Long-time collaborators include trumpeter Mark Isham; guitarist Lone Kent; cellist and singer Caroline Lavelle; trumpeter Christian Lechevretel, who has appeared on all of Zazou's albums after Sahara Blue; clarinetist and flutist Renaud Pion, who has appeared on all of Zazou's albums since Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses; drummer Bill Rieflin; and Japanese recording artist Ryuichi Sakamoto.
His discography demonstrates his affinity for cross-cultural collaborations, and incorporating modern techniques and sounds in re-recordings of traditional material. He was influenced by Peter Gabriel's album Passion in his fusion of musical polarities (traditional and modern, electronic and acoustic) on his own album Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses.
Zazou regards his work during the 1980s as his time of apprenticeship in the studio. On his 1986 album, Reivax au Bongo, he experimented with fusing classical vocals with an electronic backdrop. On his 1989 album, Géologies, he combined electronic music with a string quartet.
The albums that he has released under his own name from the 1990s onwards are usually concept albums that draw from literary or folk sources and revolve around a specific theme. The collection of songs on each album assemble contributions from a diverse and global range of pop, folk, world music, avant-garde, and classical recording acts.
Zazou's 1992 offering, Sahara Blue, was based on an idea by Jacques Pasquier. Pasquier suggested Zazou commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of author Arthur Rimbaud by setting music to Rimbaud's poetry. Contributions included spoken word from Gérard Depardieu, and music by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerard of Dead Can Dance, Tim Simenon, and David Sylvian. He even adapted a traditional Ethiopian song.
In 1994, he released the album Chansons des mers froides (called "Songs from the Cold Seas" for the anglophone market). The album was based on ocean-themed traditional folk songs from northern countries, such as Canada, Finland, Iceland, and Japan. It featured vocals by pop and rock artists such as Björk, Suzanne Vega, John Cale, Värttina, Jane Siberry, and Siouxsie Sioux in addition to recordings of shamanic incantations and lullabies from Ainu, Nanai, Inuit, and Yakut singers. Musicians included Mark Isham, Brendan Perry, and the Balanescu Quartet. A cameraman accompanied Zazou on the project and they shot and recorded in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Japan, Scandinavia, and Siberia. The single "The Long Voyage" was the only song to be an original composition from Zazou. He wrote it in gratitude to his record company Sony who gave him complete artistic liberty.
His 1998 album, Lights in the Dark, showcased ancient Celtic music sung by Irish singers.
Zazou's collaborative 2000 album 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed) with Sandy Dillon was regarded as a financial and critical failure. In the book "Sonora Portraits 2", which accompanies the CD Strong Currents, Zazou says that 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed) was his most elaborate album. He describes it as a work of black humour and regards his instrumental composition "Sombre" on the album as one of his best songs ever.
Strong Currents was released in 2003 and featured an all-female vocal cast which included Laurie Anderson, Melanie Gabriel, Lori Carson, Lisa Germano, Irene Grandi, Jane Birkin, and Caroline Lavelle. Musicians included Ryuichi Sakamoto and Archaea Strings. The album took six years to complete.
In 2004 Zazou released a companion CD of sorts, L'absence, which included instrumentals, many of the same female vocalists that were featured on Strong Currents, and one male vocalist, French singer Edo.
Zazou has recently been a member of the musical collective named Slow Music. The line-up also included Robert Fripp and Peter Buck on guitars, Fred Chalenor on bass, Matt Chamberlain on drums, and Bill Rieflin on keyboards and percussion. He contributed electronics to the group's music, and much of his recent work, including a soundtrack for Carl Théodor Dreyer's silent film La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc and the multimedia collaboration released as a CD in 2006, Quadri+Chromies, has focused on electronic sounds produced on computers.
A number of recent projects are documented on the Music Operator interactive multimedia web site (www.musicoperator.com), which graphically documents his recent collaborations while in the background his recent music plays. In january 2008 Hector Zazou released his newest album, Corps électriques, featuring "one of the original riot grrrls" KatieJane Garside, Bill Rieflin, Lone Kent and fusion jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær.
Hector Zazou died on the 8th of September 2008 at the age of 60 in a hospital in Paris after serious illness.
Porte de Saint-Cloud
Hector Zazou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Solaria on a string
Lovers cling
But did you get on the train?
He's staring back at me
Now the train pulls away
But did you get on the train?
But did you get on the train?
But I'm sure, I'm never sure
Do you know that I played Solaria last night?
The fields are flooded
You make earth rain
And the birds lift
As a manta ray dancing
I hear the air vent
From the hotel room in Piccadilly
More flooding and a skeleton house
And lines across demi fields
We climb higher now
And I think of us in Himalaya
The ice bloom, the dirt cunt
Your eyes watching
Get him off
Get him off
Get him off
Who am I to sink this ship
And spill the blood that's left in it
And who am I to reach down deep
The surface tension all to keep
And who am I beneath this skin
The lies denied, the dice spinning
And who am I to live this life
A lady stinking city queen
What have I done?
What have I done?
