The son of a composer, with brothers and sisters who had successful careers of their own in musical entertainment, Jean Sablon studied piano at the Lyceé Charlemagne in Paris. He left before graduating to enroll at the Paris Conservatoire in order to concentrate on a vocal career. He started in the cabarets of Paris at the age of 17, and was subsequently accompanied on his first album by the pianist/composer Mireille, whose song Couchés dans le foin became a great success. Later, he partnered the wildly popular Mistinguett at the Casino de Paris and boosted his career considerably. He was the first cabaret singer to use a microphone in his stage act. In the 1920s he spent time in Brazil where his recordings remain extremely popular today.
In 1937 he won the Grand Prix du Disque for the song "Vous qui passez sans me voir," written for him by Charles Trenet and Johnny Hess. That same year, he went to the United States, where he sang on live radio broadcasts for CBS and made several records in the English language. On Broadway, he worked with luminaries such as Cole Porter and George Gershwin. He returned to Paris but with the German occupation of France in World War II, he went back to America for the duration.
Jean Sablon became one of the most widely acclaimed male French singers, considered second only in overall lifetime popularity to Maurice Chevalier. His records sold in the millions around the world and he is frequently referred to as the French equivalent of America's Bing Crosby. During his career, he recorded with some of the world's top musicians, including Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. Sablon is credited with arranging Reinhardt's debut in a fashionable cabaret in 1933. He is also recognized for his talents as a lyricist and a composer. Sablon appeared in a number of motion pictures and television films performing as a vocalist or pianist, his last coming in 1984 when he sang "April in Paris" in Mistral's Daughter, the popular American TV miniseries filmed in France.
Jean Sablon died in 1994 and was interred in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris.
Laura
Jean Sablon Lyrics
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Footsteps that you hear down the hall.
The love that floats on a summer night,
That you can never quite recall.
And you see Laura on a train that is passing through.
Those eyes how familiar they seem
She gave your very first kiss to you,
That was Laura but she's only a dream.
In Jean Sablon's song "Laura," the lyrics are a haunting representation of nostalgia and longing. The title character, Laura, is the face in the misty lights and the footsteps that you hear down the hall. Her love floats on a summer night, but is always just out of reach. The singer's memories of Laura are fleeting and ambiguous, and it's not entirely clear if she ever actually existed or if she was just a dream. The repetition of Laura's name throughout the song only adds to the haunting quality of the lyrics.
The chorus of "Laura" is particularly poignant, as the singer sees her on a passing train and remarks on how familiar her eyes seem. Laura gave the singer their very first kiss, but now she is only a dream. The song is a beautiful tribute to lost love and all the tender memories that come with it. Through its evocative lyrics and haunting melody, "Laura" captures the bittersweet nature of nostalgia and the way we hold onto the past, even as it slips away.
Line by Line Meaning
Laura is the face in the misty lights.
Laura is akin to a blurred image you see amidst misty lights, which makes it difficult to grasp her true identity.
Footsteps that you hear down the hall.
The song compares Laura to distant footsteps heard faintly, indicating how fleeting her presence is and how quickly she disappears.
The love that floats on a summer night,
Laura is likened to a breeze blowing on a summer night, with a comforting feeling of love and warmth, yet not lasting forever.
That you can never quite recall.
The memory of Laura and the love associated with it is elusive and difficult to recollect.
And you see Laura on a train that is passing through.
The song depicts a momentary glimpse of Laura, akin to seeing her on a passing train, thus emphasizing how transient and fleeting her presence is.
Those eyes how familiar they seem
The eyes of Laura, though not clearly visible or identifiable, bear a sense of familiarity, probably due to the bond shared in the past.
She gave your very first kiss to you,
Laura is linked to a first kiss, indicating her pivotal role in the rise of love and passion in the singer’s life.
That was Laura but she's only a dream.
At the end of the song, Laura is revealed as a mere dream, never truly realized in reality yet leaving behind a legacy of beautiful memories and emotions.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Raksin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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