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.
Cracher Nos Souhaits
Louise Attaque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
J'ai envie de rester là
Souvent j'ai envie de t'embrasser
C'est rare quand je souhaite que tu ne sois pas là
Elle est vieille, mon histoire
J'suis pas le premier à penser ça
Et rien à foutre, tu sais quoi?
On va cracher nos souhaits, on va donner de la voix
Et toi donne-moi, donne
C'est pas facile de savoir pourquoi
Pas facile, pas possible de compter sur soi
C'est pas facile de savoir pourquoi
Pas facile, pas possible de compter sur soi
Quand dans la rue j'te donne mes yeux
Pour que tu vois tu me donnes tes mains pour recevoir
À dire qu'on est un peu radin
Faudrait se donner un peu d'espoir
Arrêtons-là, tu veux bien?
Laisse-moi me rincer près du lavoir
Y a plus de raisons de se faire croire
On est pas vieux amoureux
On reste seul le soir et toi, donne-moi, donne
C'est pas facile de savoir pourquoi
Pas facile, pas possible de compter sur soi
C'est pas facile de savoir pourquoi
Pas facile, pas possible de compter sur soi
Des fois je me dis je vais voyager, souvent géant
J'ai envie de rester là
Souvent j'ai envie de t'embrasser
C'est rare quand je souhaite que tu ne sois pas là
Elle est vieille, mon histoire
J'suis pas le premier à penser ça
Et rien à foutre, tu sais quoi?
On va quand même faire comme ça
On va cracher nos souhaits, on va donner de la voix
Et toi donne-moi, donne
C'est pas facile de savoir pourquoi
C'est pas facile de savoir pourquoi
Non, non, c'est pas facile de savoir pourquoi
Non, non, c'est pas facile de savoir pourquoi
The lyrics to Louise Attaque's song "Cracher Nos Souhaits" (Spit Out Our Wishes) talk about the complexity of relationships and the inner conflicts that arise within individuals. The first stanza talks about conflicting desires, wanting to travel but also wanting to stay put, wanting to kiss someone but rare times wishing that person wasn't there. The second stanza delves into the struggle of understanding oneself and others, highlighting the difficulty of relying on oneself when in a relationship. The chorus sums up the idea of the song - though it isn't easy to know why we feel a certain way or what we want, we should still express our wishes and desires.
The third stanza introduces the concept of giving and receiving in a relationship. The line "À dire qu'on est un peu radin, faudrait se donner un peu d'espoir" (To say that we're a bit stingy, we should give ourselves a bit of hope) implies that perhaps the singer and their partner aren't giving enough to each other. The fourth stanza suggests that maybe it's time to call it quits, but the singer still wants their partner to give them something. The final chorus repeats the idea that it's not easy to understand oneself or relationships, but it's important to speak up about our wishes nonetheless.
Overall, "Cracher Nos Souhaits" is a melancholic yet honest reflection on relationships, desires and the complexities of human emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Des fois je me dis je vais voyager, souvent géant
Sometimes I think I will travel, often huge
J'ai envie de rester là
I feel like staying here
Souvent j'ai envie de t'embrasser
Often I want to kiss you
C'est rare quand je souhaite que tu ne sois pas là
It's rare that I wish you were not here
Elle est vieille, mon histoire
My story is old
J'suis pas le premier à penser ça
I'm not the first to think that
Et rien à foutre, tu sais quoi?
And who cares, you know what?
On va quand même faire comme ça
We'll still do it like that
On va cracher nos souhaits, on va donner de la voix
We'll spit out our wishes, we'll speak up
Et toi donne-moi, donne
And you give me, give
C'est pas facile de savoir pourquoi
It's not easy to know why
Pas facile, pas possible de compter sur soi
Not easy, not possible to rely on oneself
Quand dans la rue j'te donne mes yeux
When in the street I give you my eyes
Pour que tu vois tu me donnes tes mains pour recevoir
So that you see, you give me your hands to receive
À dire qu'on est un peu radin
To say that we're a little stingy
Faudrait se donner un peu d'espoir
We should give ourselves some hope
Arrêtons-là, tu veux bien?
Let's stop there, alright?
Laisse-moi me rincer près du lavoir
Let me rinse near the sink
Y a plus de raisons de se faire croire
There's no reason to fool ourselves anymore
On est pas vieux amoureux
We're not old lovers
On reste seul le soir et toi, donne-moi, donne
We stay alone at night and you, give me, give
Non, non, c'est pas facile de savoir pourquoi
No, no, it's not easy to know why
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Robin Feix, Alexandre Margraff, Gaetan Roussel, Arnaud Samuel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind