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.
Rio Negro
Julien Clerc Lyrics
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Leurs pas vibrants scandent l'empreinte d'une sambas sucrée de plaintes.
Et sur les façades blanchies, s'étira une mélodie que leur peau brune aurait laissé, comme un lambeau de leur été.
Plus loin des femmes aux yeux d'ébène, pauvres et belles, se promènent, dans les ruelles emmitouflée d'un filé de pêches salées.
Rio Négro, rio négro,
Sur la couche noire de tes os, naissent des couleurs et des odeurs violentes te douces commes des pleurs.
Rio négro, rio négro,
Et sur la place ensablonnée de fruits, de fleurs et de café, des vieux, des vieilles se craquèlent au son d'un passé qui se fêle,
Tandis que, sur des bicylclettes, en amazone va Pérette,
Les filles toisent les garçons qui ne regardent que leur jupons, Entre les pierres du plaisir qui s'entrechoquent à loisir,
Perle fragile comme un hymen (?), un soleil rouge qui dit "Amen".
Rio Négro, rio négro,
Sur la couche noire de tes os, naissent des couleurs et des odeurs violentes et douces commes des pleurs.
Rio négro, rio négro
La coulée chaude de tes flots jaillit comme un feu qui ruissèle entre les cuisses d'une belle... Rio Negro.
The lyrics of Julien Clerc's “Rio Negro” paint a vivid and nostalgic picture of life in the Brazilian city of Manaus, located at the confluence of the Rio Negro and the Amazon River. The song immerses the listener into the bustling streets of Manaus, where the sounds of samba music and the sights of people walking along sun-drenched sidewalks with flowered cigarette butts delivering the beat of their walk, fills the senses. The singers of the song are observing the city as they walk through it, capturing the sights and sounds of the everyday life of the city's inhabitants, their vibrancy, their struggles, and their joys.
The song transcends the physical space of Manaus to describe the Rio Negro itself as a sensual, violent, and beautiful force that gives life to the city and its people. It compares it to a woman, as if the river is a feminine presence that embodies the essence of the city and all the emotions associated with it. Through this metaphor, the song speaks to the idea that the river is the life force that gives birth to the cacophony of colors, sounds, and emotions that define Manaus.
Overall, “Rio Negro” is a song with a strong sense of place, and it captures the spirit of a city through its people, music, and even its river. It's a nostalgic tribute to a city that holds a special place in the songwriter's heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Sur un trottoir ensoleillé et fleuri de mégots mouillés
On a sunny sidewalk full of wet cigarette butts
Leurs pas vibrants scandent l'empreinte d'une sambas sucrée de plaintes.
Their vibrant steps punctuate a sweet samba full of sorrowful lyrics.
Et sur les façades blanchies, s'étira une mélodie que leur peau brune aurait laissé, comme un lambeau de leur été.
A melody stretches across the whitewashed facades, left behind like a fragment of their summer by their brown skin.
Plus loin des femmes aux yeux d'ébène, pauvres et belles, se promènent, dans les ruelles emmitouflée d'un filé de pêches salées.
Further on, poor and beautiful women with ebony eyes stroll through the alleys wrapped in a scent of salty peaches.
Rio Négro, rio négro, Sur la couche noire de tes os, naissent des couleurs et des odeurs violentes te douces commes des pleurs.
Rio Negro, Rio Negro, on the black bed of your bones, violent and gentle colors and scents are born like tears.
Rio négro, rio négro, La coulée chaude de tes flots jaillit comme un feu qui ruissèle entre les cuisses d'une belle... Rio Negro.
Rio Negro, Rio Negro, the hot flow of your waters gushes like a fire that trickles between the thighs of a beauty.
Et sur la place ensablonnée de fruits, de fleurs et de café, des vieux, des vieilles se craquèlent au son d'un passé qui se fêle,
On the sandy square of fruits, flowers and coffee, the elderly crackle with the sound of a past that is breaking apart.
Tandis que, sur des bicylclettes, en amazone va Pérette, Les filles toisent les garçons qui ne regardent que leur jupons, Entre les pierres du plaisir qui s'entrechoquent à loisir, Perle fragile comme un hymen (?), un soleil rouge qui dit "Amen".
While Perette rides a bicycle in the side-saddle position, the girls stare at the boys who only look at their skirts. Amidst the stones of pleasure that collide at leisure, there is a fragile pearl like a hymen (?), a red sun that says "Amen".
Contributed by Anna F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.