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
Mathématiques Souterraines
Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Arrachée du soleil
Il pleut toujours sur ta valise
Et t'as mal aux oreilles
Tu zones toujours entre deux durs
Entre deux SOS
Tu veux jouer ton aventure
Mais t'en crèves au réveil
Tu craques ta mélanco
De quatre à cinq heures du matin
Au fond des caboulots
Et tu remontes à contrecœur
L'escalier de service
Tu voudrais qu'y ait des ascenseurs
Au fond des précipices
Oh mais laisse allumé bébé
Y a personne au contrôle
Et les dieux du radar sont tous out
Et toussent et se touchent et se poussent
Et se foutent et se broutent
Oh mais laisse allumé bébé
Y a personne au contrôle
Et les dieux du radar sont tous out
Et toussent et se touchent et se poussent
Et se foutent et se mouchent
Dans la soute à cartouches
Maintenant tu m'offres tes carences
Tu cherches un préambule
Quelque chose qui nous foute en transe
Qui fasse mousser nos bulles
Mais si t'as peur de nos silences
Reprends ta latitude
Il est minuit sur ma fréquence
Et j'ai mal aux globules
Oh mais laisse allumé bébé
Y a personne au contrôle
Et les dieux du radar sont tous out
Et toussent et se touchent et se poussent
Et se foutent et se broutent
Oh mais laisse allumé bébé
Y a personne au contrôle
Et les dieux du radar sont tous out
Et toussent et se touchent et se poussent
Et se foutent et se mouchent
Dans la soute à cartouches
Oh mais laisse allumé bébé
Y a personne au contrôle
Et les dieux du radar sont tous out
Et toussent et se touchent et se poussent
Et se foutent et se mouchent
Oh mais laisse allumé bébé
Y a personne au contrôle
Et les dieux du radar sont tous out
Et toussent et se touchent et se poussent
Et se foutent et se mouchent
Dans la soute à cartouches
Oh mais laisse allumé bébé
Y a personne au contrôle
Et les dieux du radar sont tous out
Et toussent et se touchent et se poussent
Et se foutent et se mouchent
Oh mais laisse allumé bébé
Y a personne au contrôle
Et les dieux du radar sont tous out
Et toussent et se touchent et se poussent
Et se foutent et se mouchent
The lyrics of "Mathématiques Souterraines" by Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine paint a picture of a young girl who is lost and alone in a harsh world. She's been taken away from the sun and is lost in the rain, carrying only her suitcase and some pain in her ears. She wanders aimlessly between two dark places, calling out for help and wanting to play with life. But in the morning, she wakes up feeling empty and invisible, trying to hide her sorrow from the world. She spends her lonely nights in some shady bars, drowning her melancholy with alcohol, hoping to find a way out of her misery. She returns home reluctantly, wishing for an elevator to take her up to a brighter place.
The chorus of the song is a repetition of the phrase "laisse allumé bébé", which means "leave it on, baby". This phrase seems to suggest a desire to hold on to something or someone, to leave the light on in the darkness of life. The metaphor of the "dieux du radar" or radar gods, who are "all out" and coughing and sneezing in the ammunition compartment, adds a touch of surrealism to the song, and highlights the sense of chaos and confusion that pervades the girl's life.
Interestingly, the lyrics of "Mathématiques Souterraines" are infused with mathematical references, such as the title itself, which means "underground mathematics". The song alludes to mathematical concepts like latitude, frequency, and the idea of bubbles "foaming". This use of mathematical metaphors could suggest a sense of order and structure in an otherwise chaotic and unpredictable universe. Furthermore, the song's title is a nod to the French writer Georges Perec, who wrote a novel called "La Vie Mode d'Emploi" (Life: A User's Manual) that contains a chapter titled "Mathématiques Souterraines".
Line by Line Meaning
Pauvre petite fille sans nourrice
The subject is a young girl who is alone and has no one to take care of her.
Arrachée du soleil
She is taken away from happiness and warmth.
