Louise Attaque is a French band founded in 1994. Its style could be describ… Read Full Bio ↴Louise Attaque is a French band founded in 1994. Its style could be described as something between chanson and folk-rock, although it has evolved since their first album Louise Attaque, which sold more than 2 million copies without any tv or radio promotion.

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 l'on marchait jusqu'à demain
Louise Attaque Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Avalé par des yeux immenses
En parler comme si c’était les miens
Nager dans tes yeux leur élégance
Voilà que moi, je baisse les miens

Longer tes jambes, immenses
Tout ça mais comme alors si de rien
Et ta démarche, quelle élégance

Si l’on marchait jusqu’à demain

On serait peut être au bout de la France
Marseille, munhun ? en fait j’en sais rien
Ça parait possible en apparence
Possible, si tu veux bien

Février en Chine, quelle joie quelle chance
On a marché regarde bien plus loin
Que nous le laissaient penser les apparences
Est-ce que l’on reste, est-ce que l’on revient?

Bien sûr que l’on reste, c’est une évidence
Au bout du monde…

Au bout du compte on reste un bout de la France
Au bout du monde ici on se sent bien

Longues tes jambes, immenses
Tout ça mais alors toujours comme si de rien
Et ta démarche, quelle élégance
Si l’on marchait encore plus loin…

Nous sommes au Mali quelle fête quelle chance
Demain serait une chose que l’on obtient
À chercher plus loin que toutes les apparences
Est-ce que l’on reste, est-ce que l’on y tient?

Avalé par tes yeux immenses
En parler comme si c’était les miens
Noyé dans ces, leur élégance
Si l’on regardait un peu plus loin

Oui mon chapeau, c’est une évidence

N’a rien à voir avec le tien
Mais notre amour, notre exigence…

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Louise Attaque's song Si l'on marchait jusqu'à demain speak about the intensity of the singer's gaze towards someone else, whose eyes are described as immense. He talks about how he could swim in their elegance, but he ends up lowering his own eyes. The second verse continues with the description of the person's physical appearance, particularly focusing on the length of their legs and their elegant walk. The singer then proposes that they walk until tomorrow, maybe until the end of France, or even further. The possibility of traveling to the end of the world together is presented, and the lyrics suggest that they would both be comfortable there.

In the third verse, the singer describes how they've traveled to China in February, and they've walked further than they initially thought they could. They're now in Mali, which is cause for celebration, and they contemplate whether or not they should stay. The chorus repeats the idea that they would walk further if they could, particularly admiring the other person's immense eyes and elegant walk, while acknowledging that though each of their hats may differ, their love and their high standards remain constant.

Overall, the lyrics to Si l'on marchait jusqu'à demain evoke a sense of fascination and admiration for another person, as well as a willingness to engage in adventure and explore the world together.

Line by Line Meaning

Avalé par des yeux immenses
Feeling engulfed by the immensity of your gaze

En parler comme si c’était les miens
Talking about it as if it was my own experience

Nager dans tes yeux leur élégance
Swimming in the elegance of your eyes

Voilà que moi, je baisse les miens
And now, I lower mine

Longer tes jambes, immenses
Walking alongside your immense legs

Tout ça mais comme alors si de rien
But all of it seems like nothing

Et ta démarche, quelle élégance
And your walk, what elegance

Si l’on marchait jusqu’à demain
If we were to walk until tomorrow

On serait peut être au bout de la France
We could possibly be at the edge of France

Marseille, munhun ? en fait j’en sais rien
Marseille, maybe? Actually, I don't know

Ça parait possible en apparence
It seems possible at first glance

Possible, si tu veux bien
Possible, if you agree

Février en Chine, quelle joie quelle chance
February in China, what joy what luck

On a marché regarde bien plus loin
We have walked and looked much farther

Que nous le laissaient penser les apparences
Than appearances let us believe

Est-ce que l’on reste, est-ce que l’on revient?
Do we stay or do we go back?

Bien sûr que l’on reste, c’est une évidence
Of course, we stay, it is obvious

Au bout du monde…
At the end of the world...

Au bout du compte on reste un bout de la France
In the end, we still belong to France

Au bout du monde ici on se sent bien
At the end of the world, we feel good here

Si l’on marchait encore plus loin…
If we were to walk even further...

Nous sommes au Mali quelle fête quelle chance
We are in Mali, what a celebration what luck

Demain serait une chose que l’on obtient
Tomorrow would be something we obtain

À chercher plus loin que toutes les apparences
By searching deeper than all appearances

Est-ce que l’on reste, est-ce que l’on y tient?
Do we stay, do we care?

Noyé dans ces, leur élégance
Drowned in their elegance

Si l’on regardait un peu plus loin
If we were to look a little further

Oui mon chapeau, c’est une évidence
Yes, my hat, it is obvious

N’a rien à voir avec le tien
Has nothing to do with yours

Mais notre amour, notre exigence...
But our love, our demand...

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT (FRANCE)
Written by: ALEXANDRE MARGRAFF, ARNAUD SAMUEL, GAETAN ROUSSEL, ROBIN FEIX

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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