers like a swaying fabric. The woman's hair is compared to a deep, fragrant ocean, and her eyes are described as cold jewels, an unchanging contrast to her fluid movements. She seems to the singer like a snake charmer's serpent, swaying to an unseen rhythm.
Line by Line Meaning
Que j'aime voir, chère indolente,
I love to see, dear lazy one,
De ton corps si beau,
Of your such beautiful body,
Comme une étoffe vacillante,
Like a flickering fabric,
Miroiter la peau !
Glistening the skin!
Sur ta chevelure profonde
On your deep hair
Aux âcres parfums,
With bitter smells,
Mer odorante et vagabonde
Fragrant and wandering sea
Aux flots bleus et bruns,
With blue and brown waves,
Comme un navire qui s'éveille
Like a ship that awakens
Au vent du matin,
In the morning breeze,
Mon âme rêveuse appareille
My dreamy soul starts sailing
Pour un ciel lointain.
Towards a distant sky.
Tes yeux, où rien ne se révèle
Your eyes, where nothing is revealed
De doux ni d'amer,
Of sweet or bitter,
Sont deux bijoux froids où se mêle
Are two cold jewels where mingle
L'or avec le fer
Gold with iron.
A te voir marcher en cadence,
Watching you walk in rhythm,
Belle d'abandon,
Beautiful of abandonment,
On dirait un serpent qui danse
It looks like a dancing serpent
Au bout d'un bâton.
At the end of a stick.
Sous le fardeau de ta paresse
Under the burden of your laziness
Ta tête d'enfant
Your child-like head
Se balance avec la mollesse
Swings with softness,
D'un jeune éléphant,
Like that of a young elephant,
Et ton corps se penche et s'allonge
And your body leans and stretches
Comme un fin vaisseau
Like a slender vessel
Qui roule bord sur bord et plonge
That rolls side to side and dives
Ses vergues dans l'eau.
Its yards in the water.
Comme un flot grossi par la fonte
Like a flow swollen by the melting
Des glaciers grondants,
Of roaring glaciers,
Quand l'eau de ta bouche remonte
When the water from your mouth rises
Au bord de tes dents,
At the edge of your teeth,
Je crois boire un vin de Bohème,
I feel like drinking a Bohemian wine,
Amer et vainqueur
Bitter and victorious
Un ciel liquide qui parsème
A liquid sky that sprinkles
D'étoiles mon cœur !
My heart with stars!
Contributed by Chase C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jérôme P
Quelle merveille !! Sa meilleure avec 'You want every night'.
nacera merbouh
Lourd
François Feldman
merci Keny