Georges Moustaki (1934-2013) was a singer-songwriter of Greek Jewish origin… Read Full Bio ↴Georges Moustaki (1934-2013) was a singer-songwriter of Greek Jewish origin.

Moustaki was born Yussef Mustacchi on the 3rd May 1934 in Alexandria, Egypt, of Sephardic Jewish parents who had moved there from Corfu, and who ran a bookshop in the city. The family spoke Italian at home, but Georges (then Yussef) spoke Arabic with his friends and attended a French school to which his Francophile parents sent him and his sisters. In 1951 he moved to Paris, where he was inspired by the young Georges Brassens, in honour of whom he changed his name to Georges Moustaki.

Moustaki wrote and sang in French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, English, Yiddish, and Arabic. Early influences included Edith Piaf, with whom Moustaki carried on a year-long romance. His pan-national approach to music made him a star in Europe in the late sixties and early seventies.

He died on the 23rd May 2013 in Nice, France.

On L'Appelle Folie
Georges Moustaki Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Elle est là elle passe elle rôde
Elle frappe autour de nous en jouant à la main chaude
Elle choisit son moment
Elle choisit ses amants
En esclave souveraine
Et ceux qui s'en croient maîtres
Finissent par se soumettre
À son règne

On l'appelle folie
On l'appelle on la fuit

On croit la tenir elle s‘envole
Elle est rusée la guêpe elle n’est pas du tout folle
Quand tout le monde se tait
Elle dit la vérité
Elle inspire les révoltes
Des poètes maudits
Qui redonnent la vie
À l’espérance morte

On l‘appelle folie
On l'appelle on la fuit

Elle connait tous les artifices
Pour me faire passer par ses mille caprices
Elle choisit mes ivresses
Elle me hante et me dresse
Me détruit et m’enflamme
Quand j’ai du mal à vivre
C‘est elle qui me délivre
Et apaise mon âme

On l‘appelle folie
On l'appelle on la fuit!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Georges Moustaki's song "On L'Appelle Folie" describe the concept of madness as a powerful entity that surrounds us, choosing its moments and its lovers as a sovereign slave. Madness is a force that nobody can truly comprehend or control, as it is always choosing its own path and acting in unexpected ways. The song also highlights the paradoxical nature of madness: while it inspires poets and rebels to fight against the darkness of the world and restores hope to the hopeless, it also destroys and consumes those who are unable to resist its charms.

The refrain of the song, "On l'appelle folie, on l'appelle on la fuit" (We call it madness, we call it running away) represents the audience's fear of madness and the subsequent running away from it. In a way, it is a reminder that madness is not something to be taken lightly or dismissed as unimportant.

The lyrics also suggest that madness is an integral part of life that cannot be escaped. It is everywhere, always present, always lurking, ready to take hold of those who are vulnerable or unsuspecting. It is a force that is both terrifying and alluring, and the song serves as a reminder to embrace the madness instead of running from it.

Line by Line Meaning

Elle est là elle passe elle rôde
She is here, she passes, she prowls

Elle frappe autour de nous en jouant à la main chaude
She strikes around us while playing hot hands

Elle choisit son moment
She chooses her moment

Elle choisit ses amants
She chooses her lovers

En esclave souveraine
As a sovereign slave

Et ceux qui s'en croient maîtres
And those who believe themselves to be masters

Finissent par se soumettre
Eventually submit to her rule

À son règne
To her reign

On l'appelle folie
She is called madness

On l'appelle on la fuit
She is called, and then she is fled

On croit la tenir elle s‘envole
We think we have her, but she escapes