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
La Terre Tremble
Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La Terre tremble
La Terre tremble
Et tu t'essuies la bouche
Dans ce qui pourrait être l'écharpe
Assassine d'Isadora Duncan
Qui se prit dans les rayons
De la roue
De sa Bugatti
De sa Bugatti
De sa Bugatti
Et qui l'étrangligli
Et qui l'étrangluglu
Et qui l'étranglagla
Et qui l'étranglouglou
Et glou et glou et glou
Qui l'étrangla ah ! Ah !
Enfin bref
La Terre tremble
La Terre tremble
La Terre tremble
Et tu t'essuies la bouche
The opening lines of Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine's song "La Terre Tremble" immediately set the tone for the rest of the song - repetition of the phrase "La Terre tremble" emphasizes a sense of unease and instability. The subsequent lines paint a vivid and disturbing picture of someone wiping their mouth with what could be interpreted as the scarf of dancer Isadora Duncan, who met a gruesome end after her scarf became tangled in the wheels of her car. The repetition of "De sa Bugatti" further emphasizes the sudden and violent nature of her death.
The lyrics then shift abruptly to a series of nonsensical and repetitive syllables - "Et qui l'étrangligli / Et qui l'étrangluglu / Et qui l'étranglagla / Et qui l'étranglouglou / Et glou et glou et glou / Qui l'étrangla ah ! Ah !" - before returning to the repeated refrain "La Terre tremble." The song ends with a terse "et tu t'essuies la bouche," implying a sense of guilt or unease on the part of the singer or subject of the song.
Overall, "La Terre Tremble" presents a fragmented and unsettling view of the world, emphasizing the sudden and unexpected nature of death and other disruptions to the status quo. The repeated use of phrases and sounds creates a sense of unease and almost a sense of chaos, as the listener is never quite sure where the song is going next.
Line by Line Meaning
La Terre tremble
The Earth is shaking with great intensity
La Terre tremble
The Earth is shaking with great intensity
La Terre tremble
The Earth is shaking with great intensity
Et tu t'essuies la bouche
And you wipe your mouth
Dans ce qui pourrait être l'écharpe
With what could be Isadora Duncan's scarf
Assassine d'Isadora Duncan
The murdered scarf of Isadora Duncan
Qui se prit dans les rayons
That got caught in the spokes
De la roue
Of her Bugatti car
De sa Bugatti
Of her Bugatti car
De sa Bugatti
Of her Bugatti car
De sa Bugatti
Of her Bugatti car
Et qui l'étrangligli
And strangling her
Et qui l'étrangluglu
And strangling her
Et qui l'étranglagla
And strangling her
Et qui l'étranglouglou
And strangling her
Et glou et glou et glou
And choking, choking, choking
Qui l'étrangla ah ! Ah !
That strangled her, ah! Ah!
Enfin bref
Anyway
La Terre tremble
The Earth is shaking with great intensity
La Terre tremble
The Earth is shaking with great intensity
La Terre tremble
The Earth is shaking with great intensity
Et tu t'essuies la bouche
And you wipe your mouth
Contributed by Micah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.