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

Allo !
Les Rita Mitsouko Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Alors c'est quoi
Que j'appelle
C'est la joie
C'est bien elle
Que les émois
Etincellent
Et que s'entremêlent
Encore nos voix

A chaque fois je recommence
A chaque fois je remets ça
A chaque fois je la relance

Réponds-moi encore, montre-toi
Réponds-moi encore
Réponds-moi encore
Et encore et encore et encore
Encore une fois

Allô, c'est toi?
Je t'appelle
C'est bien moi
J'ai besoin de toi
Que nos émois
Etincellent
Et que s'entremêlent
Encore nos voix

A chaque fois je recommence
A chaque fois je remets ça
A chaque fois je la relance

Réponds-moi encore, montre-toi
Réponds-moi encore
Réponds-moi encore
Et encore et encore et encore
Encore une fois

Allô c'est toi
Je t'appelle
C'est bien toi
Réponds-moi
Que les émois
Etincellent
Et que s'entremêlent
Encore nos voix

Oh c'est toi
Je t'appelle
Oh je veux t'avoir
Oh la joie
Que nos émois étincellent

Et que s'entremêlent
Encore nos voix

Overall Meaning

The song Allo! by Les Rita Mitsouko is a joyful and playful expression of love and longing. The lyrics represent a conversation between two lovers on the phone, with one person calling the other repeatedly in hopes of hearing their voice and reliving the excitement and happiness of being with them. The opening lines of the song ask "what do I call it?" and the answer is "it's joy, it's definitely joy." The song continues to emphasize the importance of their emotions and the way their voices intermingle in the experience of being in love. Each time the singer calls, they ask for a response, urging their beloved to show themselves, to answer again and again with their voice.

The repetition of the phrase "Encore une fois" or "once more" highlights the addictive nature of love and the way in which we often repeat our patterns and desires in order to keep experiencing the same emotions. The song has a light, upbeat tone with playful sound effects and a catchy melody. It is a celebration of the excitement and passion that comes with loving someone and the joy that can be found in connection.

Line by Line Meaning

Alors c'est quoi
So, what is it?

Que j'appelle
That I'm calling

C'est la joie
It's the joy

C'est bien elle
It's really her

Que les émois
That emotions

Etincellent
Sparkle

Et que s'entremêlent
And intertwine

Encore nos voix
Our voices still

A chaque fois je recommence
Every time I start over

A chaque fois je remets ça
Every time I put it back

A chaque fois je la relance
Every time I revive it