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.
Si c'était hier
Louise Attaque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Capricieux quand il faut s'y faire
Silencieux, soulagés de pouvoir se plaire un petit peu
Amoureux si c'était hier, moi je veux
Souligner tout et son contraire pour tes yeux
Astucieux, toujours plus en faire
Être mieux, que le monde nous laisse un peu d'air
Astucieux, toujours plus en faire
Être mieux, que le monde nous laisse un peu d'air
Généreux
Épineux le choix du partenaire, rose ou bleu?
Le choisir pour la vie entière? pour une heure ou deux?
Le choisir pour la vie entière? Pour une heure ou deux
Prétentieux ce n'est plus à faire
Belliqueux, dépassé fasse à la misère?
Un peu, merdeux
Si Takum s'écrit à l'envers, moi je veux
Pouvoir fermer les paupières, être heureux
Capricieux quand il faut s'y faire
Silencieux, soulagés de pouvoir se plaire?
Amoureux si c'était hier, moi je veux
Souligner tout et son contraire pour tes yeux
Astucieux, toujours plus en faire
Être mieux, que le monde nous laisse un peu d'air
Généreux
Capricieux quand il faut s'y faire
Silencieux, soulagés de pouvoir se plaire un petit peu
Amoureux si c'était hier, moi je veux
Souligner tout et son contraire pour tes yeux
Astucieux, toujours plus en faire
Être mieux, que le monde nous laisse un peu d'air
Généreux
Que le monde nous laisse un peu d'air
Généreux
The song Si C'Etait Hier by Louise Attaque is a beautiful love song that talks about the complications and uncertainties of love. The song starts by describing the different facets of love, ranging from being capricious to being generous. The lyrics mention the need to be astute, to do more than what is expected and to be better than what the world expects. The singer wants to acknowledge all the contradictions of love for the loved one's eyes. The lyrics continue by mentioning the dilemma of choosing a partner that can be thorny and challenging. The choice of a partner can be for a lifetime or just a few hours.
The chorus emphasizes the singer's desire for the world to leave them room to breathe and to be generous. In the middle section of the song, the lyrics talk about the feelings of being pretentious or even bellicose. However, the mention of "Si Takum s'écrit à l'envers" ("If Takum is written backwards") suggests that the meaning of the lyrics is not so straightforward. It suggests that the meaning is to be found by looking at the lyrics from a different perspective. The song concludes with the same chorus as the beginning, the desire for love to be more comfortable, and to be generous.
Regarding the song's context, Louise Attaque recorded Si C'Etait Hier on their album "A plus tard crocodile" released in 2005. This album was the band's comeback album after a decade-long break. The album was both commercially and critically successful, reaching platinum status in France.
Line by Line Meaning
Capricieux quand il faut s'y faire
Unwilling to conform when it's necessary
Silencieux, soulagés de pouvoir se plaire un petit peu
Quiet, relieved to be able to please oneself a little
Amoureux si c'était hier, moi je veux
In love if it was yesterday, I want
Souligner tout et son contraire pour tes yeux
Emphasize everything and its opposite for your eyes
Astucieux, toujours plus en faire
Clever, always trying to do more
Être mieux, que le monde nous laisse un peu d'air
To be better, for the world to give us a little breathing room
Généreux
Generous
Épineux le choix du partenaire, rose ou bleu?
Thorny the choice of partner, pink or blue?
Le choisir pour la vie entière? pour une heure ou deux?
Choose for a lifetime? for an hour or two?
Prétentieux ce n'est plus à faire
Pretentiousness is no longer necessary
Belliqueux, dépassé fasse à la misère?
Warlike, out of touch with misery?
Un peu, merdeux
A little bit crappy
Si Takum s'écrit à l'envers, moi je veux
If Takum is written backwards, I want
Pouvoir fermer les paupières, être heureux
To be able to close my eyes, be happy
Que le monde nous laisse un peu d'air
For the world to give us a little breathing room
Généreux
Generous
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT (FRANCE), BMG Rights Management
Written by: Alexandre Margraff, Gaetan Roussel, Robin Feix, Samuel Arnaud
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind