Several of the group's albums were produced by Gordon Gano, lead singer of Violent Femmes, a band which Louise Attaque often cite as an influence and for whom their own band is named: "Louise" is a feminine name, taken from Louise Michel –a french anarchist militant in France in the nineteenth century– and "attaque" connotates violence, it literally means "attack" in French –in reference of the Violent Femmes.
History
Climb to the top (1990-2001)
Caravage (1990-1994)
Lead singer and guitarist Gaëtan Roussel and bassist Robin Feix met in high school in Montargis. They moved to Paris after graduation where they met drummer Alexandre Margraff and formed a rock band : Caravage (named after the famous Italian painter Caravaggio). After briefly hiring a lead guitarist, the band met violinist Arnaud Samuel while recording in a Parisian studio.
Louise Attaque's phenomenal success (1997-2001)
Louise Attaque was formed in 1994. The name means "Louise Attacks" in French and is in reference of Louise Michel, a 19th century anarchist, and of the American rock band The Violent Femmes (which means "violent women" in French). The Violent Femmes leader, Gordon Gano, has agreed to produce Louise Attaque's debut self-titled album.
Louise Attaque was released in april 1997, receiving a strong positive critical response. Despite low initial radio airplay, the reputation of the group spread rapidly, garnering particular praise for its innovative violin-based folk/rock compositions and witty lyrics. By the end of the year, Louise Attaque had already become a phenomenon, and with the help of a highly successful tour throughout France, the band had sold more than 400 000 units. Louise Attaque eventually went on to sale an impressive 2.5 million copies in France, a record for any French rock album (even outselling Noir Désir's highly popular 666667 Club album, released in 1996).
It took almost three years until Louise Attaque 's sophomore album Comme On A Dit was released (in january 2000), still produced by Gordon Gano. The album met expectations of fans and critics alike, a complex and daring effort that still evoked Louise Attaque 's now famous trademark. It was noted, however, that Comme On A Dit was darker than the debut album, and consequently less radio friendly. It still sold 700 000 copies in France. Yet in 2001, after touring for five months and appearing in various rock festivals, the band split up, explaining that they were temporarily out of inspiration and tired of the hype and pressure surrounding them.
From separation to reunion (2001-2005)
Tarmac & Ali Dragon
Louise Attaque actually broke in two different groups. Singer Gaëtan Roussel and violinist Arnaud Samuel formed Tarmac, while bassist Robin Feix and drummer Alexandre Margraff formed Ali Dragon. Tarmac is the name of a building products company, whose name is often used to refer to asphalt (bitume in French). The group aims to explore the starker sounds of acoustic instruments, while Ali Dragon has turned towards underground experimental music featuring jam sessions (mostly electro and hip-hop).
À Plus Tard Crocodile
The four members of the group reunited in 2003 to pen a few songs, though at this point they didn't know whether they would release their material. After recording for a few weeks in the Electric Ladyland studios in New York, Louise Attaque finally decided to release a (highly anticipated) third album. À Plus Tard Crocodile was released in september 2005. The title is in reference of the rock and roll song See You Later Alligator (funnily enough, "à plus tard crocodile" is a calque of the American catchphrase, which gives an unidiomatic expression in French).
À Plus Tard Crocodile was said to be quite a departure from Louise Attaque 's previous work, a lighter and more varied album. Still, the group met with critical and chart success once again.
01_La traversee du desert
Louise Attaque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Regarder le monde à l'envers
Croire en tout, en l'éphémère
Décider d'aller de l'avant
Car il y a dans l'air par moments
Ce léger souffle, séduisant
Peut-on rester débutant
Apprivoiser ses nerfs?
The lyrics of La Traversée Du Désert seem to express a sense of restlessness and uncertainty. The first line - "Il y a rien faire par moments" - suggests a feeling of boredom or aimlessness. The next line, "Regarder le monde à l'envers," could be interpreted as a desire to see things from a different perspective, or maybe even a sense of disorientation or confusion. The following lines, "Croire en tout, en l'éphémère / Décider d'aller de l'avant," seem to express a kind of optimism or faith in the temporary nature of things, and a resolve to move forward.
The second half of the verse - "Car il y a dans l'air par moments / Ce léger souffle, séduisant / Peut-on rester débutant / Apprivoiser ses nerfs?" - continues this theme of uncertainty and questioning. The "léger souffle" - which could be translated as a "gentle breeze" or "whisper" - is described as "séduisant," or seductive. There's a sense that the singer is being tempted or pulled in different directions, and questioning whether they can handle the challenges of moving forward.
Overall, the lyrics of La Traversée Du Désert seem to capture a feeling of restlessness and uncertainty, but also a sense of determination to keep going and face whatever challenges lie ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
Il y a rien faire par moments
Parfois, il n'y a rien à faire
Regarder le monde à l'envers
Regarder les choses sous un angle différent
Croire en tout, en l'éphémère
Avoir la foi en tout, même en ce qui est éphémère
Décider d'aller de l'avant
Prendre la décision de continuer à avancer
Car il y a dans l'air par moments
Parfois, il y a quelque chose dans l'air
Ce léger souffle, séduisant
Ce souffle léger et séduisant
Peut-on rester débutant
Est-il possible de rester débutant
Apprivoiser ses nerfs?
Maîtriser ses émotions ?
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT (FRANCE)
Written by: Alexandre Margraff, Gaetan Roussel, Robin Feix, Samuel Arnaud
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
AlexMorellon
Quelqu'un a compris les paroles ? Au début je pensais que c'était super profond... Mais plus je réfléchis, moins je comprends. Chui le seul a me poser des questions lol ?
Marlon Cocqueel
C'est la version complète ^^
Louna Slava
+AlexMorellon mdr je pense que ce genre de texte c'est un peu comme la poésie, chacun y va de son interprétation selon sa sensibilité et son vécu...
親王 Barhoumi Nihonjin Smkw
+AlexMorellon Moi je me demande surtout si quelqu'un a la version complète... lel.
bastien vivien
la chanson complète s'intitule revolver
Noah bien aimé
elle est courte la chanson
bastien vivien
la chanson complète de louise attaque s'intitule revolver