Francis Lai (Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France, 26 April 1932 - 7 November 2018… Read Full Bio ↴Francis Lai (Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France, 26 April 1932 - 7 November 2018) was a French composer, noted for his film scores.

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).

Un homme et une femme vingt Ans déjà
Francis Lai Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Comme nos voix, ba da ba da da da da da da
Chantent tout bas, ba da ba da da da da da da
Nos cœurs y voient, ba da ba da da da da da da
Comme une chance, comme un espoir
Comme nos voix, ba da ba da da da da da da
Nos cœurs y croient, ba da ba da da da da da da
Encore une fois, ba da ba da da da da da da
Tout recommence, la vie repart

Combien de joies
Bien des drames
Et voilà
C'est une longue histoire
Un homme
Une femme
Ont forgé la trame du hasard

Comme nos voix
Nos cœurs y voient
Encore une fois
Comme une chance
Comme un espoir

Comme nos voix
Nos cœurs en joie
On fait le choix
D'une romance
Qui passait là

Chance qui passait là
Chance pour toi et moi, ba da ba da da da da da da

Toi et moi, ba da ba da da da da da da
Toi et Toi, et moi

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Francis Lai & Nicole Croisille's song Un Homme Et Une Femme (A Man and a Woman) capture the romantic essence of two people falling in love amidst the ups and downs of life. The first verse describes how the voices of the two people, "sing softly" (chantent tout bas), conveying a sense of intimacy and closeness. The hearts of the two people see this as a chance, a hope for something more. The repetition of "ba da ba da da da da da da" creates a sense of rhythm and momentum, as if the couple is moving forward together.

The second verse delves deeper into the complexities of life, with its many joys and sorrows. The man and woman at the center of the song have experienced both, but despite it all, they've come together and created a "long story" (une longue histoire), with its twists and turns traced to random chance. The refrain repeats, with the added line "On fait le choix" (We make the choice), emphasizing the power of choice in love and life.

The song captures the magic of falling in love and the hope of new beginnings, all while acknowledging the complexities of life. It's a timeless classic that continues to inspire romance and nostalgia.

Line by Line Meaning

Comme nos voix, ba da ba da da da da da da
Just like our voices that hum along to the music, we are singing a soft melody in our hearts

Chantent tout bas, ba da ba da da da da da da
Our hearts are humming a subtle tune of love

Nos cœurs y voient, ba da ba da da da da da da
Our hearts can see the possibility of hope and love

Comme une chance, comme un espoir
We feel this as a chance, a possibility of hope

Comme nos voix, ba da ba da da da da da da
Just like our voices that hum along to the music, our hearts are full of belief

Nos cœurs y croient, ba da ba da da da da da da
Our hearts believe in this chance of happiness

Encore une fois, ba da ba da da da da da da
Once again, we are willing to try and take a chance on love

Tout recommence, la vie repart
Life starts anew as we embark on this journey of love

Combien de joies
Despite the many joys that we find in life

Bien des drames
And the many tragedies we face

Et voilà
Here we are