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.
La Fenêtre
Guy Béart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ses chaussures, ses chaussures
Le monde a mal aux pieds
Ses chaussures sont serrées
Il a beau s'en acheter de nouvelles
Il grandit bien trop vite pour elles
Il a beau les prévoir sans lacets
C'est des bottes de sept lieues qu'il faudrait
Où est la fenêtre, que je l'ouvre un peu ?
Elle est là peut-être, dans tes yeux
Le monde a mal aux genoux
Ça cavale, ça cavale
Le monde a mal aux genoux
Ça cavale comme fou
Il a beau monter sur sa machine
Pour la faire tourner il s'échine
Il a beau s'arrêter sur un banc
V'là le banc qui se met en mouvement
Où est la fenêtre, que je l'ouvre un peu ?
Elle est là peut-être, dans tes yeux
Le monde a mal aux dents
Elles lui poussent, elles lui poussent
Le monde a mal aux dents
Elles lui poussent en même temps
Il a beau s'arracher les molaires
Elles lui poussent à nouveau de travers
Il a beau préserver ses racines
V'là ses dents de sagesse qui le minent
Où est la fenêtre, que je l'ouvre un peu ?
Elle est là peut-être, dans tes yeux
Le monde a mal au corps
Sa chemise, sa chemise
Le monde a mal au corps
Sa chemise l'étrangle à mort
Il a beau couper son col ses manches
Elles l'étranglent à nouveau à la hanche
Il a beau jeter tous ses vêtements
Il a mal à sa peau maintenant
Où est la fenêtre, que je l'ouvre un peu ?
Elle est là peut-être, dans tes yeux
Le monde a mal au cœur
À la foire, à la foire
Le monde a mal au cœur
À la foire des malheurs
Il a beau répéter qu'il s'en fout
Il se sent accroché malgré tout
Il a beau vouloir prendre la fuite
Il est là vissé sur le grand huit
Fais sauter en marche, vienne que pourra
Pour rejoindre l'arche de tes bras
The song "La fenêtre" by Guy Béart tells the story of a world in pain. The pain is personified through different parts of the body that are hurting - the feet, knees, teeth, body, and heart. The pain is metaphorical for the struggles and discomfort that people feel in their daily lives. The world's shoes are too tight and uncomfortable, representing the feeling of being trapped in a job or a routine. The world's knees are hurting from running too much, representing the pressure to keep up with the fast pace of life. The world's teeth are growing in the wrong way, representing the difficulties that people face when making decisions or facing challenges. The world's body is suffocating under clothes, representing the pressure to look and act a certain way. And the world's heart is hurting from the emotional pain of life, represented by the "foire des malheurs" (fair of misfortunes).
The repeated refrain "Où est la fenêtre, que je l'ouvre un peu?" (Where is the window, let me open it a bit?) represents the need for relief and release from the pain. The window symbolizes an escape from the suffocating and painful world outside. The window could also represent a connection to someone else, with the line "elle est là peut-être, dans tes yeux" (it might be there, in your eyes) suggesting that finding a connection with someone can ease the pain.
Overall, the song is a poignant commentary on the struggles of life and the need for connection and relief from pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Le monde a mal aux pieds
The world is tired and hurting from walking too much
Ses chaussures, ses chaussures
Its shoes are causing the pain
Ses chaussures sont serrées
The shoes are too tight
Il a beau s'en acheter de nouvelles
Even if the world buys new shoes
Il grandit bien trop vite pour elles
It grows too fast to fit them
Il a beau les prévoir sans lacets
Even if it plans to buy shoes without laces
C'est des bottes de sept lieues qu'il faudrait
It needs boots that can take big leaps
Où est la fenêtre, que je l'ouvre un peu ?
Where is the window, so I can open it and breathe?
Elle est là peut-être, dans tes yeux
It may be in your eyes
Le monde a mal aux genoux
The world's knees are hurting
Ça cavale, ça cavale
It runs fast
Ça cavale comme fou
It runs like a crazy person
Il a beau monter sur sa machine
Even if it tries to ride a bicycle
Pour la faire tourner il s'échine
It struggles to make it work
Il a beau s'arrêter sur un banc
Even if it stops to rest on a bench
V'là le banc qui se met en mouvement
The bench starts moving on its own
Le monde a mal aux dents
The world's teeth are hurting
Elles lui poussent, elles lui poussent
They are growing, they are growing
Elles lui poussent en même temps
They are all growing at the same time
Il a beau s'arracher les molaires
Even if it tries to pull out the molars
Elles lui poussent à nouveau de travers
New ones are growing crooked
Il a beau préserver ses racines
Even if it tries to protect its roots
V'là ses dents de sagesse qui le minent
Its wisdom teeth are causing it pain
Le monde a mal au corps
The world's body is in pain
Sa chemise, sa chemise
Its shirt is causing it pain
Sa chemise l'étrangle à mort
The shirt is suffocating it
Il a beau couper son col ses manches
Even if it cuts the collar and sleeves
Elles l'étranglent à nouveau à la hanche
They again tighten around the hips
Il a beau jeter tous ses vêtements
Even if it throws away all its clothes
Il a mal à sa peau maintenant
Its skin hurts now
Le monde a mal au cœur
The world's heart is in pain
À la foire, à la foire
At the fair, at the fair
À la foire des malheurs
At the fair of misfortunes
Il a beau répéter qu'il s'en fout
Even if it keeps saying it doesn't care
Il se sent accroché malgré tout
It still feels trapped
Il a beau vouloir prendre la fuite
Even if it tries to run away
Il est là vissé sur le grand huit
It's still stuck on the rollercoaster
Fais sauter en marche, vienne que pourra
Jump in and see what happens
Pour rejoindre l'arche de tes bras
To be in your arms
Contributed by Levi C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.