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
Whiskeuses Images Again
Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tirée au ronéochybreur
Souvent j'aimerais faire fonctionner
La génération spontanée
Comme un pou dans une cage en feu
J'télégraphie mon code foireux
Attention traversée d'engins
Sur Livre des morts européens
Fatigué des drapeaux en berne
J'm'amuse à quitter la caverne
A voir si l'on danse en éveil
Dans les particules du soleil
Mais j'atterris sur des cols durs
Au pied de la Mangeuse d'ordures
Le cul poisseux dans l'caniveau
A baiser mon portemanteau
Ha ha bloody man bloody man
Hé toi l'animal futurien
Toi qu'as bien connu les Martiens
T'as p't'et' l'horaire des boute-en-train
A quelle heure passe le prochain bar
Que j'paie une bière à mon clébard
Bloody man bloody man
Certaines nuits j'imagine l'exit
Du labyrinthe dans le transit
De 40 milliards de couleurs
Se r'niflant avec l'oeil du coeur
Mais j'me réveille déglingué
Avec un casque sur le nez
Et j'ai beau raccorder les fils
J'traine une vieille caisse marquée fragile
Ha ha bloody man bloody man
Fragile
Ha ha bloody man bloody man
The lyrics to Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine’s song Whiskeuses Images Again convey a sense of weariness with the world, and a longing for something more exciting or meaningful. The lines “Vieille copie du terrien-terreur / Tirée au ronéochybreur” suggest a rote or routine existence, one that the singer is eager to escape. They then express a desire for “La génération spontanée,” a reference to the idea of spontaneous generation, or the emergence of complex organisms from simple ones without the need for outside intervention. This desire for something new and uncontrolled is also reflected in the image of a louse in a burning cage, and in the singer’s hope to communicate using a “code foireux,” or code that is flawed or nonsensical.
The second stanza continues this theme of seeking something beyond the mundane. The phrase “Fatigué des drapeaux en berne” suggests a sense of disillusionment with the world, or a feeling of hopelessness in the face of societal or political problems. The singer then describes a desire to escape to a more transcendent realm, where people “dansent en éveil /Dans les particules du soleil.” However, this desire is repeatedly frustrated, as the singer finds themselves “au pied de la Mangeuse d'ordures” with a “cul poisseux dans l'caniveau.” Even the dream of escape is thwarted, as the singer wakes up wearing a “casque sur le nez” and unable to connect with the world around them.
Overall, the lyrics seem to convey a sense of frustration and restlessness, a desire for something beyond the mundane existence of the singer’s daily life. This is reflected not only in the words themselves, but in the use of unconventional phraseology and wordplay.
Line by Line Meaning
Vieille copie du terrien-terreur
I feel like an old and worn copy of a person, struggling to keep my fear at bay.
Tirée au ronéochybreur
My life is like a film reel being projected by a shaky and unsure hand.
Souvent j'aimerais faire fonctionner
I often wish that I could activate and ignite the potential for spontaneous creation.
La génération spontanée
I long for an eruption of creativity without a clear source or reason.
Comme un pou dans une cage en feu
The desire for spontaneous creation is so strong that it feels like being trapped in a cage, on fire with desperation.
J'télégraphie mon code foireux
I'm sending out messages that are flawed and broken, like an old telegraph machine on the fritz.
Attention traversée d'engins
I feel like I'm navigating through a traffic jam of ideas, trying to avoid crashing into them.
Sur Livre des morts européens
These ideas are like ghosts from the past, haunting and compelling me to interact with them.
Ha ha bloody man bloody man
Despite this struggle, I still find a certain humor in my own desperation and failure.
Fatigué des drapeaux en berne
I'm tired of seeing flags hanging low in defeat, as if they've lost all meaning.
J'm'amuse à quitter la caverne
I find some amusement in the prospect of leaving my own cave of isolation and exploring the world beyond it.
A voir si l'on danse en éveil
I wonder if there's a way to dance through life with a sense of awareness and alertness.
Dans les particules du soleil
Perhaps by embracing the complexities and mysteries of the natural world, I can find a way to live with heightened perception.
Mais j'atterris sur des cols durs
Despite this hope, I often find myself facing harsh realities and obstacles.
Au pied de la Mangeuse d'ordures
One such obstacle is a figurative creature that seems to devour and destroy everything in its path.
Le cul poisseux dans l'caniveau
I feel stuck and helpless, like I'm trapped in a dirty and grimy alleyway.
A baiser mon portemanteau
I feel so downtrodden that I'm resigned to making an intimate connection with my own coat rack.
Hé toi l'animal futurien
In my desperation and confusion, I reach out to a hypothetical creature who embodies a futuristic and enlightened perspective on life.
Toi qu'as bien connu les Martiens
I imagine that this creature has had experiences far beyond my own, even including interactions with extraterrestrial life.
T'as p't'et' l'horaire des boute-en-train
I ask this creature for a practical piece of information: the schedule for the next fun-filled gathering.
A quelle heure passe le prochain bar
I cling to the hope that there's still something to look forward to in life, even if it's just a night out at the local watering hole.
Que j'paie une bière à mon clébard
I'm willing to share this experience even with my loyal but simple-minded animal companion.
Certaines nuits j'imagine l'exit
In moments of quiet reflection, I often dream about finding some kind of escape from my current struggles.
Du labyrinthe dans le transit
This escape takes the form of a wild journey, twisting and turning through a labyrinthine world of color and light.
De 40 milliards de couleurs
The possibilities that lie ahead seem limitless, ranging across the entire spectrum of human experience and emotion.
Se r'niflant avec l'oeil du coeur
This journey is not just a visual experience, but a deeply felt one that engages the heart and soul.
Mais j'me réveille déglingué
Despite these inspiring dreams, I often awaken feeling defeated and exhausted.
Avec un casque sur le nez
In these moments, I feel trapped within my own mind, unable to shake off the weight of my own thoughts.
Et j'ai beau raccorder les fils
I struggle to connect the disparate pieces of my life and myself, feeling lost and disconnected.
J'traine une vieille caisse marquée fragile
In the end, I feel like a fragile and outdated object, left to rust and decay in a world that moves too quickly for me to keep up.
Fragile
Despite this, I still cling to hope, knowing that even fragile things have the potential for beauty and significance.
Lyrics © SM PUBLISHING FRANCE
Written by: Hubert-Félix THIEFAINE, Claude MAIRET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind