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.
Yann Et Les Dauphins
Julien Clerc Lyrics
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Les dauphins des grandes mers
Une histoire de ce monde
Mais d'un autre univers
Tout près d'un port des Flandres
Il y a bien longtemps
Yann avait un navire
Mais n'avait pas seize ans
N'est pas pirate qui veut
Sur la grande mer du Nord
N'est pas heureux qui veut
Dans la grande course au trésor
Yann fit son équipage
De fuyards encerclés
De forbans les plus louches
Et de filles damnées
Quand ils furent au large
Toutes voiles dehors
Yann et son équipage
Proclamèrent l'Age d'Or
N'est pas pirate qui veut
Sur la grande mer du Nord
N'est pas heureux qui veut
Dans la grande course au trésor
Sur le pont du navire
Toujours il y avait bal
On buvait sans être ivre
On aimait sans carnaval
Vingt vaisseaux de dix empires
Coulèrent Yann un soir
On entendait claquer des rires
Parmi les voiles noires
Avec son équipage
Il partit lentement
Vers d'autres rivages
Chevauchant les grands dauphins blancs
C'est l'histoire que racontent
Les dauphins à leurs enfants
Yann avait un navire
Mais n'avait pas seize ans
Mais n'est pas pirate qui veut
"Yann et les Dauphins" by Julien Clerc tells the story of Yann, a young boy who sets sail with a crew of outcasts and rebels in search of treasure, but instead discovers a life of freedom and adventure on the high seas. The song speaks to the romanticized notion of piracy, highlighting the camaraderie and sense of rebellion that comes with living outside of traditional societal norms. The title of the song refers to the legend that sailors who die at sea are carried by dolphins to their final resting place.
In the first verse, the lyrics describe the mystical nature of the dolphins and imply that they have knowledge of a different universe than humans. The second verse introduces Yann and his dream of becoming a pirate. He sets sail with a ragtag group of individuals who are all seeking something more and quickly become a tight-knit community. The third verse accentuates the excitement and celebration of pirate life, while also acknowledging the danger and destruction that comes with it. In the final chorus, Yann and his crew ride off on the backs of dolphins to new adventures.
Overall, "Yann et les Dauphins" speaks to the human desire for adventure and the appeal of living an unconventional life. The song romanticizes the idea of piracy as a means of escaping the mundane and discovering a life of excitement and freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Savez-vous ce que racontent
Do you know what the dolphins of the seas tell?
Les dauphins des grandes mers
The dolphins of the vast seas
Une histoire de ce monde
A tale of this world
Mais d'un autre univers
But from another universe
Tout près d'un port des Flandres
Near a port in Flanders
Il y a bien longtemps
A long time ago
Yann avait un navire
Yann had a ship
Mais n'avait pas seize ans
But he wasn't yet sixteen
N'est pas pirate qui veut
Not everyone can be a pirate
Sur la grande mer du Nord
On the great North sea
N'est pas heureux qui veut
Not everyone can be happy
Dans la grande course au trésor
In the great treasure hunt
Yann fit son équipage
Yann created his crew
De fuyards encerclés
From outcasts who were surrounded
De forbans les plus louches
From the shadiest of pirates
Et de filles damnées
And damned girls
Quand ils furent au large
When they got to the open sea
Toutes voiles dehors
With all sails unfurled
Yann et son équipage
Yann and his crew
Proclamèrent l'Age d'Or
Proclaimed the Golden Age
Sur le pont du navire
On the ship's deck
Toujours il y avait bal
There was always a ball
On buvait sans être ivre
They drank without getting drunk
On aimait sans carnaval
They loved without a carnival
Vingt vaisseaux de dix empires
Twenty ships from ten empires
Coulèrent Yann un soir
Sank Yann's ship one evening
On entendait claquer des rires
Laughter could be heard
Parmi les voiles noires
Among the black sails
Avec son équipage
With his crew
Il partit lentement
He left slowly
Vers d'autres rivages
Towards other shores
Chevauchant les grands dauphins blancs
Riding on the great white dolphins
C'est l'histoire que racontent
This is the story that the
Les dauphins à leurs enfants
Dolphins tell their children
Yann avait un navire
Yann had a ship
Mais n'avait pas seize ans
But he wasn't yet sixteen
Mais n'est pas pirate qui veut
But not everyone can be a pirate
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Julien Clerc, Etienne Roda-Gil
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind