Joseph Ira Dassin (November 5, 1938 - August 20, 1980) was a French-speakin… Read Full Bio ↴Joseph Ira Dassin (November 5, 1938 - August 20, 1980) was a French-speaking American folk, pop and rock musician.

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 ....

Un Lord Anglais
Joe Dassin Lyrics

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Elle avait épousé un lord anglais
Personne n'est parfait
Petits fours, grand amour
Le soleil de Bromley
Et un nuage de lait

J'ai débarqué un matin dans sa vie
Personne n'est à l'abri

Jardinier, diplômé
Dix-huit ans de maison
Je viens pour votre gazon

J'ai consciencieusement cultivé son jardin
J'avais des compliments tous les matins
Milord était content
Et Milady pensait
Vive les français
(Vive les français)

Je suis devenu l'ami du lord anglais
Personne n'est parfait
Mes radis, son whisky
Les potins de Windsor
"Ma femme aussi vous adore"

Elle venait me rejoindre chaque nuit
Personne n'est à l'abri
Calfeutrés, mots discrets
Des jeux à quatre mains
C'est beau le marché commun

J'ai consciencieusement cultivé son jardin
J'avais des compliments tous les matins
Milord était content
Et Milady pensait
Vive les français
(Vive les français)

Je suis devenu moi-même un lord anglais
Personne n'est parfait
Chasse à courre, grands discours
Soirées à Buckingham
Accompagné de ma femme

Elle a fait venir hier de Paris
Personne n'est à l'abri
Un nouveau jardinier
Dix-huit mois de maison

Pour cultiver son gazon
Pour cultiver son gazon

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Joe Dassin's song "Un Lord Anglais" narrate a story of an affair between the singer and Milady, the wife of an English lord. The first stanza sets up the situation - Milady is married to an English lord and has "petits fours," a luxurious and refined lifestyle. The singer, who is a gardener, enters her life and begins cultivating her garden, receiving compliments every morning from the pleased Milord. Milady begins to develop a liking for the Frenchman, exclaiming "Vive les français!" ("Long live the French!") The second stanza reveals that the affair escalates to nights of passion, kept hidden with discreet words and games for two. Over time, the singer has become a lord himself, complete with the traditional English pastimes of fox hunting and pompous speeches. However, Milady has had enough of his gardening services and has hired a new gardener from Paris, ending the affair.

The lyrics are full of irony and social commentary. The upper-class lifestyle depicted in the song is contrasted with the more humble profession of gardening. Through the singer's interactions with Milord and Milady, the song highlights the artificial and superficial nature of high society. Furthermore, the lyrics suggest that social mobility is possible, as the singer goes from a gardener to a lord himself. However, this newfound status is fleeting and ultimately earned through illicit means, as the affair with Milady was what led to his ascent.

Un Lord AnglaisJoe Dassin Lyrics

Un Lord Anglais
Joe Dassin Lyrics