His father was a UNESCO employee and his mother is from Guadeloupe. Many of the chansons he sings were written by Étienne Roda-Gil, a long time collaborator. His brother, Gérard Leclerc, is a political commentator on France 2.
For a time he was involved with French actress Miou-Miou, who in 1978 bore him a daughter, Jeanne Herry. Like her father, Jeanne has pursued a career in show business, albeit as an actress and comedian rather than as a singer.
Julien Clerc owes his fame in France to his leading role in the 1969 French language adaptation of the musical Hair. Since then he has sung a great many popular songs, and is generally considered one of the greatest francophone musicians of his generation. In 2003, he was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees after transferring the rights to his hugely popular song, Partir, to the UN.
Avisos
Julien Clerc Lyrics
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Des caravelles, des avisos
Débaucher tous les capitaines
Même Némo...
On va leur donner tous les noms
De nos amours, de nos "Manon"
Et quand on sera en quarantaine
On va se moquer des gamines
Qui font des trous dans leurs blue jeans
Pendant que les années rapiècent
Les coeurs qu'elles nous laissent en lambeaux...
Sur des drakkars, ou des radeaux
On va trouver l'Eldorado
Et quand on sera en terre promise,
Comme Moïse...
Du haut des tours de nos châteaux
On jettera comme "Monte-Cristo"
Des mots d'amour dans des bouteilles
Matelot...
On va se moquer des gamines
Qui font des trous dans leurs blue jeans
Pendant que les années rapiècent
Les coeurs qu'elles nous laissent en lambeaux...
On leur dira qu'on les aimait
Mais les filles ne sauront jamais
Que les "serments" de nos poèmes
C'est que des mots
Que les "serments" de nos poèmes
C'est que des mots
The song "Avisos" by Julien Clerc is a nostalgic and whimsical piece depicting the dreams and aspirations of youth. The lyrics convey a strong sense of escapism and a desire for adventure, as the singer envisions building boats, finding Eldorado, and throwing messages of love from castle towers. This sense of longing is further emphasized by the chorus, where the singer expresses disdain towards the girls who are preoccupied with mundane things like patching up their jeans, while time tears apart the hearts they leave behind.
The first verse paints a picture of the singer and his peers constructing boats and recruiting captains, including the famous Captain Nemo from Jules Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." The mention of "caravelles" and "avisos" alludes to the Age of Exploration, further emphasizing the theme of adventure and discovery. The second verse introduces a more romantic element, as the singer names the boats after his past loves, including "Manon," a nod to the French novel "Manon Lescaut." The mention of "quarantaine" also adds a somber note, potentially a reference to being quarantined due to illness or war.
The chorus repeats the refrain of the singer mocking the girls who are preoccupied with trivial things while time passes and love fades away. The third verse hints at a connection between the singer's desire for adventure and his inability to hold onto love, as he and his peers hope to find Eldorado, a mythical city of gold. The mention of Moïse and the Exodus story adds an element of biblical reference, perhaps hinting at a desire for spiritual enlightenment or a sense of being saved from a mundane existence. The final verse brings the song full circle, with the singer throwing messages of love, akin to the character of Edmond Dantès throwing a message in a bottle in "The Count of Monte Cristo."
Line by Line Meaning
On va se bâtir des bateaux
We will build boats
Des caravelles, des avisos
Caravels, avisos
Débaucher tous les capitaines
Hire all the captains
Même Némo...
Even Nemo...
On va leur donner tous les noms
We will give them all names
De nos amours, de nos "Manon"
Of our loves, of our "Manons"
Et quand on sera en quarantaine
And when we will be in quarantine
Matelot...
Sailor...
On va se moquer des gamines
We will mock the girls
Qui font des trous dans leurs blue jeans
Who make holes in their blue jeans
Pendant que les années rapiècent
While the years patch up
Les coeurs qu'elles nous laissent en lambeaux...
The hearts they leave us in tatters...
Sur des drakkars, ou des radeaux
On drakkars or rafts
On va trouver l'Eldorado
We will find the Eldorado
Et quand on sera en terre promise,
And when we will be in the promised land,
Comme Moïse...
Like Moses...
Du haut des tours de nos châteaux
From the top of our castles' towers
On jettera comme "Monte-Cristo"
We will toss like "Monte-Cristo"
Des mots d'amour dans des bouteilles
Words of love in bottles
Matelot...
Sailor...
On va se moquer des gamines
We will mock the girls
Qui font des trous dans leurs blue jeans
Who make holes in their blue jeans
Pendant que les années rapiècent
While the years patch up
Les coeurs qu'elles nous laissent en lambeaux...
The hearts they leave us in tatters...
On leur dira qu'on les aimait
We will tell them we loved them
Mais les filles ne sauront jamais
But the girls will never know
Que les "serments" de nos poèmes
That the "oaths" of our poems
C'est que des mots
Are just words
Que les "serments" de nos poèmes
That the "oaths" of our poems
C'est que des mots
Are just words
Contributed by Dylan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.