Mostly shunned by television and radio, he has built through word of mouth and frequent touring a considerable following over the years, which allowed him to fill the 17,000-seater Palais Omnisport de Bercy for an anniversary concert in 1998. In recent years he has been increasingly name-dropped as an influence by the latest generation of performers in France, and was the subject of a tribute album of covers in 2002. He has been performing since the late 1960s and releasing records since 1978.
His parents sent him to a catholic boarding school. He spent few years there, where being singled out by his schoolmates started to be interested in great poets (such as Rimbaud) and writers. The catholic education he received will leave its mark on him. He became nonconformist; he wrote blasphemous lyrics, such as "Au nom du Pere, au nom du vice, au nom des rades et des mégots" (In the name of the Father, in the name of vice, in the name of the cafés and the (cigarette) butts), made biblical and latin references in "Femme de Loth" and many others. Musically, H-FT draws mostly from classic rock, with rare nods to the latest musical trends, and generally leaves the arranging to a collaborator. But his songs are most notable for instantly recognisable lyrics, with their trademarks streams of consciousness, surreal and often extreme or dark imagery, often tinged with comedy, cynicism, literary references, neologisms and liberal use of scientific, long or foreign words. The lyrical mayhem sometimes spreads into comically long song titles, such as Enfermé dans les cabinets (avec la fille mineure des 80 chasseurs), or Exercice de simple provocation avec 33 fois le mot « coupable ».
His avowed influences include Léo Ferré, Lou Reed, and many French, Anglo-saxon and German novelists and poets, with a preference for romantic litterature.
Discography
* 1978 - Tout corps vivant branché sur le secteur étant appelé à s'émouvoir
* 1979 - Autorisation de délirer
* 1980 - De l'amour, de l'art ou du cochon
* 1981 - Dernières balises (avant mutation)
* 1982 - Soleil cherche futur
* 1983 - En concert - live (double album)
* 1984 - Alambic/sortie-sud
* 1986 - En concert vol.2 - live
* 1986 - Météo für nada
* 1988 - Eros über alles
* 1988 - 1978-1983 - compilation
* 1988 - Routes 88 - live
* 1989 - 1984-1988 - compilation
* 1990 - Chroniques bluesymentales
* 1993 - Fragments d'hébétude
* 1995 - Paris-Zénith - live (double album)
* 1996 - La tentation du bonheur
* 1998 - Le bonheur de la tentation
* 1998 - 1978-1998 - compilation
* 1999 - En Concert A Bercy - live (double album)
* 2001 - Défloration 13
* 2002 - Au Bataclan - live
* 2005 - Scandale mélancolique
Garbo XW Machine
Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
sur de longs chemins chaotiques
en transmutant le je en nous
dans une alchimie romantique
mes actions d'amour d'évaluées
m'ont laissé des larmes à credit
& maitenant je viens m'annuler
devant ton lapis lazuli
prends mon pion dans ton circuit
Garbo XW machine
prends mon pion dans ton circuit
j'aime tant ta froideur feminine
prends mon pion dans ton circuit
Garbo XW machine
machine! machine! machine!
ne me dis pas que tu es anglais
ont attaqué ta forteresse
que je dois déclarer forfait
avec mon doberman en laisse
tel un disciple de Jésus
je boirai le sang de ta plaie
& deviendrai le vampire nu
dans le coffre de tes jouets
prends mon pion dans ton circuit
Garbo XW machine
prends mon pion dans ton circuit
j'aime tant ta froideur feminine
prends mon pion dans ton circuit
Garbo XW machine
machine! machine! machine!
je te laisserai me déchirer
m'arracher la chair & les os
me greffer d'infernales idées
dans le gouffre de mon cerveau
tandis que mes doigts sous ta soie
chercheront la corde sensible
celle qui remonte jusqu'à ta voix
en hurlant au coeur de ma cible
prends mon pion dans ton circuit
Garbo XW machine
prends mon pion dans ton circuit
j'aime tant ta froideur feminine
prends mon pion dans ton circuit
Garbo XW machine
machine! machine! machine!
These lyrics in Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine's song Garbo XW Machine describe a visceral love that is dark and twisted. The singer reveals their past experiences living recklessly and selfishly, but now they seek to be annihilated by the Garbo XW Machine's icy and feminine demeanor. The singer is willing to be consumed entirely by the Machine as they promise to drink its blood, become a naked vampire, and let the Machine take them apart piece by piece. The final lines suggest that the singer will allow themselves to be physically and mentally destroyed by the Machine's power while also searching for the vulnerable spots in the Machine's internal workings.
The lyrics convey a sense of intense submission and desire to the Machine, suggesting a loss of individuality and autonomy. The imagery of drinking the Machine's blood and becoming a vampire adds a religious or spiritual dimension to the song. The title Garbo XW Machine refers to a fictional female robot from an old science-fiction movie, which further adds to the song's robotic metaphor for a cold and mechanical love.
Line by Line Meaning
j'ai longtemps kiffé dans la boue
I have enjoyed myself for a long time in the mud
sur de longs chemins chaotiques
On long chaotic paths
en transmutant le je en nous
Transforming the 'I' into 'we'
dans une alchimie romantique
In a romantic alchemy
mes actions d'amour d'évaluées
My acts of love evaluated
m'ont laissé des larmes à credit
Left me tears on credit
& maitenant je viens m'annuler
And now I come to cancel myself
devant ton lapis lazuli
In front of your lapis lazuli
prends mon pion dans ton circuit
Take my pawn in your circuit
Garbo XW machine
Garbo XW machine
j'aime tant ta froideur feminine
I love your feminine coldness so much
machine! machine! machine!
Machine! Machine! Machine!
ne me dis pas que tu es anglais
Don't tell me you're English
ont attaqué ta forteresse
They have attacked your fortress
que je dois déclarer forfait
That I must forfeit
avec mon doberman en laisse
With my Doberman on a leash
tel un disciple de Jésus
Like a disciple of Jesus
je boirai le sang de ta plaie
I will drink the blood from your wound
& deviendrai le vampire nu
And become the naked vampire
dans le coffre de tes jouets
In the chest of your toys
je te laisserai me déchirer
I will let you tear me apart
m'arracher la chair & les os
Rip off my flesh and bones
me greffer d'infernales idées
Graft infernal ideas onto me
dans le gouffre de mon cerveau
In the abyss of my brain
tandis que mes doigts sous ta soie
While my fingers under your silk
chercheront la corde sensible
Will search for the sensitive cord
celle qui remonte jusqu'à ta voix
The one that goes up to your voice
en hurlant au coeur de ma cible
Screaming at the heart of my target
Lyrics © LILITH EROTICA
Written by: Hubert-Félix THIEFAINE, Jean-Philippe NATAF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
chant.tonnant
C'est trop fort ! Texte, interprétation et musique, moi qui n'écoute que peu le rock. L'ensemble transcende le genre. Envoûtant et extra-ordinaire.
Jeremy Etienne
Énorme, du grand Thiefaine! ( monsieur svp )
C' est entraînant et ca file la pêche...
Rien à ajouter
Profitez bien
Marie Huguenard
J'aime beaucoup tant de sous entendu c'est de la poésie sur un sujet si tabou bravo 👏
marcolinux
bien blasphématoire et branché Q façon HFT, on aime !!!
AzureSword
Du sale dans la réalité de la métaphore ça c est de la sémantique
fabien De Ruyck
Génial
Romuald Mayer
bouffe pour chat impossible de resister !
legrand fred
terrible!
Minerva McGonagall
.