Born G… Read Full Bio ↴Guy Béart (born July 16, 1930) is a French singer and songwriter.
Born Guy Béhar in Cairo, Egypt, his father's work as an accountant and business consultant saw the family move frequently, leading to a childhood spent in France, Greece, and Mexico, in addition to Egypt. Between the ages of 10 and 17 his family settled in Lebanon where his interest in music developed to the point that he left for Paris to study at the "École nationale de musique". In addition to music, he also obtained a degree in engineering.
When his father died in 1952, the young Guy Béhar chose to pursue a career in engineering in order to help support his family, studying at the prestigious École nationale des ponts et chausées. Simultaneously, however, he enrolled in Paris's École nationale de musique, studying violin and mandolin, and in his spare time wrote songs and worked the Paris cabaret circuit, where he played guitar and sang under the stage name "Guy Béart". When a version of one of his songs by a popular performer of the day became a huge success, demand for his writing talents increased and he composed for Juliette Gréco and others. Taken under the wing of renowned music producer Jacques Canetti and fellow musician Boris Vian, he released an album of his own, which won the prestigious Grand Prix de l'Académie du Disque français in 1958.
Normally shy, Béart initially suffered from stage fright and had a very difficult time during his concert debut at the Paris Olympia. His biggest hit came when he wrote the soundtrack of the 1960 motion picture, L'Eau vive. The title song of the film is considered a classic of what is known as French chanson. Despite his leap to fame, Béart's singing career was soon swamped by the rising tide of American rock and roll. However, reinventing himself as a host of a television show featuring musical stars from a variety of genres, he remained in the public eye and eventually made a recording comeback.
In 1965 he and his wife, Geneviève Galea, had a daughter, Emmanuelle, who would grow up to be an actress.
After Béart's television show ended in 1970, his popularity waned but he continued to record new music that was readily purchased by a loyal following. By the early 1980s he was almost completely out of the spotlight and, although only in his early fifties, he suffered from a number of serious health problems. In 1987, he published a book about his illness entitled L'Espérance folle (Crazy Hope) that, combined with his daughter’s success in the blockbuster film Manon des Sources, brought a resurgence of popularity. More than 25 years after his first appearance at the Paris Olympia, he returned for a series of highly successful performances.
In 1994 Béart was awarded the Grand Prix de l'Académie française in recognition of his achievements over his long career. He continued to perform at a variety of venues around the country and in 1999 did a five-week run at Bobino in Montparnasse that was so popular it allowed for a successful re-release of his double live album recorded at the Olympia.
Now, well into his seventies, he only makes a rare appearance on stage but many of his songs, of which Béart wrote more than 300 himself, are still being purchased by his fans.
Chandernagor
Guy Béart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un Chandernagor de classe
Elle avait, elle avait
Un Chandernagor râblé
Pour moi seul, pour moi seul
Elle découvrait ses cachemires
Ses jardins, ses beau quartiers
Enfin son Chandernagor
Dans ces conditions
D'abandonner les Comptoirs de l'Inde
Elle avait, elle avait
Deux Yanaon de cocagne
Elle avait, elle avait
Deux Yanaon ronds et frais
Et moi seul et moi seul
M'aventurais dans sa brousse
Ses vallées ses vallons
Ses collines de Yanaon
Pas question
Dans ces conditions
D'abandonner les Comptoirs de l'Inde
Elle avait, elle avait
Le Karikal difficile
Elle avait, elle avait
Le Karikal mal luné
Mais la nuit j'atteignais
Son nirvana à heure fixe
Et cela en dépit
De son fichu Karikal
Pas question
Dans ces conditions
D'abandonner les Comptoirs de l'Inde
Elle avait, elle avait
Un petit Mahé fragile
Elle avait, elle avait
Un petit Mahé secret
Mais je dus à la mousson
Éteindre mes feux de Bengale
M'arracher, m'arracher
Aux délices de Mahé
Pas question
Dans ces conditions
De faire long feu dans les Comptoirs de l'Inde
Elle avait, elle avait
Le Pondichéry facile
Elle avait, elle avait
Le Pondichéry accueillant
Aussitôt, aussitôt
C'est à un nouveau touriste
Qu'elle fit voir son comptoir
Sa flore, sa géographie
Pas question
Dans ces conditions
De revoir un jour les Comptoirs de l'Inde
The lyrics of Guy Béart's song Chandernagor describe the singer's lover who possesses various possessions from different cities in India. She has a Chandernagor of class and a Yanaon of luxury, both of which the singer explores with her. They venture into her brousse, her valleys, and her hills of Yanaon. They also struggle with her Karikal and make nightly visits to her nirvana which overcomes the difficulties presented by her Karikal. She also has a fragile and secret Mahé, which they enjoy until the singer has to leave due to the monsoon season. She has a welcoming and easy Pondichéry, which she shows to a new tourist, causing the singer to feel a sense of loss because he knows he will never again revisit the Comptoirs de l'Inde.
