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
La Belle Vie
Les Rita Mitsouko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Se voient grande personne
Une grande personne
Truculente et vive
Pour dire en pleine forme
Vacant à ses affaires
De bon moral
Quelqu'un d'émérite
Riant plus fort
Que eux les enfants
Sautant plus haut
Parce qu'on est grand.
Les espoirs des enfants
Se ratatinent
Leurs rêves se rembobinent
Lorsque les grands
En soupirant
En ricannant
Leur confient d'un air
Un peu vicieux,
Hochant lourdement la tête :
"Le bon temps c'était avant...
Eh ben oui! Tant pis!
Entends-tu eh! Petit?
Ah le bon temps.
C'était avant, j'étais enfant...
Quand on grand, c'est chiant!
Tout est bête et méchant!
C'est ennuyeux d'être vieux!
Amuse-toi bien, petit!
Profite, profite,
Consomme-toi
Car tu la vis là
Ta belle vie.
Après çà, c'est fini!
Tu vis tes années belles!"
Alors les enfants dépités
Vieux petits bien avant l'âge
Entrouvent un oeil terni
Sur l'avenir
Se regardant grandir
Et regrettent déjà certains matins
Ce bon vieux temps présent
Des éblouissements
The lyrics of Les Rita Mitsouko's song La Belle Vie present a powerful commentary on the loss of innocence and hope that comes with growing up. The song follows the dreams of children who see themselves as successful adults, "truculente et vive" (lively and vibrant), and the disappointment they feel when the adults in their lives tell them that "le bon temps c'était avant" (the good times were in the past). The children's hopes and dreams shrivel up and the song poignantly portrays them as "vieux petits bien avant l'âge" (old small ones long before their time).
The lyrics of La Belle Vie are a critique of adult society, which the song portrays as cynical, unfulfilling, and shallow. The song suggests that the reality of adulthood is not what children imagine it to be, and that the world is not as beautiful as it seems. The lyrics suggest that the adults know the truth about life, but refuse to share it with children. They mock the idea of a happy, carefree life and insist that children should enjoy themselves while they can, because soon enough they will be old and the good times will be over.
Line by Line Meaning
Les enfants en rêve
Children dream
Se voient grande personne
See themselves as grown-ups
Une grande personne
A grown-up
Truculente et vive
Full of life and vitality
Pour dire en pleine forme
To say that in great shape
Vacant à ses affaires
Minding their own business
De bon moral
In good spirits
Quelqu'un d'émérite
Someone of great merit
De belle dimension
Of great stature
Riant plus fort
Laughing louder
Que eux les enfants
Than the children
Sautant plus haut
Jumping higher
Parce qu'on est grand.
Because they are grown-ups.
Les espoirs des enfants
Children's hopes
Se ratatinent
Shrink
Leurs rêves se rembobinent
Their dreams rewind
Lorsque les grands
When adults
En soupirant
Sighing
En ricannant
Chuckling
Leur confient d'un air
Tell them with an air
Un peu vicieux,
A bit insidiously
Hochant lourdement la tête :
Nodding their head heavily:
"Le bon temps c'était avant...
"The good times were in the past...
Eh ben oui! Tant pis!
Oh well, too bad!
Entends-tu eh! Petit?
Do you hear that, little one?
Ah le bon temps.
Ah, the good times.
C'était avant, j'étais enfant...
It was before, when I was a child...
Quand on grand, c'est chiant!
When you grow up, it sucks!
Tout est bête et méchant!
Everything is stupid and mean!
C'est ennuyeux d'être vieux!
It's boring to be old!
Amuse-toi bien, petit!
Have fun, little one!
Profite, profite,
Enjoy, enjoy,
Consomme-toi
Consume yourself
Car tu la vis là
Because you're living it
Ta belle vie.
Your beautiful life.
Après çà, c'est fini!
After that, it's over!
Tu vis tes années belles!"
You're living your beautiful years!"
Alors les enfants dépités
So the disappointed children
Vieux petits bien avant l'âge
Become old too soon.
Entrouvent un oeil terni
Glimpse a dull eye
Sur l'avenir
At the future
Se regardant grandir
Watching themselves grow up
Et regrettent déjà certains matins
And already regret some mornings
Ce bon vieux temps présent
This good old present time
Des éblouissements
Of dazzling moments
Contributed by Sydney M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
christophe moynaton
...leurs rêves se rembobinent lorsque les grands en ricanants d’un air un peu vicieux. Le bn temps s’était avant...😢😎✌️😂
RoisinElektra
C'est ça 😍
Stéphane Rivalin
💗
Laurent Vanderbeque
Une merveille
J M C
Après ça, c'est fini..... Tu vis tes années belles
THE74ELISABETH
LOVE
Fabienne Boulard
toute ma grossesse..............
Fleur de sel
Après l'enfance, tout est déjà presque fini... " parfois ".
Lionel Delamotte
Philippe Glémée était là!
Christophe TRANCHAND-CHABORD
A