Jacques Dutronc (born April 28, 1943 in Paris) is a French singer, composer… Read Full Bio ↴Jacques Dutronc (born April 28, 1943 in Paris) is a French singer, composer, and actor. He is married to the singer Françoise Hardy, as of March 30, 1974, with whom he had already had a son (Thomas Dutronc, born 1973).

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.

L'Aventurier
Jacques Dutronc Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Je suis un aventurier
Et j'ai beaucoup bourlingué
J'ai fait la vie à Varsovie
J'ai fait le mort à Baltimore
J'ai fait le rat à Canberra
J'ai joué aux dés à Yaoundé
J'ai joué aux dames à Amsterdam
J'ai fait des games à Birmingham

Je suis un aventurier
Avec lequel il faut compter
Je suis un aventurier
Avec lequel il faut compter

J'ai été à Bornéo
J'ai été pompette à Papeete
J'ai bu de l'eau à Bordeaux
J'ai dit tant pis à Tampico
J'ai fait l'soldat à Bogota
Et des calculs à Calcutta

À moi, faut pas m'en raconter
Parce que, vraiment, j'en ai bavé
À moi, faut pas m'en raconter
Parce que, vraiment, j'en ai bavé

J'ai été errant à Téhéran
Et au sana à Sanaa
J'ai fait l'chasseur à Kinshasa
Et la nounou à Cotonou
J'ai fait de la tôle à Dole
J'ai été lourdé à Lourdes

Je suis un aventurier
J'en ai vraiment beaucoup bavé
Je suis un aventurier
J'en ai vraiment beaucoup bavé

J'ai été crétin à Créteil
J'ai eu la berlue à Berlin
J'ai été gentil à Port-Gentil
Et malpoli à Tripoli
J'ai fait la vie à Varsovie
Et le mort à Baltimore

J'étais un aventurier
Maintenant, c'est terminé

J'étais un aventurier
Maintenant, c'est terminé

Overall Meaning

In Jacques Dutronc's song "L'Aventurier", we see the singer tell the listener of his daring travels and exploits. He claims to have lived in Varsovie and played dead in Baltimore. He has played rat in Canberra and has gambled in Yaoundé. He has played checkers in Amsterdam and games in Birmingham. The singer describes himself as an adventurer and one that must be taken seriously. He has been to Bornéo and has gotten drunk in Papeete. He has drank water in Bordeaux and has given up in Tampico. He has acted as a soldier in Bogota and has done arithmetic in Calcutta. However, the singer admits to having had to endure many hardships and has a tough exterior.

The lyrical content of the song is emblematic of French pop culture, particularly for the period in which it was created. Dutronc was part of the yé-yé movement, which was the French version of the pop and rock scene of the 60s. This was a time when youth culture was beginning to emerge, and the movement was characterized by its upbeat, catchy style and the celebration of youthful freedom and rebellion. Dutronc's lyrics were equally emblematic of this movement, and "L'Aventurier" was one of his many songs that tapped perfectly into the youthful spirit of the time. However, it should also be noted that the lyrics of the song are not mere fluff and are indicative of the larger changes that were taking place in French society.

Line by Line Meaning

Je suis un aventurier
I am an adventurer

Et j'ai beaucoup bourlingué
And I have traveled a lot

J'ai fait la vie à Varsovie
I lived life in Warsaw

J'ai fait le mort à Baltimore
I played dead in Baltimore

J'ai fait le rat à Canberra
I acted like a rat in Canberra

J'ai joué aux dés à Yaoundé
I played dice in Yaoundé

J'ai joué aux dames à Amsterdam
I played checkers in Amsterdam

J'ai fait des games à Birmingham
I did deals in Birmingham

Je suis un aventurier Avec lequel il faut compter Je suis un aventurier Avec lequel il faut compter
I am an adventurer to be reckoned with

J'ai été à Bornéo
I have been to Borneo

J'ai été pompette à Papeete
I got tipsy in Papeete

J'ai bu de l'eau à Bordeaux
I drank water in Bordeaux

J'ai dit tant pis à Tampico
I said too bad in Tampico

J'ai fait l'soldat à Bogota
I played soldier in Bogota

Et des calculs à Calcutta
And did calculations in Calcutta

À moi, faut pas m'en raconter Parce que, vraiment, j'en ai bavé À moi, faut pas m'en raconter Parce que, vraiment, j'en ai bavé
Don't tell me things, I have really suffered

J'ai été errant à Téhéran
I wandered in Tehran

Et au sana à Sanaa
And visited the Sanaa souq in Sanaa

J'ai fait l'chasseur à Kinshasa
I went hunting in Kinshasa

Et la nounou à Cotonou
And was a nanny in Cotonou

J'ai fait de la tôle à Dole
I worked with metal in Dole

J'ai été lourdé à Lourdes
I was fired at Lourdes

Je suis un aventurier J'en ai vraiment beaucoup bavé Je suis un aventurier J'en ai vraiment beaucoup bavé
I am an adventurer who has really suffered

J'ai été crétin à Créteil
I acted like an idiot in Créteil

J'ai eu la berlue à Berlin
I had a hallucination in Berlin

J'ai été gentil à Port-Gentil
I was nice in Port-Gentil

Et malpoli à Tripoli
And rude in Tripoli

J'ai fait la vie à Varsovie Et le mort à Baltimore
I experienced life in Warsaw and death in Baltimore