<… Read Full Bio ↴Karrin Allyson is a Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist on Concord Records.
Allyson projects an instantly recognizable tonal personality, illuminating hidden layers of emotion within songs that are drawn from a vast well of styles and genres—from the blues, contemporary pop, and the Great American Songbook, to the bossa nova, chanson, and the more specialized jazz and bebop repertoire.
What really separates Allyson from her peers is her ability to communicate oceanic emotions with minimal artifice. “The idea of craft permeates her music,” wrote Richard Cook, author of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Records in a 2004 performance review that admirably encapsulates Allyson’s qualities.
“One of the most appealing things about her singing is its lack of mannerism. There are no dopey melismas, nothing of that afflicted gospel soul feel that a lot of younger singers depend on. She doesn’t try anything foolishly acrobatic. Yet in her way, she’s an ambitious and adventurous performer. She sometimes puts in a scat chorus which is done almost diffidently, without showoff contours. She’ll take over a familiar lyric and make it sound fresh by use of quiet touches—sitting back on certain beats, turning away from a big line and highlighting a different one.”
Sous le Ciel de Paris
Karrin Allyson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Elle est ne' e d'aujourd'hui
Dans le coeur d'un garc_on.
Marchent les amoureux,
Leur bonheur se construit
Sur un air fait pour eux.
Un philosophe assis,
Deux musiciens, quelques badauds,
Puis les gens par milliers,
Jusqu'au soir vont chanter,
L'hymne d'un peuple epris
De sa vieille cite
Pre`s de Notre-Dame
Parfois couve un drame.
Oui mais a` Paname
Tout peut s'arranger.
Quelques rayons Du ciel d'e'te'
L'accorde'on D'un marinier,
L'espoir Fleurit Au ciel de Paris.
Mais le ciel de Paris
N'est pas longtemps cruel,
Pour se fair pardonner
Il offre un arc-en-ciel.
Pre`s de Notre-Dame
Parfois couve un drame.
Oui mais a` Paname
Tout peut s'arranger.
Quelques rayons Du ciel d'e'te'
L'accorde'on D'un marinier,
L'espoir Fleurit Au ciel de Paris.
Mais le ciel de Paris
N'est pas longtemps cruel,
Pour se fair pardonner
Il offre un arc-en-ciel.
Sous le ciel
Sous le ciel
de Paris
The lyrics of Karrin Allyson's song "Sous Le Ciel De Paris" (Under the Sky of Paris) are about the magic of Paris and how it has the power to bring people together and make everything seem possible. The first stanza talks about a song that has been born today in the heart of a boy. This song brings together the lovers who walk the streets and whose happiness builds on an air made for them. The second stanza describes the scene under the Bercy Bridge, where a philosopher is sitting along with two musicians and a few passersby, while thousands of people are singing the hymn of a people in love with their old city. The third stanza talks about how sometimes a crisis happens near Notre Dame, but in Paris, everything can be sorted out due to the magic of the city, which can transform everything. The final stanza talks about how the sky of Paris is not cruel for long, but offers an apology in the form of a rainbow.
The lyrics of the song have a nostalgic and romantic tone that captures the essence of Paris. The song was originally composed for the 1951 film of the same name by Hubert Giraud, with lyrics by Jean Dréjac. Since then, it has become a classic of French popular music and has been covered by various artists in different languages, including Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, and Frank Sinatra.
Line by Line Meaning
S'envole une chanson.
A song is taking flight.
Elle est ne' e d'aujourd'hui
It was born today.
Dans le coeur d'un garc_on.
In the heart of a boy.
Marchent les amoureux,
The lovers walk,
Leur bonheur se construit
Their happiness is being built
Sur un air fait pour eux.
On a tune made for them.
Sous le pont de Bercy
Under the Bercy bridge
Un philosophe assis,
A philosopher sitting,
Deux musiciens, quelques badauds,
Two musicians, some onlookers,
Puis les gens par milliers,
And then people by the thousands
Jusqu'au soir vont chanter,
Will sing until evening
L'hymne d'un peuple epris
The anthem of a people in love
De sa vieille cite
With their old city
Pre`s de Notre-Dame
Close to Notre-Dame
Parfois couve un drame.
Sometimes a drama brews.
Oui mais a` Paname
Yes, but in Paname
Tout peut s'arranger.
Everything can be fixed.
Quelques rayons Du ciel d'e'te'
A few rays of the summer sky
L'accorde'on D'un marinier,
From the accordion of a sailor,
L'espoir Fleurit Au ciel de Paris.
Hope flowers in the sky of Paris.
Mais le ciel de Paris
But the sky of Paris
N'est pas longtemps cruel,
Is not cruel for long,
Pour se fair pardonner
To make up for it
Il offre un arc-en-ciel.
It offers a rainbow.
Sous le ciel
Under the sky
Sous le ciel
Under the sky
Contributed by Lucas D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.