Born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Carrie McDonald. Her father is identified as vaudeville drummer Eddie Carson by the official biography of her estate. She was of mixed ethnic background: Native American/African American. She descended from Apalachee Indians and Black slaves in South Carolina. She started her career as a busker, dancing in the street as a child. She entered vaudeville joining the St. Louis Chorus at 15. She then headed toward New York City during the Harlem Renaissance, performing at the Plantation Club and in the chorus of the popular Broadway revues Shuffle Along (1921) and The Chocolate Dandies (1924). She performed as the last dancer in a chorus line, a position in which the dancer traditionally performed in a comic manner, as if they were unable to remember the dance, until the encore, at which point they would not only perform it correctly, but with additional complexity. Although she was later to claim that she went unnoticed in America, she was billed as "the highest-paid chorus girl in vaudeville."
On 2nd October 1925, she opened in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, where she became an instant success for her erotic dancing and for appearing practically nude on stage. After a successful tour of Europe, she reneged on her contract and returned to France to star at the Folies Bergère, setting the standard for her future acts. She performed wearing only high heels and a skirt made of bananas; she was often accompanied by her pet leopard, Chiquita, who was adorned with a diamond collar. The leopard frequently escaped into the orchestra pit, where it terrorized the musicians, adding yet another element of excitement to the show.
After a short while she was the most successful American entertainer working in France—whereas in the U.S., she would have suffered from the racial prejudices common to the era. Ernest Hemingway called her "the most sensational woman anyone ever saw." In addition to being a musical star, Baker also starred in several successful films, among them Zouzou (1934) and Princesse Tamtam (1935).
Upon marrying her manager Giuseppe Pepito Abatino - a Sicilian stonemason who passed himself off successfully as a Sicilian count - Baker transformed her stage and public persona into a sophisticated cultural figure. (The marriage was reportedly a publicity stunt and not legally binding.)
At this time she also scored her greatest song hit "J'ai deux amours" (1931) and became a muse for contemporary authors, painters, and sculptors including Langston Hughes, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Pablo Picasso.
She was so well-known and popular that even the Nazis, who occupied France during World War II were hesitant to cause her harm. In turn, this allowed Baker to show her loyalty to her adopted country by participating in the Underground. After the war, Baker was awarded the Croix de Guerre for her underground activity.
Yet despite her popularity in France, she was never really able to obtain the same reputation at home. Upon a visit to the United States in 1936, she starred in a failed version of the Ziegfeld Follies (being replaced by Gypsy Rose Lee later in the run); her personal life similarly suffered, and she went through six marriages, some legal, some not. During this time, when Baker returned to the United States, she was allegedly at a dinner party and began to speak in French as well as English with a French accent. An African-American maid was reputed to tell her: "Honey, you is full of shit. Speak the way yo' mouth was born". She had the woman fired.
In 1973, Joséphine Baker opened at Carnegie Hall to a standing ovation. She wept openly onstage in response to the warm welcome.
Civil rights involvement
Though based in France, she supported the American Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s, and protested racism in her own unique way, adopting twelve multi-ethnic orphans, whom she called her "Rainbow Tribe." She also integrated several places in the United States and worked with the NAACP. For some time she lived with all of her children and an enormous staff in a castle (Les Milandes in the Dordogne) in France. (Baker had only one child of her own, stillborn in 1941, an incident that precipitated an emergency hysterectomy.)
On tours of the United States, she refused to perform in segregated nightclubs, and her insistence on mixed audiences helped to integrate shows in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevertheless, her career was on a downturn and she was near bankruptcy until she was bailed out and given an apartment by her close friend, Princess Grace of Monaco, another expatriate American living in Europe.
During her life, she was also a great figure of the French freemasonry, fighting for freedom, civil rights, equality and against racism in France and other countries.
Death
On April 8, 1975, her fortunes seemed to be turning to the better when she was the star of a retrospective show at Club Bobino in Paris, Joséphine, celebrating her fifty years in the theater. The show opened to rave reviews. She died of a cerebral hemorrhage less than a week later at the age of 68 and was cremated. She was found lying peacefully in her bed surrounded by newspapers with glowing reviews of her performance.
She became the first American-born woman to receive French military honors at her funeral, which was held at L'Église de la Madeleine. Paris came to a standstill on the day of her funeral and 20,000 filled the streets to watch her procession. She was interred at the Cimetière de Monaco. "Place Joséphine Baker" in the Montparnasse Quarter of Paris was named in her honor. She has also been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
Marriages and relationships
Joséphine Baker went through six marriages:
* Foundry worker Willie Wells (1919, divorced)
* Pullman porter William Howard Baker (1921, divorced)
* Giuseppe Pepito Abatino (1926, publicity stunt, not legally binding)
* French sugar magnate Jean Lion (1937-1940, divorced)
* French orchestra leader Jo Bouillon (1947, separated 1957, eventually divorced)
* American artist Robert Brady (1928-1986, married 1973, also not legally binding, separated 1974).
