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

Trop Bonne
Les Rita Mitsouko Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ah Ah
Allant dans les rues vers aulney
J'entendais parfois sa voix

Ah Ah Ah

C'est un trombonne dans la nuit
Qui m'as ému

Comme il sonne ce trombonne
Il parle cru, il raconte sans honte
Une histoire anormale
Il s'envole a travers moi
Par dessus le toit

Comme elle est bonne
La femme tronc
Souflant dans le trombonne
Son trombonne
Les bras devant
Installé
Bien calé
Elle sur lui posée
Il se la donne
A trombonner

Et juqu'à très tard
A lui coulisser mélodies
Il peut glisser dit rapide
Lent plein de sentiments
Pendant qu'elle a la bouche son rythme faisait mouche
Ah il touche comme un souffle
Les ah les hen dans l'instrument

Ah Ah

C'est au matin qu'ils finissaient
Et moi je me rentrais

Overall Meaning

The song Trop Bonne by Les Rita Mitsouko tells the story of a protagonist walking around the streets of Aulnay, caught off guard by the sound of a trombone player in the night. The trombone's sound moves the singer deeply, describing it as a voice telling a disturbing and abnormal story without shame. The singer is so moved that the trombone's sound seems to go through them "over the roof," and they acknowledge its power, acknowledging the woman they heard playing, "Comme elle est bonne, la femme tronc soufflant dans le trombone" (translation: "How good is the trunk woman blowing in the trombone"). The singer describes her playing technique and the way her rhythm fits with the sound of the instrument.

The song's verses are filled with lust, envy, and admiration mixed with a playful tone, making the meaning of the lyrics ambiguous. The lyrics are symbolic, referring to the societal stigma surrounding the disabled, in particular, the "femme tronc" or "trunk woman," also known as a phocomelus. The song endeavours to break down the prejudice towards the disabled and challenges the audience's perception of what is considered socially acceptable conduct.

Line by Line Meaning

Ah Ah
The singer expresses excitement and anticipation

Allant dans les rues vers aulney
The singer was walking towards the town of Aulney

J'entendais parfois sa voix
The singer sometimes heard the woman's voice

C'est un trombonne dans la nuit
The sound of the trombone was heard at night

Qui m'as ému
The trombone's sound moved the singer emotionally

Comme il sonne ce trombonne
The singer admires the sound of the trombone

Il parle cru, il raconte sans honte
The sound of the trombone is raw and tells a story without shame

Une histoire anormale
The story told by the trombone is abnormal

Il s'envole a travers moi Par dessus le toit
The sound of the trombone resonates through the singer and across the rooftops

Comme elle est bonne La femme tronc
The woman playing the trombone is attractive and talented

Souflant dans le trombonne Son trombonne Les bras devant Installé Bien calé Elle sur lui posée Il se la donne A trombonner
The woman expertly plays the trombone while sitting on the man's lap

Et juqu'à très tard A lui coulisser mélodies
She played music with him until very late

Il peut glisser dit rapide Lent plein de sentiments Pendant qu'elle a la bouche son rythme faisait mouche
He plays the trombone with both fast and slow notes that convey different emotions, while she keeps the rhythm with her mouth

Ah il touche comme un souffle Les ah les hen dans l'instrument
The trombone playing is so impressive that it brings the singer to awe

C'est au matin qu'ils finissaient Et moi je me rentrais
The couple played until morning, but the singer had to leave

Contributed by Benjamin K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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