The band was founded in 1982 in Angers, France by singer/keyboardist Denis Péan and Richard Bourreau (violin/kora). These two have remained central to Lo'Jo throughout their history. For several years, with a rotating cast of members, they played events locally, working with acrobats, street theatre, mime, dancers and film as part of their overall presentation. They have subsequently maintained a communal lifestyle, based in Angers.
By the end of the 1980s, they were playing throughout Europe and had appeared in New York as part of an artists' collective. Including Nicholas 'Kham Meslien (bass) and Matthieu Rousseau (drums) (later replaced by Franck Vaillant), they consolidated their line-up, and their first album, Fils de Zamal, was released in 1993. In 1995 the group added Berber singer/saxophonist Yamina Nid El Mourid and her sister, Nadia Nid El Mourid, who brought a strong North African influence to the music. In 1996, the new lineup recorded Sin Acabar, and 1997 saw them complete Mojo Radio, both with English producer Justin Adams. Upon the latter's release they found more acclaim in the world music community, getting them on the WOMAD circuit.
In 1999, they journeyed to Bamako, Mali, to begin work on Bohème de Cristal. While in Mali, they became involved in the organization of the Desert Music Festival held in January 2001. They have also collaborated with a wide variety of musicians, including Tinariwen.
In 2002 they released the acclaimed Au Cabaret Sauvage (originally issued in France as L'une des Siens). This was followed by a live album Ce Soir Là (2003), and a new studio album Bazar Savant (2006). In 2009 they released the album Cosmophono, and toured in the UK.
Discography
Studio:
1990 The International Courabou
1993 Fils de Zamal
1994 G7 of Destruction & Artisans of Peace
1996 Sin Acabar
1998 Mojo Radio
2000 Bohême de cristal
2002 L'une des siens
2006 Bazar savant
2009 Cosmophono
2012 Cinéma el Mundo
Other:
1989 Depuis très longtemps (K7)
1995 Le disque dort (33 tours)
2003 Ce soir là... (Live)
2007 Tu connais LO'JO ? (Best of)
Website (Bandinfo): http://www.lojo.org/
Facebooksite: http://www.facebook.com/lojomusic
MusicBrainz:http://musicbrainz.org/artist/a1c1fb23-38e0-4d7f-8fed-3c81fef5ad0f
Tout est fragile
Lo'Jo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ni poisson, ni grade
ni horloge, ni mesure
Et des bruits dérivants
Pas d'abris pour le mensonge,
Ni d'amis pour l'aube
C'était des traces fulgurantes
La beauté couvait ces rites et le poison
envolés dans des bourrasques
Ville défaite aux matins indécents,
qui dévoile ses rues à des étoiles tombées
Les spasmes de la nuit m'offre quelques ombres tardives,
Tout est futil, important
Fugitif, tout est éternel,
La ville remet ses cheveux,
Pour la noce quotidienne,
du ciel avec le bleu
tout est fragile, dangereux!
(chants féminins)
Des filles d'après minuit à la peau comme des sucreries d'orient,
qu'on fait danser contre leurs fesses,
Les amants étourdis, coulent la vie,
coulent l'insouciance, nos métamorphoses!
Leurs parfums de princesse ennivrent quelques coeurs fêlés,
s'aversant le "ners" à mille instants de sucre,
mille instans de sel,
passe le vent, passe l'imprudence, nos boulversements
(chants féminins)
Les spasmes de la nuit m'offrent quelques ombres tardives,
tout est futil, important,
fugitif, tout est éternel
les humains passent dans les rues engourdis
des arabesques au satin de la peur,
à madame carnaval à son instant de grâce.
(chants féminins)
tout est fragile, important,
fugitif, tout est éternel...
The song "Tout est fragile" by Lo'Jo explores the fragility and transience of life through the lens of a city at night. The lyrics paint a picture of a city in flux, with images of comets, wild fires, and fallen stars representing the fleeting nature of beauty and existence. The city itself is described as defeated, yet still revealing its streets to the fallen stars, suggesting a relationship between the transience of the natural world and the impermanence of human societies.
