Between 1963 and 1964, Dutronc was the guitarist for a group called El Toro et les Cyclones who recorded several EPs. During this time he could frequently be seen on stage at the Golf Drouot as backing guitarist for stars like Eddy Mitchell. He then went and did his obligatory military service. After his return he landed a job as assistant at Vogue Records to Artistic Director Jacques Wolfsohn. In this capacity he arranged songs (there is no indication that he wrote the lyrics for any of these songs) for several lesser known artists like Zou Zou and CLeo. In 1966 (or maybe the end of 1965), he was teamed with writer Jacques Lanzmann, then director at Lui magazine, to create songs for artists who were arranged to be the next big thing. Benjamin was the first of these singers. But his first EP did horribly and he was unceremoniously booted from Vogue. One day after hearing the demos that Dutronc had made of a song, Wolfsohn declared that Jacques should do the record for release. "Et moi, et moi, et moi" was unleashed on the world in 1966 and overnight one of France's biggest stars was born.
With Lanzmann in charge of the lyrics and Dutronc taking care of the music, the two created some of the most lasting songs in French pop history. There is almost no French person alive who does not know "Et moi, et moi, et moi", "Les Playboys", and "Le cactus". Other great songs include "Mini, mini, mini", "Le responsable", "J'ai un tigre dans ma guitare", and "L'opportuniste". The music on most of these songs is a British garage sound and Dutronc has often been compared to Ray Davies of The Kinks, and that comparison works musically as well. What really set Dutronc apart from the other singers of the time was his parody. His songs are not celebrating the "youth generation" but mocking it. Dutronc's biggest hit was the beautiful "Il est cinq heures, Paris s'eveille", with the classical flute player Roger Bourdin (not as some had thought Jean-Pierre Rampal) performing an essential part. In this song, Dutronc manages to paint a remarkably correct picture of the French capital in the early morning hours in the late 1960's.
Dutronc's "La fille du père Noël" and David Bowie's "Jean Genie" share a riff likely derived from the Yardbirds' accelerated version of Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man." The Belgian singer Arno recorded a medley of the Dutronc and Bowie songs ("Jean Baltazaarr") with the American singer Beverly Jo Scott that makes clear their similarities.
In 1973, Dutronc began a second career as an actor in the film Antoine et Sébastien, directed by Jean-Marie Périer, a career that would afterward occupy the greater share of his attention. Directors for whom he has worked include Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Lelouch and Maurice Pialat. He has also returned to recording in recent years.
Also in 1973, "Et moi, et moi, et moi" was adapted with English lyrics by Ray Dorset, leader of Mungo Jerry. "Alright Alright Alright" became a UK No. 3 hit for the group.
Interestingly, the early Dutronc songs usually had a classic late-sixties freakbeat backing (provided by session musicians) that has managed to win Jacques Dutronc a new audience in the hip retro clubs of the UK and USA in the late 1990s, and this continues today. (Ironically, most of the people who will be dancing to the likes of "Le Cactus" will have no idea what the words actually mean). Because of this, he is celebrated in the 1997 Cornershop song "Brimful of Asha" thus: "Jacques Dutronc and the Bolan Boogie/The Heavy Hitters and the Chichi music."
He currently lives in the town of Monticello on the island of Corsica.
C'est peut-être ça
Jacques Dutronc Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ça le fait rigoler
Quand il lui dit "Je t'aime"
Elle se met à pleurer
C'est peut-être ça l'amour
Que toujours on se goure
Que toujours on hésite
Quand elle lui dit "Sans toi
Je suis dans le désarroi"
Ça le fait rigoler
Elle se met à pleurer
C'est peut-être ça l'amour
Que toujours on se goure
Que toujours on se perd
Que parfois on se trouve
Quand il lui dit "Sans toi
Je ne serais même pas moi"
Elle se met à rêver
Il se croit prisonnier
C'est peut-être ça l'amour
Que toujours on se goure
Que toujours on se perd
Que parfois on se trouve
Quand il l'appelle Chérie
Tout de suite elle se méfie
Quand il lui dit t'es belle
Elle regarde derrière elle
C'est peut-être ça l'amour
Que jamais on n'est sûr
Que quand-même on assure
Quand bien même on se goure
Quand il lui dit sans toi
Je n'serais même pas moi
Elle se met à rêver
Il se croit prisonnier
C'est peut être ça l'amour
On n'en fait jamais le tour
Que toujours on se perd
Que parfois on se trouve
The lyrics to Jacques Dutronc's song "C'est peut-être çà" explore the complexities of love and the struggle to trust and fully understand one's feelings. The song tells the story of a couple who intensely love each other but struggle to express their emotions in the same way. When she tells him "Je t'aime" (I love you), he laughs, and when he says it back to her, she cries. This indicates the disconnect and mismatch in their emotional expression. The chorus reinforces the theme that love is often confusing and difficult to navigate. They wonder if perhaps they are wrong in their convictions, hesitating and resisting their feelings.
The verses continue the theme, exploring how their expressions of love lead to further disconnect. When she tells him that she is lost without him, he laughs, but when he tells her the same, she begins to dream and he feels trapped. These lines explore the power dynamics that occur in love, as one person may feel more dependent on the other, while the other feels trapped by their love. The final verses explore the mistrust that can occur in love. When he calls her "Chérie", she immediately becomes skeptical, and when he compliments her beauty, she looks behind her. The chorus repeats to emphasize the idea that even though love can be confusing and lead to misunderstandings, there is still a certainty that it is present and constant.
Line by Line Meaning
Quand elle lui dit "Je t'aime"
When she tells him "I love you"
Ça le fait rigoler
It makes him laugh
Quand il lui dit "Je t'aime"
When he tells her "I love you"
Elle se met à pleurer
She starts to cry
C'est peut-être ça l'amour
Maybe that's love
Que toujours on se goure
That we always get it wrong
Que toujours on hésite
That we always hesitate
Que toujours on résiste
That we always resist
Quand elle lui dit "Sans toi
Je suis dans le désarroi"
When she tells him "Without you
I'm in turmoil"
Ça le fait rigoler
It makes him laugh
Elle se met à pleurer
She starts to cry
C'est peut-être ça l'amour
Maybe that's love
Que toujours on se goure
That we always get it wrong
Que toujours on se perd
That we always get lost
Que parfois on se trouve
That sometimes we find each other
Quand il lui dit "Sans toi
Je ne serais même pas moi"
When he tells her "Without you
I wouldn't even be myself"
Elle se met à rêver
She starts to dream
Il se croit prisonnier
He thinks he's a prisoner
C'est peut-être ça l'amour
Maybe that's love
Que toujours on se goure
That we always get it wrong
Que toujours on se perd
That we always get lost
Que parfois on se trouve
That sometimes we find each other
Quand il l'appelle Chérie
When he calls her Honey
Tout de suite elle se méfie
She immediately becomes suspicious
Quand il lui dit t'es belle
When he tells her she's beautiful
Elle regarde derrière elle
She looks behind her
C'est peut-être ça l'amour
Maybe that's love
Que jamais on n'est sûr
That we're never really sure
Que quand-même on assure
That we still manage to assure each other
Quand bien même on se goure
Even if we get it wrong
Quand il lui dit sans toi
When he tells her without you
Je n'serais même pas moi
I wouldn't even be myself
Elle se met à rêver
She starts to dream
Il se croit prisonnier
He thinks he's a prisoner
C'est peut être ça l'amour
Maybe that's love
On n'en fait jamais le tour
We never fully understand it
Que toujours on se perd
That we always get lost
Que parfois on se trouve
That sometimes we find each other
Contributed by Arianna S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.