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

Petite Fille Princesse
Les Rita Mitsouko Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hé petite fille pauvrette
que tu sais
Ils t'ont trouvée un jour de fête
et tes vrais parents
on te ment
t'ont laissée il y a bien longtemps

Ô petite fille princesse

ça se voit
tes manières ont de la noblesse
Ton père est un roi
ton papa
Qui sont ceux-là
qui vivent avec toi?

Regarde un peu
la tronche à ta mè
tu n'es pas née de ça!
Renifle un peu
l'odeur à ton pè
toi tu sens pas comme ça!

Ô un jour ils avoueront
ils baisseront le front
Ils te raconteront
comment ils t'ont trouvée
tout bébé

Loin, tout ça
Rentrer dans ton juste droit
car tu es fille de roi
la la la

Ô petite fille princesse
moque toi!

Overall Meaning

In the song "Petite Fille Princesse" by Les Rita Mitsouko, we are presented with a story of a young girl who was found on a festive day and raised by people who are not her true parents. The first stanza of the song conveys the sense of abandonment that this little girl must have felt when her real parents left her a long time ago. The use of the word "pauvrette" communicates the desperation and vulnerability of her situation. The second stanza is more positive, as the singer recognizes that the girl has certain qualities that suggest she comes from a noble background. The words "petite fille princesse" reinforce this idea, and the mention of her father being a king emphasizes her regal heritage. However, the singer also questions who the people living with the girl are and suggests that they are not worthy of her company based on their character or appearance. The third stanza speaks directly to the girl, encouraging her to hold her head high and embrace her royal identity despite the lies she has been told. The final line "moque toi" can be translated as "mock them" or "laugh at them" and represents a sense of defiance and empowerment.

Overall, the song is a powerful commentary on themes of identity, belonging, and class. It prompts the listener to consider the impact of family and societal structures on our conception of self, and to question the assumptions we make about people based on their appearance or background.

Line by Line Meaning

Hé petite fille pauvrette que tu sais
Hey little poor girl, as you know

Ils t'ont trouvée un jour de fête et tes vrais parents on te ment t'ont laissée il y a bien longtemps
They found you on a special day and your real parents have left you long ago, they are lying to you

Ô petite fille princesse ça se voit tes manières ont de la noblesse
Oh little princess girl, it shows that your manners are noble

Ton père est un roi ton papa Qui sont ceux-là qui vivent avec toi?
Your father is a king, who are those who live with you?

Regarde un peu la tronche à ta mè tu n'es pas née de ça! Renifle un peu l'odeur à ton pè toi tu sens pas comme ça!
Take a look at your mom's face, you were not born from that! Smell your dad's smell, you do not smell like him!

Ô un jour ils avoueront ils baisseront le front Ils te raconteront comment ils t'ont trouvée tout bébé
Oh, one day they will confess, they will hang their head down. They will tell you how they found you as a baby

Loin, tout ça Rentrer dans ton juste droit car tu es fille de roi la la la
All of that is far away. You need to know your rightful place, because you are the daughter of a king

Ô petite fille princesse moque toi!
Oh little princess girl, mock them!

Contributed by Ellie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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