The second half of the song focuses on the people who inhabit this city at night. The lyrics describe girls with skin "like oriental sweets" and lovers who are "dizzy" with the fleetingness of life. The idea of metamorphosis is central to this section of the song, as the lovers "sink life" and "sink carelessness" in their never-ending search for pleasure and transformation. The chorus repeats the refrain "everything is fragile, dangerous, fugitive, eternal" suggesting that the transience and unpredictability of life is both frightening and beautiful.
Overall, the lyrics to "Tout est fragile" are a poignant reminder of the fleeting nature of existence and the importance of cherishing the moments we have. The song invites us to reflect on the beauty and pain of life and to embrace the ephemeral nature of our existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Au début des comètes bal??
At the beginning of comets' dance
ni poisson, ni grade
neither fish nor scale
ni horloge, ni mesure
neither clock nor measure
Et des bruits dérivants
And drifting sounds
Pas d'abris pour le mensonge,
No shelter for lies
Ni d'amis pour l'aube
No friends at dawn
C'était des traces fulgurantes
It was a flash of light
La beauté couvait ces rites et le poison
Beauty was hiding these rituals and the poison
C'était des feux sauvages
It was wild fire
envolés dans des bourrasques
flying away in gusts
Ville défaite aux matins indécents,
City defeated by indecent mornings
qui dévoile ses rues à des étoiles tombées
revealing its streets to fallen stars
Les spasmes de la nuit m'offre quelques ombres tardives,
The spasms of the night offer me some late shadows
Tout est futil, important
Everything is both trivial and important
Fugitif, tout est éternel,
Fleeting, everything is eternal
La ville remet ses cheveux,
The city puts its hair in order
Pour la noce quotidienne,
For the daily wedding
du ciel avec le bleu
between the sky and the blue
tout est fragile, dangereux!
everything is fragile, dangerous!
(chants féminins)
(female vocals)
Des filles d'après minuit à la peau comme des sucreries d'orient,
Girls after midnight with skin like oriental candies
qu'on fait danser contre leurs fesses,
making them dance against their hips
Les amants étourdis, coulent la vie,
Dizzy lovers let life pass by
coulent l'insouciance, nos métamorphoses!
letting carelessness flow, our metamorphoses!
Leurs parfums de princesse ennivrent quelques coeurs fêlés,
Their princess scents intoxicate some broken hearts
s'aversant le "ners" à mille instants de sucre,
crossing the "ners" with a thousand sugar moments
mille instans de sel,
a thousand salt moments
passe le vent, passe l'imprudence, nos boulversements
the wind passes, rashness passes, our upheavals
(chants féminins)
(female vocals)
les humains passent dans les rues engourdis
humans pass by on the streets, numbed
des arabesques au satin de la peur,
with arabesques made of satin fear
à madame carnaval à son instant de grâce.
to Madam Carnival on her moment of grace
tout est fragile, important,
everything is both fragile and important
fugitif, tout est éternel
fleeting, everything is eternal
Contributed by Liliana L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@florianlouveau7779
Commanderons la moitié tout est fragile tout éternel. Merci monsieur lo jo
@vocasphaira7693
C'est un chef d'oeuvre à l'oeil aussi délicat que la beauté qu'il observe.
@lojomusic
Merci 🙏
@mlikesmusic
best video best song best language
@tanjam6510
I'm telling everybody I know for this masterpiece 😍
@esmeraldalazingara.326
Très belle découverte,grâce à l'art s'en sort ! Une pépite ❤
@lojomusic
Une très belle soirée merci encore à l’art s’en sort et à vous pour ce mot qui fait chaud au cœur ♥️
@marinemauro465
Aimantation immédiate,charme hypnotique,totale harmonie des notes, voix et message..Bonheur ému de reconnaissance...
@Francois-ht4fw
cela me fait penser à la ville de Cannes.
@paolabaldi5383
découverts au détour d'un chemin, un soir à la lueur des bougies, ça en valait la peine, formi, formidables