Salvador recorded several songs written with Boris Vian with Quincy Jones as arranger.
In the 60's Salvador was the television host of several popular TV variety shows on French TV.
Henri Salvador and his song "Dans mon île" (1957) is said to have unwittingly inspired bossa nova in Brazil, as Carlos Tom Jobim would have exclaimed on hearing the song "This is what you have to do! Slow down the tempo of samba, add a good melody and top it with beautiful chords!"
Caetano Veloso, a renowned brasilian composer and singer, made a direct reference at Salvador in his song "Reconvexo" : "quem não sentiu o swing de Heri Salvador ?" (who hasn't felt the swing of Henri Salvador ?)
In (1964) Henri Salvador scored a popular French hit with "Zorro est arrivé" (which was inspired by the English song "Along Came Jones"). His song "Mais non, mais non" (1969) inspired Jim Henson' song Mahna Mahna. These kind of comedy songs made him well known in France. He is also famous for his good nature and rich, catchy laugh, which is a standalone feature in many of his humoristic songs.
He has a brother, André, and a sister Alice. He became a musician and comedian. Later he uncovered new French talents Keren Ann and Art Mengo.
Ma Louise
Henri Salvador Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que partout où je suis
Ton prénom, ton prénom charmant
Me hante et me poursuit
Les fleurs et la brise, les petits grillons
Les coccinelles, les mouches, les moucherons
Et les pinsons chantent ton nom
Les cloches de l'église, celles de la prison
Dans les tintins de leurs gais carillons
Me remémorent aussi ton nom
Oh, ma Louison !
Quand j' me vaporise, mon vaporisateur
Redit "Lou, Louise" et parfume mon cœur
Et, douce surprise, quand nous voyageons
J'entends crier les essieux des wagons
Ils me redisent toujours ton nom
Oh, ma Louison !
À l'orchestre ou bien au balcon
De l'Opéra-comique
C'est toujours, c'est toujours ton nom
Que me dit la musique
C'est une hantise, j'en perds la raison
Qu'on joue Lakmé, la Tosca ou Mignon
Qu'on joue Manon, ça se confond
J'entends "Louise" !
Les violons me disent comme les bassons
La contrebasse, le tambour, le piston
À l'unisson ton joli nom
Oh, ma Louison !
Quelle chose exquise, les jumelles que j' loue
En s'ouvrant me disent "Ma Lou, ma Loulou"
Mon devant d' chemise, qui a trop d'empois
Quand je remue, me parle encore de toi
Oui, mon plastron me dit ton nom
Oh, ma Louison !
In Henri Salvador's song Ma Louise, the singer expresses his deep love and obsession for Louise or Louison. He claims that he loves her so much that wherever he goes, her charming name haunts and pursues him. He hears her name in everything around him, from the flowers, the breeze, the small crickets, the larks to the church bells and prison bells. Even his vaporizer says her name, and the train wheels shout her name whenever they travel together. The singer's obsession with Louise is also evident when he visits the Opera, and no matter what show is playing, he hears only her name. Even his belongings speak her name, like his shirt front, which has become overly marred, whispers only her name.
The song's lyrics form a beautiful and playful love story that portrays the endurance of love's impact on a person's psyche. Ma Louise tells a relatable story of how love can capture someone's heart and mind to the point where the loved one's memory becomes a permanent fixture in one's life. The use of various everyday occurrences to express Louise's presence in the singer's life is amusing and creative. The lyrics have a hypnotic rhythm and tone that enhances the emotion the singer feels towards Louise.
Line by Line Meaning
Mon amour, je t'aime tellement
I love you so much, my darling
Que partout où je suis
That wherever I am
Ton prénom, ton prénom charmant
Your charming name, your name
Me hante et me poursuit
Haunts me and pursues me
Les fleurs et la brise, les petits grillons
The flowers and the breeze, the little crickets
Les coccinelles, les mouches, les moucherons
The ladybugs, the flies, the midges
Et les pinsons chantent ton nom
And the finches sing your name
Oh, ma Louise !
Oh, my Louise!
Les cloches de l'église, celles de la prison
The church bells, those of the prison
Dans les tintins de leurs gais carillons
In the jingling of their joyful chimes
Me remémorent aussi ton nom
Also remind me of your name
Oh, ma Louison !
Oh, my Louison!
Quand j' me vaporise, mon vaporisateur
When I spray myself with my atomizer
Redit "Lou, Louise" et parfume mon cœur
It repeats "Lou, Louise" and perfumes my heart
Et, douce surprise, quand nous voyageons
And, sweet surprise, when we travel
J'entends crier les essieux des wagons
I hear the axles of the wagons shriek
Ils me redisent toujours ton nom
They always repeat your name to me
Oh, ma Louison !
Oh, my Louison!
À l'orchestre ou bien au balcon
In the orchestra or in the balcony
De l'Opéra-comique
Of the Opéra-comique
C'est toujours, c'est toujours ton nom
It's always, always your name
Que me dit la musique
That the music tells me
C'est une hantise, j'en perds la raison
It's an obsession, I lose my mind
Qu'on joue Lakmé, la Tosca ou Mignon
Whether they play Lakmé, Tosca or Mignon
Qu'on joue Manon, ça se confond
Whether they play Manon, it's confused
J'entends "Louise" !
I hear "Louise"!
Les violons me disent comme les bassons
The violins tell me, just like the bassoons
La contrebasse, le tambour, le piston
The double bass, the drum, the piston
À l'unisson ton joli nom
In unison, your beautiful name
Oh, ma Louison !
Oh, my Louison!
Quelle chose exquise, les jumelles que j' loue
What an exquisite thing, the binoculars that I rent
En s'ouvrant me disent "Ma Lou, ma Loulou"
When they pop open, they say "My Lou, my Loulou"
Mon devant d' chemise, qui a trop d'empois
My shirt front, which has too much froufrou
Quand je remue, me parle encore de toi
When I move, still speaks to me of you
Oui, mon plastron me dit ton nom
Yes, my shirt front tells me your name
Oh, ma Louison !
Oh, my Louison!
Contributed by Cole K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.