There is also some speculation that Joséphine Baker was bisexual. Most notably Josephine was linked with Mexican cultural surrealist Frida Kahlo, who was married to Communist revolutionary artist Diego Rivera. Some believe that one of the lesbian lovers depicted in the film Frida, a simple yet provocative shot of a beautiful black lounge songstress in France, is a portrayal of Baker.
Baker wrote several autobiographies, each containing a different story about her family and career.
C'est Lui
Joséphine Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Des messieurs très amoureux
Me proposent une vie de reine
Pour que je me donne à eux
Y en a qu'un qu'a su me plaire
Il est méchant, il n'a pas le sou
Ses histoires ne sont pas claires
Je le sais bien mais je m'en fous
C'est lui
Je peux rien y faire, mon cœur est pris
Par lui
Je crois que j'en perds la tête
Il est si bête
Qu'il ne l'a pas compris
Pour moi, y a qu'un homme dans Paris
C'est lui
Je passerais dans un trou de souris
Pour lui
Chaque jour je l'adore
Bien plus encore
Pour moi, y a qu'un homme dans Paris
Et c'est lui
Pour moi, y a qu'un homme dans Paris
Il court après toutes les filles
Elles sont toutes à sa merci
Son regard les déshabille
Ses mains parfois aussi
Je ne fais rien pour qu'il m'aime
Aux autres, il donne le bonheur
Mais il est à moi quand même
Puisqu'il est dans mon cœur
Owdowoo...
Il est si bête qu'il ne l'a pas compris
Owdowoo...
Chaque jour je l'adore
Bien plus encore
Pour moi, y a qu'un homme dans Paris
Et c'est lui
Pour moi, y a qu'un homme dans Paris
The lyrics of Joséphine Baker's song C'est Lui reveal the inner turmoil of a woman, who is torn between her love for a man who is poor and vicious and the many suitors who offer her wealth and status. She sings about how many men offer her a queen's life in exchange for her love, but there is only one man whom she loves in Paris, and it is this man who doesn't have a penny to his name. Despite being fully aware of his flaws and questionable past, she remains committed to him because her heart belongs to him alone.
The woman describes her lover as someone who chases after every girl and has them all at his mercy. He is a man who can undress women with his gaze, and sometimes, his hands too. However, she believes that he is hers because he resides in her heart, even if he isn't entirely committed to her. She speaks of her love for him as being so intense that she would even pass through a mousehole for him. She is deeply smitten, so much so that she thinks she's losing her mind.
The lyrics of C'est Lui are an exploration of love, choices, and the consequences of those choices. The woman in this song has to weigh the costs of giving up the life she could have if she accepts other suitors, but the only man she wants doesn't have much to offer her. Even though he has flaws, she chooses him, and in doing so, she assumes all the risks that come with that choice. The song is a poignant reminder of how love can blind us to the realities of our situation and how it can lead us to make choices that defy reason.
Line by Line Meaning
Quatre fois par jour, par douzaines
Many men ask me to be their queen multiple times a day.
Des messieurs très amoureux
These men are very much in love with me.
Me proposent une vie de reine
They offer me a life fit for a queen.
Pour que je me donne à eux
In exchange for their offer, they expect me to give myself to them.
Y en a qu'un qu'a su me plaire
Only one has really caught my eye.
Il est méchant, il n'a pas le sou
He is cruel and poor.
Ses histoires ne sont pas claires
I know his past is murky.
Je le sais bien mais je m'en fous
But I don't care.
Pour moi, y a qu'un homme dans Paris
To me, there is only one man in Paris.
C'est lui
It's him.
Je peux rien y faire, mon cœur est pris
I cannot help it, my heart is taken.
Par lui
By him.
Je crois que j'en perds la tête
I think I'm losing my mind over him.
Il est si bête
He is so foolish.
Qu'il ne l'a pas compris
That he does not understand.
Pour moi, y a qu'un homme dans Paris
To me, there is only one man in Paris.
C'est lui
It's him.
Je passerais dans un trou de souris
I would pass through the eye of a needle.
Pour lui
For him.
Chaque jour je l'adore
Every day I adore him.
Bien plus encore
Even more than that.
Pour moi, y a qu'un homme dans Paris
To me, there is only one man in Paris.
Et c'est lui
And it's him.
Il court après toutes les filles
He runs after all the girls.
Elles sont toutes à sa merci
They are all at his mercy.
Son regard les déshabille
His gaze undresses them.
Ses mains parfois aussi
Sometimes his hands too.
Je ne fais rien pour qu'il m'aime
I don't do anything to make him love me.
Aux autres, il donne le bonheur
He gives happiness to others.
Mais il est à moi quand même
But he is still mine.
Puisqu'il est dans mon cœur
Because he's in my heart.