The song speaks to a sense of fleetingness or impermanence, with the singer repeatedly saying "pas question" or "no question" of leaving or giving up the Indian possessions that they experience together. However, the underlying sense of transience is acknowledged with the loss of Mahé and knowing they will never return. Béart also uses the possessions as metaphors for the different emotions and experiences the singer has with his lover, ranging from class and luxury to difficulty and secrets.
Line by Line Meaning
Elle avait, elle avait
Un Chandernagor de classe
She had, she had
A prestigious Chandernagor
Elle avait, elle avait
Un Chandernagor râblé
She had, she had
A plump Chandernagor
Pour moi seul, pour moi seul
Elle découvrait ses cachemires
Ses jardins, ses beau quartiers
Enfin son Chandernagor
For me alone, for me alone
She showed me her cashmeres
Her gardens, her beautiful neighborhoods
Finally, her Chandernagor
Pas question
Dans ces conditions
D'abandonner les Comptoirs de l'Inde
No way
Under these circumstances
To abandon the Counting Houses of India
Elle avait, elle avait
Deux Yanaon de cocagne
She had, she had
Two prosperous Yanaons
Elle avait, elle avait
Deux Yanaon ronds et frais
She had, she had
Two round and fresh Yanaons
Et moi seul et moi seul
M'aventurais dans sa brousse
Ses vallées ses vallons
Ses collines de Yanaon
And me alone, just me
Ventured into her wilderness
Her valleys, her hills
Her Yanaon hills
Elle avait, elle avait
Le Karikal difficile
Elle avait, elle avait
Le Karikal mal luné
She had, she had
The difficult Karikal
She had, she had
The ill-tempered Karikal
Mais la nuit j'atteignais
Son nirvana à heure fixe
Et cela en dépit
De son fichu Karikal
But at night, I reached
Her fixed hour of ecstasy
And that despite
Her damn Karikal
Elle avait, elle avait
Un petit Mahé fragile
Elle avait, elle avait
Un petit Mahé secret
She had, she had
A delicate little Mahé
She had, she had
A secret little Mahé
Mais je dus à la mousson
Éteindre mes feux de Bengale
M'arracher, m'arracher
Aux délices de Mahé
But I had to, due to the monsoon
Put out my Bengal fires
Tear myself away, tear myself away
From the delights of Mahé
Elle avait, elle avait
Le Pondichéry facile
Elle avait, elle avait
Le Pondichéry accueillant
She had, she had
The easy Pondicherry
She had, she had
The welcoming Pondicherry
Aussitôt, aussitôt
C'est à un nouveau touriste
Qu'elle fit voir son comptoir
Sa flore, sa géographie
Immediately, immediately
She showed her counting house
Her flora, her geography
To a new tourist
Pas question
Dans ces conditions
De revoir un jour les Comptoirs de l'Inde
No way
Under these circumstances
To ever see the Counting Houses of India again
Contributed by Riley T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lucienlachenal641
que de bon souvenirs cest belle chansons ;;;
@jeanehachette505
Quel grand poète ! Spécialiste des doubles sens....
@camillejanvier7962
Souvenirs...
@KaushikBhakta
অনেক ভালোবাসা কলকাতা থেকে❤️