Josephine Baker (June 3, 1906 - April 12, 1975), born Freda Josephine McDon… Read Full Bio ↴Josephine Baker (June 3, 1906 - April 12, 1975), born Freda Josephine McDonald, was an American-French dancer, actress and singer, sometimes known as "The Black Venus". Although born American, she became a French citizen in 1937.
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.
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.
Sympathique
Josephine Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lyrics to Sympathique
Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage
Le soleil passe son bras par la fenêtre
Les chasseurs ma porte
Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage
Le soleil passe son bras par la fenêtre
Les chasseurs ma porte
Comme les p'tits soldats
Qui veulent me prendre
Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
Déjà j'ai connu le parfum de l'amour
Un million de roses n'embaumerait pas autant
Maintenant une seule fleur dans mes entourages
Me rend malade
Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
Je ne suis pas fière de sa
Vie qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique être Sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais
Je ne veux pas travailler
Non
Je ne veux pas dejeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
Je ne suis pas fière de sa
mais qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique être Sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais
Je ne veux pas travailler
Non
Je ne veux pas dejeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage
Le soleil passe son bras par la fenêtre
Les chasseurs ma porte
Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage
Le soleil passe son bras par la fenêtre
Les chasseurs ma porte
Comme les p'tits soldats
Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
Déjà j'ai connu le parfum de l'amour
Un million de roses n'embaumerait pas autant
Maintenant une seule fleur dans mes entourages
Me rend malade
Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
Je ne suis pas fière de sa
Vie qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique être Sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais
Je ne veux pas travailler
Non
Je ne veux pas dejeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
Je ne suis pas fière de sa
mais qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique être Sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais
Je ne veux pas travailler
Non
Je ne veux pas dejeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
“Sympathique” is a French song by Josephine Baker which means "nice" or "pleasant". In this song, Baker sings about her desire to forget about her problems and just smoke. The opening line sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics, where she compares her room to a cage, and she feels trapped. She feels like she’s being hunted by people who are trying to take her away. However, she just wants to forget everything, and smoking helps her do that.
Baker then talks about how she has experienced love before, but now just a single flower makes her feel ill. She wants to forget about the past and move on. In the chorus, she emphatically asserts that she doesn't want to work or eat; she just wants to forget and smoke. The lyrics end on a poignant note, with Baker acknowledging that it's beautiful to be sympathetic, but she doesn't know how to be that way.
The song is a commentary on the struggles of modern life and the desire to escape from its pressures. Baker's voice is laced with emotion, and the song's lyrics are reflective of the difficulties that people face when trying to find meaning in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage
My room feels like a prison
Le soleil passe son bras par la fenêtre
The sun tries to comfort me through the window
Les chasseurs ma porte
The hunters knock at my door
Comme les p'tits soldats Qui veulent me prendre
Like little soldiers who want to take me away
Je ne veux pas travailler
I don't want to work
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
I don't want to eat lunch
Je veux seulement l'oublier
I just want to forget it all
Et puis je fume
And then I smoke
Déjà j'ai connu le parfum de l'amour
I have already experienced the scent of love
Un million de roses n'embaumerait pas autant
A million roses couldn't smell as sweet
Maintenant une seule fleur dans mes entourages
Now, even one flower around me makes me sick
Me rend malade
Makes me sick
Je ne suis pas fière de sa
I'm not proud of it
Vie qui veut me tuer
Life that wants to kill me
C'est magnifique être Sympathique
It's great to be sympathetic
Mais je ne le connais jamais
But I never seem to understand it
Non
No
Contributed by Emily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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@fatamarua3102
"C'est pas de bosser qui me fait peur,
c'est de passer cinqs jours par semaine à espérer le samedi..
Et faire la gueule le dimanche,parce qu'ensuite il y a le lundi,
comme la plupart de ceux que je connais et que je n'envie pas,
quel que soit leur salaire."
Marie-Sabine Roger.""
