While in his twenties, Lai left home and went to Paris, where he became part of the lively Montmartre music scene. In 1965 he met filmmaker Claude Lelouch and was hired to help write the score for the film A Man and a Woman. Released in 1966, the film was a major international success, earning a number of Academy Awards. The young Lai received a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Original Score". This initial success brought more opportunities to work for the film industry both in his native France, where he continued to work with Lelouch on scores to films such as Vivre pour vivre (1967), Un homme qui me plaît (1969), Le voyou (1970) and La bonne année (1973), as well as in Great Britain and the United States. He is known for his support of Mireille Mathieu in many compositions and recordings. In 1970 he wrote the score for director René Clément's film, Rider on the Rain ("Le passager de la pluie"). It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc in September 1971.
In 1970 Lai won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film Love Story. In the United States, the soundtrack album went to No. 2 in the Billboard album charts and the film's theme, "Where Do I Begin", was a hit single with lyrics by Carl Sigman for traditional pop singer Andy Williams. The song would also be recorded successfully by Lai himself, with a full orchestra, and by Henry Mancini and Shirley Bassey. Lai's "Love Story" theme was heard in the 1978 Love Story sequel titled Oliver's Story, although the main score was composed by Lee Holdridge.
His movie scores include films as diverse as Mayerling, Three into Two Won't Go, International Velvet, Édith et Marcel, and Michael Winner films such as I'll Never Forget What's'isname and Hannibal Brooks. Lai has also had success with music written for softcore erotic films like Emmanuelle 2 (1975) and Bilitis (1977). He earned high praise for the latter film's score and its sound-track sold over a million copies throughout the world.
His composition "Aujourd'hui C'est Toi" (Today It's You) is probably best known in the UK as the theme music for the long-running BBC television current affairs documentary series Panorama.
In a career spanning forty years, Lai has also written music for television programs and alone or in collaboration with others has composed music for more than one hundred films and has personally written more than six hundred songs. Notably, he penned the music for the Perry Como hit "I Think of You" (lyrics by Rod McKuen).
Le passager de la pluie
Francis Lai Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
comme par surprise
elle est chez nous et comme un rite
qui nous enlise
les parapluies s'ouvrent en cadence
comme une danse,
les gouttes tombent en abondance
sur douce France.
Tombe tombe tombe la pluie
en ce jour de dimanche de décembre
à l'ombre des parapluies
les passants se pressent pressent pressent sans attendre
On l'aime parfois elle hausse la voix
elle nous bouscule
elle ne donne plus de ses nouvelles
en canicule
puis elle revient comme un besoin
par affection
et elle nous chante sa grande chanson
l'inondation
Tombe tombe tombe la pluie
en ce jour de dimanche de décembre,
à l'ombre des parapluies
les passants se pressent, pressent, pressent sans attendre
Tombe tombe tombe la pluie
en ce jour de dimanche de décembre
à l'ombre des parapluies
les passants se pressent pressent pressent sans attendre
et tombe
et tombe
et tombe, tombe
et tombe
et tombe
et tombe...
The lyrics to Francis Lai's "Le passager de la pluie" describe the arrival of rain as something both surprising and familiar. The rain appears suddenly and enmeshes everyone in a ritual, causing the opening of umbrellas to follow a cadenced dance. The singer notes that people have learned to love the rain, even when it annoys them. It has a voice, a will, and a great song to sing, announcing its presence with abundant drops that fall on the sweet land of France. The rain is a powerful force, disrupting the heat with its cool touch and returning when people least expect it.
The verse repeats the line "Tombe tombe tombe la pluie" (The rain falls, falls, falls), accompanied by a description of a December Sunday where people are huddled under umbrellas, rushing to get somewhere without waiting. The chorus is a refrain from the verse that repeats the same line again, increasing the sense of urgency and precipitation.
The song's lyrics are a bittersweet reminder of the many moods and effects that rain can have on people, from annoyance to joy to relief to melancholy. It's a timeless observation that Lai's music underscores with a simple melody and sparse orchestration, letting the lyrics speak with clarity and resonance.
Line by Line Meaning
Le ciel est gris la pluie s'invite
The sky is grey and the rain unexpectedly appears without invitation.
comme par surprise
Just like a pleasant surprise
elle est chez nous et comme un rite
The rain is here with us like a traditional ritual
qui nous enlise
That entangles us.
les parapluies s'ouvrent en cadence
Umbrellas open rhythmically
comme une danse,
Like a dance
les gouttes tombent en abondance
Water drops keep falling copiously
sur douce France.
Over sweet France.
Tombe tombe tombe la pluie
The rain keeps falling
en ce jour de dimanche de décembre
On this December Sunday
à l'ombre des parapluies
Under the shadow of umbrellas
les passants se pressent pressent pressent sans attendre
Passers-by hurry quickly without waiting.
On l'aime parfois elle hausse la voix
Sometimes we like it when it raises its voice
elle nous bouscule
As it jostles us.
elle ne donne plus de ses nouvelles
Sometimes we don't hear from it for a while
en canicule
During heatwaves
puis elle revient comme un besoin
Then it comes back like a need
par affection
Out of affection
et elle nous chante sa grande chanson
And sings to us its great song
l'inondation
The flood
et tombe et tombe et tombe, tombe et tombe et tombe...
And keeps falling, falling, and falling...
Contributed by Penelope D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Àngelique Przybyla
Le film,la musique et les acteurs sont tout simplement parfait !c'est un film époustouflant !j'adore❤️
Satta Paul
La voix fantastiquement belle et le mot est faible, de la très grande Nicole Croisille qui est pour moi l'incarnation de la classe et du talent marié avec une chanson parfaitement merveilleuse sur une
musique de l'immense Francis Lai c'est un chef d'oeuvre d'harmonie et de beauté je ne cesse de
l'écouter c'est plus que beau c'est merveilleux il y a eu d'autre interprète mais Nicole Croisille et de
loin la meilleure.
FLEURDESCIEUX
J'aime ce film, et j'aime la chanson. Et des acteurs excellents Charles Bronson et Marlène Jobert, toute une ambiance ! Parfait pour un été.
Loch Vàth Train Video
@Les Amis de la cuisine provençale très précisément sur la Presqu’île de Giens, la Capte, et Hyères. Magnifique film !
MrLinoventura
gros succès à l'époque !
Les Amis de la cuisine provençale
Une très grande partie du film a été tournée dans le Var. J'adore aussi ce film. L'atmosphère lourde et le jeu des acteurs sont un pur bijou ! Mention formidable pour Annie Cordy, la maman de Marlène Jobert...
María del Carmen Coppa
Qué magnífica película. Interpretaciones impecables de Charles Bronson y Marlene Jobert.
María del Carmen Coppa
Una música de fondo dulce, emotiva y de mucha vida. Los diálogos y silencios justos para impresionar emotivamente.
rayan chihab
J'ai adoré le film,c'est un Masterpiece
Titus Bondi Tafichazo
Aventura, acción, romance y amor..
Es lo que denota está música