Dassin was born in New York City to Jules Dassin (Yiddish actor and film noir director) and Béatrice Launer. He began his childhood first in New York and Los Angeles, California. However after his father became a victim of the anti-communist policies of Senator Joseph McCarthy, he and his family moved from place to place across Europe.
After studying at Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, Dassin moved back to the United States to go to college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan after doing very well on his bachelor's exam. After college, he moved back again to France where, while working at a radio station, a record label convinced him to begin to record his songs.
By the early 1970s, Dassin's songs topped the charts in France and he became well known. Probably as a recognition of his parents' left leanings, Dassin's records were officially released in the USSR. However, the political views of his parents were not well known to the general public in the USSR, and Dassin's popularity in the USSR should be connected to his talent only. He was also a talented polyglot, recording songs in German, Spanish, Italian and Greek, as well as French and English.
He died of a heart attack during a vacation to Tahiti on August 20, 1980. He is buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.
Songs:Les Champs-Élysées ,L'été indien ,Ça va pas changer le Monde ,Et si tu n'existais pas, Salut ....
Le Chemin De Papa
Joe Dassin Lyrics
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Il n'avait jamais connu ni patrie, ni patron
Il venait de n'importe où, allait aux quatre vents
Mais dedans, sa roulotte, nous étions dix enfants
Et le soir, autour d'un feu de camp
On rêvait d'une maison blanche en chantant
Qu'il est long, qu'il est loin, ton chemin, papa
Qu'il est long, qu'il est loin, ton chemin, papa
Tu devrais t'arrêter dans ce coin
Mais il ne nous écoutait pas, et dès le petit jour
La famille reprenait son voyage, au long cours
À peine le temps pour notre mère, de laver sa chemise
Et le voilà reparti pour une nouvelle Terre Promise
Et le soir, autour d'un feu de camp
Elle rêvait d'une maison blanche, en chantant
Qu'il est long, qu'il est loin, ton chemin, papa
C'est vraiment fatigant d'aller où tu vas
Qu'il est long, qu'il est loin, ton chemin, papa
Tu devrais t'arrêter dans ce coin
Et c'est ainsi, que cahotant, à travers les saisons
C'est ainsi, que regardant, par-dessus l'horizon
Sans même s'en apercevoir, notre père nous a semé
Aux quatre coins du monde, comme des grains de blé
Et quelque part, au bout de l'univers
Roule encore la vieille roulotte de mon père
Qu'il est long, qu'il est loin, ton chemin, papa
C'est vraiment fatigant d'aller où tu vas
Qu'il est long, qu'il est loin, ton chemin, papa
Tu devrais t'arrêter dans ce coin
Joe Dassin's Le Chemin de Papa tells the story of a father who is a bit of a poet and a vagabond. He has never had a country or a boss, and he comes from anywhere and goes wherever the wind takes him. His family consists of ten children, who live with him in a caravan. Despite the children's wishes for a stable home, the father ignores them and continues to travel to new destinations, much to their exhaustion. Every night around the campfire, they sing of their dream of a white house.
The song speaks about the father's wanderlust and how he never stays in one place for too long. He is always searching for something new and exciting, something that he cannot find in one place. It is a bittersweet anthem to the romantic ideas of travel, the pursuit of adventure, and the inevitability of what we leave behind. Over time, the father became a symbol of freedom and an inspiration to his children, teaching them to embrace life's journey and see life as an adventure.
Line by Line Meaning
Il était un peu poète et un peu vagabond
He was a little bit of a poet and a little bit of a wanderer
Il n'avait jamais connu ni patrie, ni patron
He had never known a homeland or a boss
Il venait de n'importe où, allait aux quatre vents
He came from anywhere, went wherever the wind took him
Mais dedans sa roulotte nous étions dix enfants
But inside his caravan there were ten children
Et le soir, autour d'un feu de camp
And in the evening, around a campfire
On rêvait d'une maison blanche en chantant
We dreamed of a white house as we sang
Qu'il est long, qu'il est loin, ton chemin, papa
How long and far your journey is, dad
C'est vraiment fatigant d'aller où tu vas
It's really tiring to go where you're going
Tu devrais t'arrêter dans ce coin
You should stop in this place
Mais il ne nous écoutait pas et dès le petit jour
But he didn't listen to us and as soon as the sun rose
La famille reprenait son voyage au long cours
The family continued their long journey
A peine le temps pour notre mère de laver sa chemise
There was barely enough time for our mother to wash her shirt
Et nous voilà repartis pour une nouvelle Terre Promise
And there we were, off to a new Promised Land
Et c'est ainsi que cahotant à travers les saisons
And thus, bumping along through the seasons
C'est ainsi que regardant par-dessus l'horizon
Thus, looking over the horizon
Sans même s'en apercevoir notre père nous a semés
Without even realizing it, our father scattered us
Aux quatre coins du monde comme des grains de blé
To the four corners of the world like grains of wheat
Et quelque part au bout de l'univers
And somewhere at the end of the universe
Roule encore la vieille roulotte de mon père
My father's old caravan still rolls
Lyrics © MUSIC 18
Written by: Joe Dassin, Pierre Delanoe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind