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.
These foolish things
Jean Sablon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh! Will you never set me free?
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
In Jean Sablon's song "These foolish things", the singer is expressing their longing and inability to let go of a past love. They feel trapped by the ties that still bind them to their former partner, and even the smallest things, such as a cigarette with a lipstick mark or the sound of a piano in a neighboring apartment, bring back memories that evoke both happiness and pain. The singer describes how their heart still has wings because these foolish things remind them of their past love, and though they know they should try to move on, they find comfort in the memories and longings for what could have been.
The lyrics of "These foolish things" are a poignant reminder of how the smallest things in life can evoke powerful emotions and memories. The singer's pain and longing are palpable, and anyone who has experienced a difficult breakup can likely relate to the emotions expressed in the song. Throughout the lyrics, there is a sense of melancholy and nostalgia that permeates the singer's voice, making it clear that they are still deeply affected by their past relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Will you never let me be?
Would you please let me be?
Oh! Will you never set me free?
Would you please set me free?
The ties that bound us
The connections between us
Are still around us
They are still present, influencing us
There's no escape that I can see
I cannot see any way out
And still those little things remain
The small details persist
That bring me happiness or pain
That evoke mixed emotions in me
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A cigarette with marks of lipstick
An airline ticket to romantic places
A ticket to a place filled with love
And still my heart has wings
My heart still feels light
These foolish things remind me of you
These things that make no sense remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
A piano playing in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
The words I spoke clumsily to express my feelings
A fair ground's painted swings
Swings at a carnival
You came you saw you conquer'd me
You won me over with ease when you arrived
When you did that to me
When you won me over
I knew somehow this had to be
I knew this was meant to happen
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The March winds that make me feel lively
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
A ringing phone with no one to answer it
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The park in the evening after the bell has rung
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The Ile de France with the seagulls nearby
The beauty that is Spring's
The beauty of Spring
How strange how sweet to find you still
It feels unexpected but comforting to still think of you
These things are dear to me
These things are meaningful to me
They seem to bring you near to me
They make me feel closer to you
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
The sound of trains at midnight when the station is empty
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Stockings thrown off after dancing
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
The lingering scent of gardenia on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
Wild strawberries sold for a reasonable price
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
Greta Garbo's smile and the fragrance of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
Waiters whistling after the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
The song sung by Bing Crosby
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The smoky smell of burning leaves and the sound of steam boats
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Couple walking on the street as if in a dream
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
I cannot seem to shake off thoughts of you
These foolish things remind me of you
Undignified objects bring you to my mind
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB STANLEY, PETER STEWART WIGGS, SARAH CRACKNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
orchardist65
The French accent enriches the lyric in addition the accordion gives that Parisienne feeling. Merci beaucoup.
John Haggerty
Perfection. Sablon did the gold-standard pre-War recording.
Someone said that the lyrics of These Foolish Things might have been written by Louis MacNeice.
Kathleen Bonner
the french bing crosby