And who am I to sink this ship
And spill the blood that's left in it
And who am I to be set free
To twist the knives too cold, too mean
And who am I to be in love with you
When you ask the question, I will too
And who am I to crave the life
The traps I set my alibis
What have I done?
What have I done?
What have I done to you?
And who am I to sink this ship
And spill the blood that's left in it
And who am I to be in love with you
When the cul-de-sac is on my room
And who am I to be set free
From the twisting knives that burn in me
And who am I on bended knee
'Cause I paid the price too sweet to me
What have I done?
What have I done?
What have I done (to you)?
And who am I to sink this ship
And spill the blood that's left in it
And who am I on a crimson tide
To point the finger, question why
And who am I with a blackened heart
Whose lazy sense to tear apart
And who am I to reach down deep
The surface tension bleeds my key
What have I done?
What have I done?
What have I done to you?
What have I done?
What have I done?
What have I done to you?
What have I done?
What have I done?
What have I done to you?
The lyrics of Hector Zazou & Katie Jane Garside’s song Porte de Saint-Cloud are layered with complex emotions and references to unique experiences. The first verse begins with the arrival of a train at the Porte de Saint-Cloud station, and the singer observes two lovers clinging to each other. There is uncertainty if someone got on the train or not. The next few lines narrate a dream-like experience with surreal imagery - flooded fields, manta rays, and skeletons. The singer thinks about being in the Himalayas, where they probably experienced something extraordinary. There is a shadow of fear or danger as the singer pleads to someone to get off something - it is unclear what that is. The entire verse gives a mood of anxiety and uncertainty.
The second part has a series of rhetorical questions, which implore the singer to question their identity and motivations. There is a sense of guilt and confusion about what they have done and what they are capable of doing. The repeated question “What have I done to you?” hints towards some irreparable harm or some wrong that cannot be corrected.
The song has a continual theme of uncertainty, fear, and confusion, with the use of metaphorical imagery. It hints towards a bigger story or a powerful dream-like experience that creates deep emotions of guilt and confusion, with an overarching sense of a wrong that cannot be undone.
Line by Line Meaning
A shock as the train pulls in
The sudden arrival of the train is unexpected and startling
Solaria on a string
A metaphor for feeling controlled and manipulated
Lovers cling
The desperation of two people to stay connected despite an impending separation
But did you get on the train?
Questioning whether or not someone made a crucial decision to leave
He's staring back at me
Feeling observed and potentially judged in a vulnerable moment
Now the train pulls away
The moment of separation has finally arrived
But did you get on the train?
Reiterating the importance of knowing whether someone chose to leave or stay
But I'm sure, I'm never sure
Feeling conflicted and indecisive about one's certainty
Do you know that I played Solaria last night?
A reference to a personal performance, possibly a means of communicating artistic expression
The fields are flooded
A description of a natural disaster or emotional turmoil
You make earth rain
Attributing the cause of the flood to another person's actions or presence
And the birds lift
Nature's response to change or upheaval
As a manta ray dancing
A poetic description of grace and fluidity
I hear the air vent
Paying attention to mundane details in an abnormal environment
From the hotel room in Piccadilly
Specifying the location of the singer
More flooding and a skeleton house
The continuation of a disastrous situation
And lines across demi fields
Visual imagery of the aftermath of a storm or other destructive force
We climb higher now
Moving to an elevated perspective, both literally and metaphorically
And I think of us in Himalaya
Remembering past experiences in a far-off location
The ice bloom, the dirt cunt
Unusual sensory descriptions that might symbolize physical or emotional pain
Your eyes watching
Feeling observed or scrutinized
Get him off
Appealing to someone else to remove an unwanted presence or action
Who am I to sink this ship
Asking if one has the power or authority to cause disaster
And spill the blood that's left in it
The potential consequences of causing harm
And who am I to reach down deep
Meditating on one's own motivations and capacity for introspection
The surface tension all to keep
Maintaining an equilibrium even when it feels fragile
And who am I beneath this skin
Reflecting on one's true self
The lies denied, the dice spinning
The complexity of self-deception and chance
And who am I to live this life
Questioning one's place in the world
A lady stinking city queen
A self-deprecating title that may convey a sense of disillusionment with one's life
What have I done?
A rhetorical question expressing regret or disappointment
And who am I to be set free
Acknowledging the possibility of liberation
To twist the knives too cold, too mean
Becoming cruel or malicious
And who am I to be in love with you
Questioning the appropriateness or feasibility of a romantic connection
When you ask the question, I will too
Implying a mutual sense of uncertainty or hesitation
And who am I to crave the life
Feeling a sense of longing or desire
The traps I set my alibis
Facing the consequences of one's own actions and excuses
And who am I on a crimson tide
Riding an emotional wave, potentially one of passion or anger
To point the finger, question why
Dissecting what led to a particular event or feeling
And who am I with a blackened heart
Feeling weighed down by negativity or trauma
Whose lazy sense to tear apart
A tendency to destroy or sabotage without effort
The surface tension bleeds my key
Becoming vulnerable and exposed
What have I done to you?
A repeated question expressing remorse or guilt towards another person
Contributed by Charlotte S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.