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.
Sans Filet
Louise Attaque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
S'effacer en moitié, chercher partout
Gratter les fonds les à-côtés
Laisser l'entier s'effriter
Mais regarde-les, on pourrait les imiter
J'ai sans doute voulu dire qu'on pouvait réessayer
Partir sur des bases tronquées
Tu vois, du genre on fait style
Regarde-les, on pourrait les imiter
J'ai sans doute voulu dire qu'on pouvait s'illimiter
Malade comme l'hiver c'est dur de devoir passer
En net de volonté, métissée en avril
Regarde-les, on pourrait les imiter
J'ai sans doute voulu dire qu'il est dur de s'embrasser
De profil enlacés c'est tout simple de face la tête en biais
Mais regarde-les, on pourrait les imiter
Puis j'ai sans doute voulu dire qu'on devait s'illimiter
Malade comme l'hiver, jamais cru un jour pouvoir passer
En net de volonté, métissée en avril
Regarde-les, on pourrait les imiter
Et on partira sur un simple reflet
Qu'on épousera jusqu'à tout oublier
On repartira chaque jour sans filet
On s'écoulera jusqu'à se perdre en pieds
The lyrics of Louise Attaque's Sans Filet express the possibility of dividing oneself and looking for different paths in life, while observing others doing the same. The singer acknowledges that starting with half of the necessary components to succeed and striving for more can be difficult, but it can be done. The idea of venturing into unknown territories and attempting to imitate successful others comes up in the song.
The singer also talks about the difficulties of embracing life and love head-on, confronting it with courage, and how it is easier to do so from a side view. However, they encourage us to imitate those who face life bravely without fear. The chorus emphasizes the idea of taking a leap of faith, moving forward without a safety net, and going with the flow until one is fully immersed in it.
Overall, the song expresses a desire to take risks, embrace life's challenges, and strive for success, even if it means taking small steps and learning from others. It encourages us to move beyond our comfort zones and take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way.
Line by Line Meaning
J'ai sans doute voulu dire qu'on pouvait se diviser
I probably meant that we could divide ourselves
S'effacer en moitié, chercher partout
And disappear in half, search everywhere
Gratter les fonds les à-côtés
Scratch the funds, the sidelines
Laisser l'entier s'effriter
Let the whole thing fall apart
Mais regarde-les, on pourrait les imiter
But look at them, we could imitate them
J'ai sans doute voulu dire qu'on pouvait réessayer
I probably meant that we could try again
Partir sur des bases tronquées
Start on truncated bases
Voilerait le peu qu'il nous reste, mais
Hide what little we have left, but
Tu vois, du genre on fait style
You see, like we're trying too hard
Regarde-les, on pourrait les imiter
Look at them, we could imitate them
J'ai sans doute voulu dire qu'on pouvait s'illimiter
I probably meant that we could be limitless
Malade comme l'hiver c'est dur de devoir passer
Sick as winter, it's hard to have to go through
En net de volonté, métissée en avril
A clear lack of will, mixed in April
Regarde-les, on pourrait les imiter
Look at them, we could imitate them
J'ai sans doute voulu dire qu'il est dur de s'embrasser
I probably meant that it's hard to embrace
De profil enlacés c'est tout simple de face la tête en biais
In profile, entwined, it's simple, but faces at an angle
Mais regarde-les, on pourrait les imiter
But look at them, we could imitate them
Puis j'ai sans doute voulu dire qu'on devait s'illimiter
Then I probably meant that we should be limitless
Malade comme l'hiver, jamais cru un jour pouvoir passer
En net de volonté, métissée en avril
Sick as winter, never thought I could get through
A clear lack of will, mixed in April
Regarde-les, on pourrait les imiter
Look at them, we could imitate them
Et on partira sur un simple reflet
And we'll leave on a simple reflection
Qu'on épousera jusqu'à tout oublier
That we'll marry until we forget everything
On repartira chaque jour sans filet
We'll leave again each day without a safety net
On s'écoulera jusqu'à se perdre en pieds
We'll flow until we lose ourselves in steps
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Arnaud Samuel, Gaetan Roussel, Alexandre Margraff, Robin Feix
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind