Les Rita Mitsouko is a French pop rock group formed in 1979 led by guitaris… Read Full Bio ↴Les Rita Mitsouko is a French pop rock group formed in 1979 led by guitarist Fred Chichin and singer Catherine Ringer known for their live performances. The husband and wife duo was one of the most successful musical acts of the 1980's in France.

They began performing in the early 1980's in alternative spaces such as the Pali-Kao, a squatted factory building in Belleville, Paris. Their first hit single was Marcia Baila off the Rita Mitsouko album, a song about the Argentinian choreographer and dancer Marcia Moretto who had died of cancer in 1981 and with whom they had performed on several occasions. This album was creative and eccentric (produced by Conny Plank, sound engineer and producer of Neu! and Kraftwerk) combining elements of punk, rock, cold electro pop and jazz, and coupled with their colorful, wild, over-the-top image caught the interest of some important anglophone listeners.

American record producer and musician Tony Visconti produced the following two albums, The No Comprendo and Marc et Robert, while polishing and perfecting their sound. The American band Sparks collaborated with them on the latter record and Russell Mael sings lead vocals with Ringer on three tracks, Singing in the Shower, Live in Las Vegas and Hip Kit. These two albums feature both French and English lyrics. The most successful singles were C'est comme ça and Andy.

Jean-Baptiste Mondino directed most of their music videos in the 1980's and Jean-Luc Godard filmed a short documentary Soigne ta droite about the group during the recording of The No Comprendo in 1986.

On Wednesday November 28th 2007, Fred Chichin died from cancer while the band had just cancelled their previous concert dates in Paris. He was only diagnosed with the disease two months before.

Mais c'est la mort qui t'a assassinée, Marcia
C'est la mort qui t'a consumée, Marcia
C"est le cancer que tu as pris sous ton bras
Maintenant, tu es en cendres, cendres
La mort, c'est comme une chose impossible
Et même à toi, qui est la vie même, Marcia
Et même à toi qui est forte comme une fusée
C'est la mort qui t'a emmenée

Ailleurs
Les Rita Mitsouko Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ailleurs
jusqu'à ce que la lune tombe

Ce soir-là
elle était pleine la lune
et me lorgnait droit
jusque dans le coeur

1, 2, 3
et d'autres mots que l'on, que l'on dit tout bas
tourné vers l'intérieur

Ailleurs
Away
près des fées
dans la nuit étoilée

jusqu'à ce que la lune tombe

jusqu'à ce que la lune fonde
jusqu'à ce que la lune tombe

Overall Meaning

The song Ailleurs by Les Rita Mitsouko begins by invoking the image of the moon, which seems to be looking right into the singer's heart. The moon's presence is so strong that it forms the center of attention and sets the stage for the rest of the song. As the song progresses, the lyrics hint at a sense of being lost or searching for something, with the repeated refrain of "ailleurs," which means "elsewhere" or "somewhere else." The singer seems to be longing for a different place, perhaps a magical one with fairies, away from the mundanity of everyday life.

The song's structure is simple, with just a few verses repeated several times, accompanied by a slow, dreamy melody. The repetition of the words "jusqu'à ce que la lune tombe" (until the moon falls) gives the impression of waiting for something significant to happen, perhaps a moment of clarity, a revelation or a transformation.

Overall, the lyrics of Ailleurs create a sense of nostalgia, longing, and a desire for something different. The moon acts as a symbol for this longing, and the repeated refrain "ailleurs" highlights the singer's desire to leave behind the present and journey towards something new.

Line by Line Meaning

Ailleurs
Somewhere else

jusqu'à ce que la lune tombe
Until the moon falls

Ce soir-là
That night

elle était pleine la lune
The moon was full

et me lorgnait droit
And was looking at me straight

jusque dans le coeur
Deep into my heart

1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3

et d'autres mots que l'on, que l'on dit tout bas
And other words we say quietly

tourné vers l'intérieur
Turned inward

Ailleurs
Somewhere else

Away
Away