Jim Corcoran (born 10 February 1949 in Sherbrooke, Quebec) received a degre… Read Full Bio ↴Jim Corcoran (born 10 February 1949 in Sherbrooke, Quebec) received a degree in Boston, Massachusetts towards the end of the 1960s. 1960. Formerly a seminarian, he returned to Quebec in 1970 intending to teach Latin at Bishop's University in Lennoxville, practicing the guitar during his free time. His first language was English, but would base his music career on the French language.

In 1972, he formed the duo Jim et Bertrand with Bertrand Gosselin and began performing in the Eastern Townships. During the 1970s, the group was associated with Quebec folk music. Corcoran began a solo career in francophone music after the group disbanded in 1979.

In the late 1980s, he became host of the CBC Radio program À Propos, featuring French music artists to the English network's audiences. À Propos remains on the CBC Radio One schedule as of 2006.

He also portrayed the part of David in performances of the opera Nelligan in 1990.

C'est quoi le problème
Jim Corcoran Lyrics

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Paroles et musique: Jim Corcoran

Qu'on se le dise
vu qu'on en parle
qu'on se le précise
parlons d'amour
et de désir
d'ivresse et de vertige

On n'est pas seuls
a être givrés par le vrai
pas les premiers
à figer devant l'inédit
donc c'est quoi le problème?

Qu'on se l'avoue
qu'on se l'admette
qu'on se laisse étourdir
déménageons le gris ailleurs
et la grisaille entre nous

On n'est pas seuls
à rôder dans ces couloirs
pas les premiers
s'aventurer sans surveillance
donc c'est quoi le problème?
la surveillance?
oui, c'est quoi le problème?
la surveillance?

Encore les vieux mots
pour les mêmes peurs
pour les mêmes blessures
étourdis-moi, que je tienne à toi
et que je me perde de vue

On n'est pas seuls
à se moquer de ces moeurs
pas les premiers
qui cherchent à nommer
leurs sentiments

donc c'est quoi le problème?
c'est quoi le problème?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jim Corcoran's song "C'est quoi le problème" (What's the problem?) speak to the overarching societal themes of love, desire, and the struggle to connect honestly and authentically with one another. The first verse states that within the larger conversation of love, desire, and deep connection, we are not alone in being deeply affected by these themes. Many before us have struggled to understand and articulate their experiences of intense emotion and longing. The singer wonders "what's the problem" with struggling to express these overwhelming feelings.

In the second verse, the singer suggests that we allow ourselves to be swept up in this world of emotion and connection. Moving "the gray" elsewhere, we can isolate ourselves with the "grayness" and truly allow ourselves to feel the full extent of our emotions together. The idea being that we can create a space for ourselves where we can be truthful in our emotional expression without fear of judgment or external factors getting in the way.

The final verse addresses the repetition of history and the same words being used to describe deep-seated fears and wounds. The singer longs to be dazzled and wants to hold on to another tightly while still experiencing this sense of otherworldliness. The song ends with the question asked once again, "what's the problem?" - calling out the societal barriers to open emotional expression and the fear that we all carry around with us.

Line by Line Meaning

Qu'on se le dise
Let's make it clear

vu qu'on en parle
since we are talking about it

qu'on se le précise
let's articulate it

parlons d'amour
let's talk about love

et de désir
and desire

d'ivresse et de vertige
of intoxication and dizziness

On n'est pas seuls
We are not alone

a être givrés par le vrai
to be frozen by the truth

pas les premiers
not the first ones

à figer devant l'inédit
to freeze in front of the unknown

donc c'est quoi le problème?
so what is the problem?