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.
Quitter L'enfance
Julien Clerc Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comme un feu de brindilles
Et tu hais les familles
Comme j'ai pu les hair
Un rien te fait rougir
Et tu voudrais changer
Le sens du verbe aimer
Je lis ton innocence
Dans le noir de tes bas
Tu peux quitter l'enfance
Ton enfance
Ne te quitte pas
Tes lиvres se colorent
Maintenant que tu veilles
Et tes poupйes sont vieilles
Maintenant que tu sors
Maitenant que tu danses
А chacun de tes pas
Tu peux quitter l'enfance
Ton enfance
Ne te quitte pas
Je ne peux rien te dire
Je n'ai pas йtй fille
J'ai hai les familles
Comme tu peux les hair.
The lyrics to Julien Clerc's song "Quitter L'enfance" describe the experience of a young girl transitioning from childhood to adolescence. The song begins by noting how easily the young girl becomes embarrassed, "Un rien te fait rougir," and how she feels a certain degree of discomfort in the presence of families, "Et tu hais les familles." The singer empathizes with this sentiment, as they too have experienced similar feelings toward familial relationships.
Despite her struggles, the young girl yearns for a new meaning of love, "Et tu voudrais changer/ Le sens du verbe aimer/ Sans les mots pour le dire." She wants to evolve beyond the traditional meaning of love and find something deeper, but lacks the vocabulary to do so.
The singer observes the girl's innocence through the physical cues of her clothing, "Je lis ton innocence/ Dans le noir de tes bas." The girl has one foot in childhood and the other in adolescence, and the singer encourages her to embrace this transition, "Tu peux quitter l'enfance/ Ton enfance/ Ne te quitte pas."
As the girl grows older, she becomes more confident in her femininity, "Tes lиvres se colorent/ Maintenant que tu veilles/ Et tes poupйes sont vieilles/ Maintenant que tu sors." She begins to dance and move with more freedom and grace, "Maitenant que tu danses/ А chacun de tes pas," and the singer reminds her that it is okay to move on from childhood, "Tu peux quitter l'enfance/ Ton enfance/ Ne te quitte pas."
The song ends with the singer acknowledging their own limitations in understanding the young girl's experiences, "Je ne peux rien te dire/ Je n'ai pas йtй fille/ J'ai hai les familles/ Comme tu peux les hair." They recognize that everyone's journey through adolescence is unique, and that they can only offer support and empathy.
Line by Line Meaning
Un rien te fait rougir
The slightest thing makes you blush
Comme un feu de brindilles
Like a fire of twigs
Et tu hais les familles
And you hate families
Comme j'ai pu les hair
As I used to hate them
Et tu voudrais changer
And you would like to change
Le sens du verbe aimer
The meaning of the verb to love
Sans les mots pour le dire
Without the words to say it
Je lis ton innocence
I read your innocence
Dans le noir de tes bas
In the darkness of your stockings
Tu peux quitter l'enfance
You can leave childhood
Ton enfance
Your childhood
Ne te quitte pas
Don't leave yourself behind
Tes lиvres se colorent
Your lips are tinted
Maintenant que tu veilles
Now that you are awake
Et tes poupйes sont vieilles
And your dolls are old
Maintenant que tu sors
Now that you are going out
Maitenant que tu danses
Now that you dance
А chacun de tes pas
At every step you take
Je ne peux rien te dire
I can't tell you anything
Je n'ai pas йtй fille
I was never a girl
J'ai hai les familles
I hated families
Comme tu peux les hair.
As you can hate them now.
Contributed by Luke W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.