Early life
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.[4] 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 October 2, 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.
Rise to fame
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.[citation needed]
In 1973, Josephine 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.[citation needed] 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,[citation needed] 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 Josephine 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
Josephine 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 Josephine 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.
Dis-Moi Josephine?
Josephine Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Puisqu'on te revoit
Charmante et divine
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Quel est cet émoi
Qu'en toi je devine?
Quelle joie pour moi de revenir
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Oui, dites-nous pourquoi
Ton cœur s'illumine
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Si comme autrefois
Paris te fascine
Vous le voyez bien par mon retour
La France toujours
Idéal séjour
Aura mon amour
Lorsque je revins de voyager à l'étranger
J'avais peur de voir un Paris tout changé
Et pourtant j'ai retrouvé chez vous l'accueil si doux
Et la gentillesse qui me touche avant tout
J'ai revu ce Montmartre charmant
Que j'aime tant
Et notre Montparnasse toujours
Dans ses beaux jours
Comme ici, j'avais laissé mon cœur, ah, quel bonheur!
D'entendre tous mes amis chanter en chœur
Dites-nous, Joséphine
À quoi rêves-tu
Dans Vienne la divine?
Dites-nous, Joséphine
À quoi penses-tu
Sous le ciel d'Argentine?
Je l'avoue, partout où je passais
C'est à toi, Paname, que je rêvais
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Il est des cités pourtant qui dominent
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Devant leur beauté, le monde s'incline
Je suis tout à fait de votre avis
Dans tous les pays, on aime et l'on rit
Mais y a qu'un Paris!
The song "Dis-Moi Josephine" by Josephine Baker is an ode to Paris, the city she loves and the place she's returning to. Through the lyrics, she expresses her joy and gratitude towards Paris and its people who have always welcomed her with open arms. In the song, she is being asked about her love for Paris and what makes it such a special place for her. She responds by saying that coming back to Paris feels like coming back home and that she has missed its charm and beauty.
The lyrics also portray Josephine Baker as a globetrotting artist who has traveled to many different countries and experienced various cultures. However, despite her travels, Paris remains her favorite place on earth. Through her words, she urges people to recognize and appreciate the beauty of Paris, a city that has inspired her art and captured her heart.
Overall, "Dis-Moi Josephine" is a wonderful tribute to Paris and Josephine Baker's deep love for the city. The song is a beautiful example of how music can capture the emotions and feelings of a person towards a place and make them relatable to others.
Line by Line Meaning
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Please tell us, Josephine
Puisqu'on te revoit
Now that we see you again
Charmante et divine
So charming and divine
Quel est cet émoi
What is this excitement
Qu'en toi je devine?
That I sense in you?
Quelle joie pour moi de revenir
What a joy for me to come back
Et de retrouver mes souvenirs
And to find my memories again
Oui, dites-nous pourquoi
Yes, tell us why
Ton cœur s'illumine
Your heart is shining
Si comme autrefois
If, like before
Paris te fascine
Paris fascinates you
Vous le voyez bien par mon retour
You can clearly see by my return
La France toujours
France is always
Idéal séjour
An ideal place to stay
Aura mon amour
Will have my love
Lorsque je revins de voyager à l'étranger
When I returned from traveling abroad
J'avais peur de voir un Paris tout changé
I was afraid to see a completely changed Paris
Et pourtant j'ai retrouvé chez vous l'accueil si doux
And yet I found the sweet welcome from you
Et la gentillesse qui me touche avant tout
And the kindness that touches me most of all
J'ai revu ce Montmartre charmant
I revisited that charming Montmartre
Que j'aime tant
That I love so much
Et notre Montparnasse toujours
And our Montparnasse, always
Dans ses beaux jours
In its beautiful days
Comme ici, j'avais laissé mon cœur, ah, quel bonheur!
Just like here, I left my heart there, what a joy!
D'entendre tous mes amis chanter en chœur
To hear all my friends sing in choir
À quoi rêves-tu
What do you dream of
Dans Vienne la divine?
In beautiful Vienna?
À quoi penses-tu
What are you thinking
Sous le ciel d'Argentine?
Under the sky of Argentina?
Je l'avoue, partout où je passais
I admit, everywhere I went
C'est à toi, Paname, que je rêvais
I was dreaming of you, Paris
Il est des cités pourtant qui dominent
There are some cities that dominate
Devant leur beauté, le monde s'incline
The world bows down to their beauty
Je suis tout à fait de votre avis
I completely agree with you
Dans tous les pays, on aime et l'on rit
In all countries, people love and laugh
Mais y a qu'un Paris!
But there is only one Paris!
Writer(s): Léo Lelièvre, Bela
Contributed by Charlotte H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Komnenit
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Puisqu'on te revoit
Charmante et divine
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Quel est cet émoi
Qu'en toi je devine?
Quelle joie pour moi de revenir
Et de retrouver mes souvenirs
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Oui, dites-nous pourquoi
Ton cœur s'illumine
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Si comme autrefois
Paris te fascine
Vous le voyez bien par mon retour
La France toujours
Idéal séjour
Aura mon amour
Lorsque je revins de voyager à l'étranger
J'avais peur de voir un Paris tout changé
Et pourtant j'ai retrouvé chez vous l'accueil si doux
Et la gentillesse qui me touche avant tout
J'ai revu ce Montmartre charmant
Que j'aime tant
Et notre Montparnasse toujours
Dans ses beaux jours
Comme ici, j'avais laissé mon cœur, ah, quel bonheur!
D'entendre tous mes amis chanter en chœur
Dites-nous, Joséphine
À quoi rêves-tu
Dans Vienne la divine?
Dites-nous, Joséphine
À quoi penses-tu
Sous le ciel d'Argentine?
Je l'avoue, partout où je passais
C'est à toi, Paname, que je rêvais
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Il est des cités pourtant qui dominent
Dites-nous, Joséphine
Devant leur beauté, le monde s'incline
Je suis tout à fait de votre avis
Dans tous les pays, on aime et l'on rit
Mais y a qu'un Paris!
Neuer Stefan
The songwriter was a famous Hungarian composer Béla Zerkovitz.
Danielle
@seerider45 Que dire aussi de Joséphine? ........ peut-être, divine Joséphine !! et puis, se rappeler son action dans la Résistance ! Merci Christophe !
Sol-de-Cuba
1931