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.
Le Petit Vieillard Qui Chantait Mal
Julien Clerc Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dans une chorale de rue
Une mйchante vieille jaune et sale
А coups de coude tapait dessus
Les passants йtaient bizarres
Les aumфnes de plus en plus rares
Et le petit vieillard chantait mal
De plus en plus mal
Et le petit vieillard chantait mal
De plus en plus mal
Et le petit vieillard chantait mal
De plus en plus mal
C'йtait comme un bon animal
Un chien fidиle un vieux cheval
Les gargouilles le connaissaient
Et en secret lui souriaient
On leur a dit de quitter la gare
De ne plus marcher au hasard
D'abandonner la cathйdrale
Et de dissoudre la chorale
Car le petit vieillard chantait mal
De plus en plus mal
Car le petit vieillard chantait mal
De plus en plus mal
Un petit vieillard chantait mal
Dans une drфle de chorale
Une mйchante vieille jaune et sale
Mendiait devant la cathйdrale
Quand ce petit vieillard s'est tu
Les anges de pierre ont disparu
On dit qu'ils sont partis au ciel
Pour amener а l'йternel
Ce petit vieillard qui chantait mal
De plus en plus mal
Ce petit vieillard qui chantait mal
De plus en plus mal.
"Le Petit Vieillard Qui Chantait Mal" is a melancholic yet thought-provoking song by French singer-songwriter Julien Clerc. In the song, Clerc paints a vivid picture of a small elderly man who is a member of a street choir but sings poorly. Despite the man's musical abilities, he still shows up for rehearsals and performances, where a mean old lady hits him when he makes mistakes. This behavior causes passerby to look on in confusion and discomfort. As the song progresses, we hear how the man's singing only worsens, and the viewers and donations only decrease. Eventually, the man stops singing altogether, causing stoneworking angels to disappear, followers of the choir to disband, and the street choir to dissolve altogether. However, the man's indomitable spirit leaves people to believe that he has found eternal happiness.
The song's lyrics convey a powerful message about the social impact of discrimination and negativity. It highlights how such behavior can break an individual's spirit and hinder society's growth. The song portrays the mistreatment of an old man who sincerely wants to sing in a choir and how the negativity drives him found his death, wreaking havoc on the community. It presents themes of exclusion, marginalization, and the power of a community to change its members' lives.
The song has a mournful tone that accompanies the lyrics' message, bringing out the true depth of the man's misery in the end. Julien Clerc did a fantastic job delivering the message through the song, leaving a sour taste in the listener's mouth as they contemplate the song's true meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Un petit vieillard chantait mal
There was an old man who sang poorly
Dans une chorale de rue
He was part of a street choir
Une mйchante vieille jaune et sale
There was a mean old lady who was yellow and dirty
А coups de coude tapait dessus
She hit him with her elbows
Les passants йtaient bizarres
The people passing by were strange
Les aumфnes de plus en plus rares
Donations became increasingly scarce
Et le petit vieillard chantait mal
The old man continued to sing poorly
De plus en plus mal
His singing worsened over time
C'йtait comme un bon animal
He was like a loyal pet
Un chien fidиle un vieux cheval
Like a faithful dog or an old horse
Les gargouilles le connaissaient
Even the gargoyles knew him
Et en secret lui souriaient
They secretly smiled at him
On leur a dit de quitter la gare
They were told to leave the train station
De ne plus marcher au hasard
Not to wander aimlessly anymore
D'abandonner la cathйdrale
To abandon the cathedral
Et de dissoudre la chorale
And disband the choir
Car le petit vieillard chantait mal
Because the old man sang poorly
De plus en plus mal
His singing skills worsened
Un petit vieillard chantait mal
An old man sang poorly
Dans une drфle de chorale
In a strange choir
Une mйchante vieille jaune et sale
Where a mean old lady begged
Mendiait devant la cathйdrale
In front of the cathedral
Quand ce petit vieillard s'est tu
When the old man stopped singing
Les anges de pierre ont disparu
The stone angels disappeared
On dit qu'ils sont partis au ciel
Some say they went to heaven
Pour amener а l'йternel
To bring the old man to the eternal
Ce petit vieillard qui chantait mal
The old man who sang poorly
De plus en plus mal
Whose singing got worse and worse
Contributed by Natalie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.