@TandtheDt
This is very hard to translate but I did my best. The song is by Pink Martini inspired by a poem by Guillaume Apollinaire.
My bedroom has the shape of a cage
The sun passes its arm through the window
The hunters at my door
Like the little soldiers
That want to take me
(chorus)
I do not want to work
I do not want to lunch
I only want to forget him
And then I smoke
Already I've known the smell of love
A million roses
Wouldn"t "fill the air with a nice smell " more
Now a single flower
In my surroundings
Make me sick
Chorus
I'm not proud of this
Life that wants to kill me
This is amazing
Being likeable
But I never know him/it
Chorus
@helincavli1960
Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage
Le soleil passe son bras par la fenêtre
Les chasseurs à ma porte
Comme des petits soldats
Qui veulent me prendre
{Refrain:}
Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement oublier
Et puis je fume
Déjà j'ai connu le parfum de l'amour
Un millions de roses
N'embaumeraient pas autant
Maintenant une seule fleur
Dans mes entourages
Me rend malade
{au Refrain}
Je ne suis pas fière de ça
Vie qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique
Etre sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais
{au Refrain}
Je ne suis pas fière de ça
Vie qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique
Etre sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais
{au Refrain}
@borislavkostov6148
Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage
Le soleil passe son bras par la fenêtre
Les chasseurs à ma porte
Comme les p'tits soldats
Qui veulent me prendre
Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
Déjà j'ai connu le parfum de l'amour
Un million de roses n'embaumerait pas autant
Maintenant une seule fleur dans mes entourages
Me rend malade
Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
Je ne suis pas fière de ça
Vie qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique être sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais
Je ne veux pas travailler
Non
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
Je ne suis pas fière de ça
Vie qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique être sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais
Je ne veux pas travailler
Non
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume
@learningfrench8415
My room takes the form of a cage
Arms of sunlight reaching through the window
The bellhops at my door like little soldiers
who want to take me away
I don’t want to work
I don’t want to do lunch
I just want to forget
And so I smoke
I’ve already known the scent of love
A million roses wouldn’t smell as good
But now a single flower
Makes me sick
I don’t want to work
I don’t want to do lunch
I just want to forget
And so I smoke
I’m not proud of this
life that wants to kill me
It’s magnificent to be nice
but I have never known it
I don’t want to work
I don’t want to do lunch
I just want to forget
And so I smoke I’m not proud of this
life that wants to kill me
It’s magnificent to be nice
but I have never known it
I don’t want to work
I don’t want to do lunch
I just want to forget
And so I smoke
I’m not proud of this
life that wants to kill me
It’s magnificent to be nice
but I have never known it
I don’t want to work
I don’t want to do lunch
I just want to forget
And so I smoke
@fatamarua3102
"C'est pas de bosser qui me fait peur,
c'est de passer cinqs jours par semaine à espérer le samedi..
Et faire la gueule le dimanche,parce qu'ensuite il y a le lundi,
comme la plupart de ceux que je connais et que je n'envie pas,
quel que soit leur salaire."
Marie-Sabine Roger.""
@veroniqueetienne8464
Idem il y a 15 ans......
Maintenant indépendant et libre...chouette !!!!!
@KACHUKHA
Ca me rappelle un message écrit sur un t-shirt :
"you don't hate mondays, you just hate capitalism"
@SlimaneBenslimane
content pour toi @@veroniqueetienne8464 , je saute bientôt le pas pour travailler en indépendant !
@fabriziomaggi1963
Vinicio caposela
@Doragon.D
C'est malheureusement le malheur dans le quel on vis....
@Blackbaccara92
parfait comme sonnerie de réveil pour le lundi 😂
@MrLinoventura
y a longtemps que ne met plus de sonneries !...j'ai accordé ma vie et mes pensées !...et je ne fume pas !
@edgarkarapetyan2326
Blackbaccara92 c'est mon réveille quand je me lève à 6h le lundi mardi et jeudi
@mochiuchiha
C'est clair 😂😂😂😂