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.
Le Dernier Clope
Louise Attaque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Etait l'Amsterdammer roulé
Vous pouvez me croire, moi j'ai vérifié
Sans filtre et peu tassé
Et toute sa dernière heure il disait
"Je préférais la liberté"
À l'abris des regards indiscrets
Il savait si prendre
Il avait le don de si méprendre
Il savait quand se défendre
Je l'ai condamné
Le dernier clope du condamné
Etait l'Amsterdammer roulé
Vous pouvez moi croire moi j'ai vérifié
N'était consumé qu'a moitié
Il savait si prendre
Il avait le don de si méprendre
Il savait quand se défendre
Sa dernière tune l'a dépensé
Pour son dernier clope surtout pas volé
C'était son dernier fix sa dernière idée
C'était son idée fixe de tout brûler
Il était simple et fier
Complexe, scintillant, malicieux
Il était simple et fier
Perdant, malheureux, solitaire
The song "Le Dernier Clope" by Louise Attaque tells the story of a condemned man's last hours before his execution. The focus of the song is on the man's last cigarette, an Amsterdammer rolled without a filter and loosely packed. The lyrics suggest that the man preferred freedom over being imprisoned and was not the kind of person who could easily be comforted. The singer, who seems to have been involved in the man's prosecution, reflects on the man's complicated personality and his ability to defend himself in difficult situations.
The Amsterdammer cigarette serves as a metaphor for the man's rebellious spirit and his desire for escape. The lyrics suggest that the man was not entirely consumed by his looming execution, as the cigarette was only half smoked. The song suggests that the man's last act of rebellion was to spend his last bit of money on the cigarette, even though he could have taken it without paying for it.
There is a sense of complexity and ambiguity in the lyrics, as the singer seems to be both condemning the man and admiring him. The song is a reflection on the complexity of human nature and the difficulties of making judgments about others.
Line by Line Meaning
Le dernier clope du condamné
The condemned man's last cigarette
Etait l'Amsterdammer roulé
Was a rolled Amsterdammer
Vous pouvez me croire, moi j'ai vérifié
You can believe me, I checked myself
Sans filtre et peu tassé
Unfiltered and loosely packed
Et toute sa dernière heure il disait
And during his last hour he said
"Je préférais la liberté"
"I preferred freedom"
À l'abris des regards indiscrets
Away from prying eyes
J'ai jamais su le consoler
I never knew how to console him
Il savait si prendre
He knew how to handle things
Il avait le don de si méprendre
He had the gift of misunderstanding
Il savait quand se défendre
He knew when to defend himself
Je l'ai condamné
I condemned him
Le dernier clope du condamné
The condemned man's last cigarette
Etait l'Amsterdammer roulé
Was a rolled Amsterdammer
Vous pouvez moi croire moi j'ai vérifié
You can believe me, I checked myself
N'était consumé qu'a moitié
Was only half-consumed
Il savait si prendre
He knew how to handle things
Il avait le don de si méprendre
He had the gift of misunderstanding
Il savait quand se défendre
He knew when to defend himself
Sa dernière tune l'a dépensé
He spent his last dime
Pour son dernier clope surtout pas volé
For his last cigarette, not stolen
C'était son dernier fix sa dernière idée
It was his last fix, his last idea
C'était son idée fixe de tout brûler
It was his obsession to burn everything
Il était simple et fier
He was simple and proud
Complexe, scintillant, malicieux
Complex, shining, mischievous
Il était simple et fier
He was simple and proud
Perdant, malheureux, solitaire
Loser, unhappy, lonely
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROBIN FEIX, ALEXANDRE MARGRAFF, GAETAN ROUSSEL, ARNAUD SAMUEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
T2SC Family Xbox
Louise attaque groupe magnifique à voir ske donne le retour en 2016
Pierre-Marie Dupeyron
Musique GENIALE !!!
michel savard
trop bon louise attack
Sev GN
Un album de 4 titres sorti au printemps 98
zexiop
ça s'appelait au fond du garage ??? du pirate en tout cas :D mais tellement pur !!!
tartalabanane
De quel enregistrement est extrait ce live svp?
CƎD Portinari
Bonjour
Le single est désormais disponible ici https://www.deezer.com/en/album/217380?autoplay=true
Sarah Jaccard
@tartalabanane Je ne sais pas, je l'avais téléchargée il y a des années, puis retrouvée sur un vieux CD :D Il me semble sur un CD de live avec d'autres artistes, mais je ne suis plus sûre!
CƎD Portinari
Bonjour
Le single est désormais disponible ici https://www.deezer.com/en/album/217380?autoplay=true
Cédric
C'est sur un ep sorti je ne sais pas en quel année, mais j'imagine avant leur album éponyme. L'album sur iTunes : tunes.apple.com/fr/album/ton-invitation-ep/id59918718?l=en