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

Cool frénésie
Les Rita Mitsouko Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ce matin nous prîmes la mer
Vers un autre univers
Nous étions fiers
Et beaux
Je suis encore à l'âge tendre
Et peut-être naïf
Sur cet esquif
Je chante

Et tente un meilleur sort

Et je vois s'éloigner
Mon pays adoré
Tout ce que j'ai aimé
Tout au long des années
Mes frères et mes amis

Et je vois s'éloigner
Mon pays adoré
Tout ce que j'ai aimé
Tout au long des années
Tout ce que j'ai chéri
Toute ma vie

A l'autre bout de la mer
Un autre bout de terre
Suspens dans l'air
Je file où je voulais me rendre
Loin du château d'If
Je suis à vif
Je flambe
Et chante haut et fort

Et je vois s'éloigner
Mon pays adoré
Tout ce que j'ai aimé
Tout au long des années
Mes frères et mes amis

Et je vois s'éloigner
Mon pays adoré
Tout ce que j'ai aimé
Tout au long des années
Tout ce que j'ai chéri
Toute ma vie

Adieu
Adieu pays adoré
Mais je me pardonnerai
Je reviendrai
Adieu Adieu

Et je vois s'éloigner
Mon pays adoré
Tout ce que j'ai aimé
Tout au long des années
Mes frères et mes amis

Et je vois s'éloigner
Mon pays adoré
Tout ce que j'ai aimé
Tout au long des années

Tout ce que j'ai chéri
Toute ma vie

Overall Meaning

"Ce matin nous prîmes la mer, vers un autre univers" is the opening line of Les Rita Mitsouko's song "Cool frénésie." The song is about leaving one's home country and heading to a new land, with all the hopes, fears, and uncertainties of a new beginning. The singer expresses pride and beauty as they embark on their journey, but also a sense of naivety and tenderness at their relative youth.

Throughout the song, the singer sings of watching their homeland recede into the distance as they head towards another place. They reminisce about all the things they have loved and cherished, mentioning "Mes frères et mes amis" (my brothers and my friends). However, they are also excited about the adventure that awaits them and vow to return one day. The repeated refrain of "Et je vois s'éloigner / Mon pays adoré" (And I see my beloved country receding) underscores the sense of both loss and excitement that the song conveys.

Les Rita Mitsouko's "Cool frénésie" takes the listener on a journey of the heart, evoking the mixed emotions of leaving a familiar place and heading towards an unknown destination. It captures the feeling of adventure and trepidation that comes with new beginnings and the longing that can accompany the realization that some things cannot be easily replaced.

Line by Line Meaning

Ce matin nous prîmes la mer
Today we set sail on the sea.

Vers un autre univers
Towards another universe.

Nous étions fiers
We were proud.

Et beaux
And beautiful.

Je suis encore à l'âge tendre
I am still at a tender age.

Et peut-être naïf
And perhaps naive.

Sur cet esquif
On this boat.

Je chante
I sing.

Et tente un meilleur sort
And try for a better fate.

Et je vois s'éloigner
And I see my beloved country disappearing.

Mon pays adoré
My beloved country.