Contributed by Isabelle F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cittaroma P
I had the immense privilege and the honor to have worked with Miss Baker in 1975 @ Bobino. I was the youngest dancer in the cast . The show was called “ Josephine “ It was based on her life story celebrating her 50 years in show business from her humble beginning in St Louis to her triumphant comeback to Bobino. She used to call me “ her little page “ (Son petit page )cause of my age ! I just turned 18 th on April 1st 1975. luckily for me I have tons of memorable pics from the show as well as unforgettable stories of this short but amazing run. ! She was extremely engaged with all of the dancers .Wanting to know everyone ‘s names .Josephine really truly care about people She was a true legend immensely talented beautiful ,elegant ,generous , humble and compassionate. Josephine had many lives and reinvented herself many times throughout her long career. Miss Baker had the perfect combination of charisma and humanity . She would bring oranges for the entire company saying “ My children you need lots Vit C for strength and energy “ She was so right cause the rehearsals were long and grueling ,,,. Bobino ‘s stage was too small to accommodate a cast of 8 boys 12 girls 3 comedians 1 little girl who played young josephine and 1 gorgeous dancer who perform the famous banana dance ! So they had to transformed the stage by expanding it including moving the orchestra to the balcony and putting additional seats in the theater and building brand new dressing rooms to accommodate such a big cast all while we were practicing in the lobby of The theater for at least 10 days ! It was bit chaotic to say the list and quite cold being mid -February But no one seemed to care it was so exciting to be part of this legendary show ! Even though None of the big Paris music ‘halls like Le Casino de Paris ,Le Moulin Rouge or les Folies Bergère wanted to take the risk producing Miss baker mostly for insurance purposes There were already rumors circulating of her failing health but a small theater by Paris left bank called Bobino took a chance ...Josephine liked to rehearsed late at night after we were done practicing. She even enjoyed having her favorite dish Spaghetti bolognese around 1 am at a restaurant right across the theater. I was one of the lucky one to have diner with her and only few members of the cast at Jean-Claude Brialy ‘s restaurant called L’ Orangerie where Josephine would reminisce on her career. Saying humbly “Well I was lucky I just had a great body and nice smile “ !!! I Could believe how down to earth she was. I will never forget the very first time I saw her performing once the stage was finally ready. That night She was in the audience watching us dancing with huge smile on her face applauding many times throughout being so proud of the cast. After all she was watching part of her whole life story in front of her eyes. ... In fact during the promotion of the show a French journalist asked her. “ How does it feel to see your life story being played in front you and starring in your own life musical ? She replied “ it’s wonderful At least i will see what they think of me when I am still alive !!!! I When we were done the director Andre levasseur said “ josephine c ‘ est a vous “ she jumped on stage and belt a song from the Brazilian number called” Que c‘est bon de vivre” She seemed to be completely possessed by the rhythm of the Afro Cuban sound very reminiscing of “Princess Tam-Tam “ all those years earlier ...Her moves were so unbelievable. Her body was in perfect shape specially in her Chanel suit !!!! There is No way you would have guessed that this beautiful lady was in her late 60 ‘s. A goddess still !!!! What thrill for me. A true master CLASS ,,,,,,We rehearsed the show for about 1 month and half . We actually did more than 4 performances. We started with one week of previews on March 25 th special Press night on march 31 st to glorious reviews ! We had another full week of performances with a big opening gala on April 8 th with stars like Grace Kelly’s Sophia Loren & Alain Delon. We had another performance on the 9 th but She felt into a coma on the 10 th and past in the early hours on the 12 th. I was invited to her funeral at l ‘eglise de la Madeleine The service was extremely beautiful and so very emotional I went to Monaco cemetery recently to pay my respect for this Grande Dame 46 years later. Josephine paved the way for the Diana Ross Madonna Beyoncé and many other artists. A true legend. Unparalleled. ❤️❤️❤️. La Bakair Forever. 🍌 💃 🕺check pics and clip type” josephine baker and me Cittaroma p. “. Enjoy
Alberto Castro Mujica
Bonjour!!.Queria agradecerle la maravillosa sorpresa que me he llevado viendo su colección de fotos de Joséphine y del mundo que la rodeó en su espectáculo en Bobino.Estudié francés y en un trabajo de examen presenté la vida de esa maravillosa mujer.Luego leí su biografia "Jazz Cleopatra" y me fascinó.Tenía las dos cualidades que hacen aristocráticas a las personas:la generosidad y el agradecimiento en grado superlativo.Los franceses que saben mucho la convirtieron en un icono nacional,y ahora se está codeando con las glorias de Francia en el Panteón.Quién le iba a decir a La Baquer que descansaría al lado de Victor Hugo y de Voltaire?.Muchísimas gracias por sus estupendas fotos.
Cittaroma P
@sam mah 🤩🤩🤩.
sam mah
@Cittaroma P how great!!!! I’m a degree of separation to Josephine through chatting to you. How cool!
Cittaroma P
@sam mah Thank you so much for the kind comments I will think about it. Hope you saw my video if not. Type. “ josephine and I Bobino 1975 Cittaroma P “. Enjoy. Be well Sam
sam mah
Thank you so much for sharing!! Please make a video and talk of your experience. It’s gens like this that’ll last forever and so will your story
Vanessa Ramirez
She’s magnificent!
João Carlos
Não precisaria nem orquestra, sua voz é tudo de bom!
Ashley Ramos
I do not speak French but every time I hear this particular song she makes me want to sing along because of her essence in every word. Such a timeless beauty way ahead of her time. God bless her for paving the way for women to express themselves with such a classy, exotic & artistic talent. ♥️🙏
bellini verdi
MARAVILLOSA......................