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.
10-Depuis toujours
Louise Attaque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Disait un astre au soleil
Le tour du monde ça je sais faire
Depuis toujours, toujours
Disait la lune à la terre
Dont les couleurs sont de ces merveilles
Issues d'hier ou du soleil
Issues de toujours, toujours
Elles se mélangent sous la mer
Se mélangent elles depuis toujours, toujours
Dis est-ce que tu penses
Qu'il faut arrêter là
Dis est-ce que tu crois
Que tout ça c'est immense
Dis qu'est-ce que tu vois
Est-ce que l'on suit la tendance
Les nuits ne sont pas éternelles
Disait la lune au soleil
Ils tournent en rond c'est un mystère
Depuis toujours, toujours
Disait un homme de l'univers
Dont la longueur est une merveille
Issues d'hier et du soleil
Issues de toujours, toujours
Dans le noir ou sous la lumière
Il se prolonge sous la mer
Se prolonge-t-il
Depuis toujours, toujours
Dis est-ce que tu penses
Qu'il faut arrêter là
Dis est-ce que tu crois
Que tout ça c'est immense
Dis qu'est-ce que tu vois
Est-ce que nous deux c'est tendance
Les jours ne sont pas éternels
Disait un astre au soleil
Le tour du monde ça je sais faire
Depuis toujours, toujours
Disait la lune à la terre
Dont les couleurs sont de ces merveilles
Issues d'hier ou du soleil
Issues de toujours, toujours
Dis est-ce que tu penses
Qu'il faut arrêter là
Dis est-ce que tu crois
Que nous deux c'est tendance
Dis qu'est-ce que tu vois
Est-ce que nous deux c'est immense
The lyrics of "Depuis Toujours" by Louise Attaque explore existential themes such as the impermanence of time and the vastness and mystery of the universe. The song starts with a conversation between two celestial objects, an astre and the sun, acknowledging that days are not eternal. The moon also chimes in, admiring the earth's colors and beauty, which have been present since always. The song then shifts to the perspective of a person in the universe wondering about the endlessness of things, culminating in their questioning the significance of their relationship with another person.
The song is full of contrasts - between light and dark, night and day, yesterday and the present - and the lyrics heavily rely on repetition to emphasize the cyclical nature of time. The metaphorical language allows the listener to ponder not just their own existence, but the existence of everything around them. Overall, the song expresses the human struggle with understanding and coming to terms with the vastness of the universe and the smallness of our place in it.
Line by Line Meaning
Les jours ne sont pas éternels
One celestial body said to the sun that days aren't eternal
Disait un astre au soleil
Another celestial body said to the sun
Le tour du monde ça je sais faire
I know how to go around the world
Depuis toujours, toujours
I've been doing it forever
Disait la lune à la terre
The moon said to the earth
Dont les couleurs sont de ces merveilles
Whose colors are wondrous
Issues d'hier ou du soleil
That come from yesterday or the sun
Issues de toujours, toujours
That have always been around
Dans le noir ou sous la lumière
In the darkness or under the light
Elles se mélangent sous la mer
They mix together under the sea
Se mélangent-elles depuis toujours, toujours
Have they been mixing forever?
Dis est-ce que tu penses
Say, do you think
Qu'il faut arrêter là
That we should stop here?
Dis est-ce que tu crois
Say, do you believe
Que tout ça c'est immense
That all of this is immense?
Dis qu'est-ce que tu vois
Say, what do you see?
Est-ce que l'on suit la tendance
Are we just following the trend?
Les nuits ne sont pas éternelles
The moon told the sun that nights aren't eternal
Ils tournent en rond c'est un mystère
They go round and round, it's a mystery
Disait un homme de l'univers
A man of the universe said
Dont la longueur est une merveille
Whose length is a wonder
Il se prolonge sous la mer
It extends under the sea
Se prolonge-t-il depuis toujours, toujours
Has it been extending forever?
Dis est-ce que tu penses
Say, do you think
Qu'il faut arrêter là
That we should stop here?
Dis est-ce que tu crois
Say, do you believe
Que tout ça c'est immense
That all of this is immense?
Dis qu'est-ce que tu vois
Say, what do you see?
Est-ce que nous deux c'est tendance
Are we just trendy?
Dis est-ce que tu penses
Say, do you think
Qu'il faut arrêter là
That we should stop here?
Dis est-ce que tu crois
Say, do you believe
Que nous deux c'est tendance
That we are just trendy?
Dis qu'est-ce que tu vois
Say, what do you see?
Est-ce que nous deux c'est immense
Are we really something immense?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ALEXANDRE MARGRAFF, ARNAUD SAMUEL, GAETAN ROUSSEL, ROBIN FEIX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Iannis Périé
Cette ligne de basse... Magique !
Niko Zion
Tu sais la jouer ?
Niko Zion
La guitare est bien aussi sur ce morceau ! ;)