Henri Salvador (born July 18, 1917, Cayenne, French Guiana, died February 1… Read Full Bio ↴Henri Salvador (born July 18, 1917, Cayenne, French Guiana, died February 13, 2008, Paris) was a French singer. His father, Clovis, and his mother, Antonine Paterne, daughter of an native Indian from the Caribbean, were both from Guadeloupe.

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.

Rock and Roll Mops
Henri Salvador Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Je l'ai séduite en un instant
Grâce à la lueur que j'ai dans l'oeil
Elle est tombée comme une feuille
Dans mes grands bras d'orang-outan

On s'est aimés comme des dieux
Aznavour en serait resté bleu
Le phono jouait dans un coin

Des airs de jazz qui swinguaient bien
Mais à la fin j'avais si faim
Que j'ai appelé le bar du coin:

Allô dupont
Montez-moi donc
De quoi manger,
Sinon je vais crever
Et qu'est ce qu'il faut vous apporter?
Apportez-moi sans hésiter:

Rock and roll-mops
Avec du pain beurré,
Rock and roll-mops
Et du bifteck haché,
Rock and roll-mops
Avec un oeuf à cheval,
Rock and roll-mops
Je me sens cannibale.

Des escalopes de kangourou
Du sauciflard de sapajou
Du foie de lion aux salsifis
D'la tête au lard aux fruits confits

Et dans un plat
Rien que pour moi
Bien préparé
Pas trop assaisonné

Rock and roll-mops
Ca m'a réconforté,
Rock and roll-mops
Je suis plein à craquer,
Rock and roll-mops
Ma force est décuplée,

Rock and roll-mops
On va retourner s'coucher

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Henri Salvador's song "Rock and Roll Mops" tell a humorous story of seduction and a craving for food. The singer describes how he instantly charmed his love interest with the sparkle in his eye, causing her to fall into his strong orangutan-like arms. They passionately loved each other, so much so that even the renowned singer Aznavour would have been astonished. As jazz music played in the background, the singer's hunger grew, leading him to call the nearby bar and request food before he starved. He then proceeds to order an eccentric meal consisting of rock and roll-mops with buttered bread, minced steak, an egg on horseback, kangaroo escalopes, sapajou bacon, lion's liver with salsify, and lard with candied fruits. After indulging in this extravagant feast, the singer states that he feels rejuvenated and ready to return to bed with his lover.

Overall, the lyrics of "Rock and Roll Mops" depict a whimsical and lighthearted tale of seduction and the power of food to satisfy one's cravings and replenish one's energy.

Line by Line Meaning

Je l'ai séduite en un instant
I seduced her in an instant

Grâce à la lueur que j'ai dans l'oeil
Thanks to the sparkle in my eye

Elle est tombée comme une feuille
She fell like a leaf

Dans mes grands bras d'orang-outan
In my big orangutan arms

On s'est aimés comme des dieux
We loved each other like gods

Aznavour en serait resté bleu
Aznavour would have been amazed

Le phono jouait dans un coin
The phonograph was playing in a corner

Des airs de jazz qui swinguaient bien
Jazzy tunes that swung well

Mais à la fin j'avais si faim
But in the end, I was so hungry

Que j'ai appelé le bar du coin:
That I called the nearby bar

Allô dupont
Hello, Dupont