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
Ma vieille ville
Les Rita Mitsouko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
T'étais perdu et retrouvé, réemmêlé
Au fil des années
Mais dis-leur combien résonne en toi
Les retrouvailles
Tout est pareil et tout est changé
Et alors...Paris
Ta vieille ville
Tu étais revenu
Par une belle soirée d'été, avais marché
L'Ile de la cité
Sous le pont Marie la seine
Les lumières t'ont fait pleurer
Tout est pareil et tout est changé
Ça serait mieux si c'était bien ton existence
Ça serait mieux si c'était bien
Te dit la ville
Alors...Paris
C'est Paris
Ta vieille ville
C'est Paris
Ça serait mieux si c'était bien ton existence
Ça serait mieux si c'était bien
Te dit la ville
The song "Ma vieille ville" by Les Rita Mitsouko talks about the feeling of coming back to a city or a place that used to be familiar and meaningful to you but that you left for some time. The main character of the song, a traveler, has been away and has returned to Paris, which they call "Ma vieille ville" (My old city). The first verse expresses how this person has been lost and found again throughout the years, becoming entangled along the way, and how the reunions in Paris resonate within them. The second verse describes how they came back on a beautiful summer evening, walked around the Île de la Cité, crossed the Seine under the Marie Bridge, and the lights made them cry. It is clear that they are feeling a mix of nostalgia, happiness, and sadness for what they left behind.
The chorus repeats "C'est Paris, ta vieille ville" (It's Paris, your old city), emphasizing the importance of that place in their life. The last verse brings a shift in the narrative, as the city seems to speak to the person, telling them "It would be better if your existence was okay, it would be better if it was fine." The city is almost like a character, telling the person to make the most out of their life and to be happy. Overall, the song explores the bittersweet feeling of coming back to a place you used to call home and the mixed emotions that arise from that experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu avais fait des voyages
You had traveled
T'étais perdu et retrouvé, réemmêlé
You had been lost and then found, tangled up
Au fil des années
Over the years
Mais dis-leur combien résonne en toi les retrouvailles
But tell them how much the reunion resonates within you
Tout est pareil et tout est changé
Everything is the same and everything has changed
Et alors...Paris, c'est Paris, ta vieille ville
And so...Paris, it's Paris, your old city
Tu étais revenu
You had come back
Par une belle soirée d'été, avais marché
On a lovely summer evening, you had walked
L'Ile de la cité, sous le pont Marie, la Seine
The Isle of the City, under the Marie bridge, the Seine
Les lumières t'ont fait pleurer
The lights made you cry
Ça serait mieux si c'était bien ton existence
It would be better if your life were good
Te dit la ville
The city tells you
Alors...Paris, c'est Paris, ta vieille ville, c'est Paris
So...Paris, it's Paris, your old city, it's Paris
Ça serait mieux si c'était bien ton existence
It would be better if your life were good
Te dit la ville
The city tells you
Contributed by Natalie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
thierry rault
J'ai découvert cet album hier soir (20 sept. 2019), parce qu'en ayant vu le CD dans un magasin, je me suis dit: "Je vais d'abord écouter l'album sur You Tube , et on verra..." Ce disque est super, et cette chanson est sans doute ma préférée de l'album. Maintenant, je peux me le procurer les yeux fermés...
Sandy Mejia Quispe
Hermosa canción 🎶
Raymon Blailock
j'en pleure tant c'est beau !
frederic lamidet
Paris ma vieille ville, la plus belle du monde surtout avec fred. Merci Catherine Ringer
Verena Türk
Love ❤️🙏
Zillëam
Elle a pas été beaucoup aimé apartment
IttsEnzo Alati
Et pourtant elle est magnifique je trouve
CoCo C m🌼i🍃
Pauvre Paris ...
wravenwings
Magnifique album que j' ai découvert il y a plusieurs année un des meilleur qui soit d' eux deux , beaucoup de sensibilité!....
wravenwings
excuser ma faute années... c' est l' émotion!.