Il pleut toujours sur ta valise
Her life is difficult and she has to carry her burdens in the rain.
Et t'as mal aux oreilles
She is in pain and suffering.
Tu zones toujours entre deux durs
She is always caught between two difficult options.
Entre deux SOS
She is constantly dealing with emergencies.
Tu veux jouer ton aventure
She is trying to have fun and live her life.
Mais t'en crèves au réveil
But reality hits hard and she cannot escape the struggles of her life.
Tu fais toujours semblant de rien
She puts on a brave face and hides her pain.
Tu craques ta mélanco
But sometimes, she cannot hold back her sadness and depression.
De quatre à cinq heures du matin
During the early hours of the morning, when she feels most alone.
Au fond des caboulots
In the depths of bars and clubs.
Et tu remontes à contrecœur
She reluctantly goes back up the stairs to reality.
L'escalier de service
The stairs are not glamorous and represent the difficulties of her life.
Tu voudrais qu'y ait des ascenseurs
She wishes that life was easier and that there were shortcuts to happiness.
Au fond des précipices
Even in the depths of despair and hopelessness.
Maintenant tu m'offres tes carences
Now she is admitting her flaws and weaknesses to the listener (or to someone specific in the story).
Tu cherches un préambule
She is looking for an opening, a way to connect with someone and escape her loneliness.
Quelque chose qui nous foute en transe
She wants something that will excite and energize both her and the listener.
Qui fasse mousser nos bulles
Something that will make them both feel alive and bubbly with emotion.
Mais si t'as peur de nos silences
But if she is afraid of the quiet moments, when they are not talking or distracted.
Reprends ta latitude
Then maybe she should step back and maintain her distance.
Il est minuit sur ma fréquence
It is late at night and the singer is broadcasting his message to her.
Et j'ai mal aux globules
But even he is not feeling great and is struggling in some way.
Oh mais laisse allumé bébé
The chorus repeats that she should leave the light on, symbolizing hope and connection with the singer.
Y a personne au contrôle
No one is in charge of their lives, and they are both searching for meaning and guidance.
Et les dieux du radar sont tous out
Even fate and chance are not helping them or guiding them.
Et toussent et se touchent et se poussent
They are struggling along together, making progress in fits and starts.
Et se foutent et se broutent
But they are also caring for each other and making each other feel better.
Dans la soute à cartouches
This last line is slightly harder to interpret, but it could be a metaphor for the deep, hidden places in their hearts and memories where their pain and struggles are stored.
Lyrics © LILITH EROTICA, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hubert-Felix Thiefaine, Claude Mairet
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dame Séli
Comment j'étais seule dans mon adolescence à écouter ça! Très beaux textes, il m'a fait rêver, voyager, imaginer,...Je t'aime HF🤩
Antone Ricardo
Idem....
Seatrotter
Ah de mon côté nous étions tout un groupe, on aimait tous ça.
J'ai mal aux globules à chaque fois que j'écoute celle là... J'ai enterré mon premier amour sur cette chanson (et sans doute, l'unique, à bien y réfléchir)
Gaelle
C'est d'un idéalisme ridicule, seul le concret et la guerre font partie de ce monde.
Licma
T etais pas seu,l moi aussi j y était 👍
Premier Dunombis
A regarder le monde autour de soi et se demander "pourquoi ?"
Virginie Philippe
Un vrai artiste un grand poète un homme un vrai avec son humour décalé qui me fait kiffer, change rien je t'aime comme tu es ❤️
madi mado
Que de bon souvenirs.. depuis l'adolescence, je n'ai jamais vu quelqu'un me toucher autant par sa musique, merci ❤
Christophe Klein
Un chef d oeuvre ta carrière!!!
Ne change rien hubert !!!👍👍👍
virginie magnier
Je suis bien d'accord 😊 c'est mon maître. Il n a pas de silence avec thiefaine. Je prends et garde tout. Merci monsieur thiefaine pour ce partage 😚 🙃💝