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.
Tu Dis Rien
Louise Attaque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu dis rien
En une heure, de tes bras souffler la colère du monde
Voyager être là sauver chacune des secondes
Et protéger du froid les idées sans confondre
Tu vois je rêve encore, penser plus vite que mon ombre
Te souviens-tu de moi, jusqu'au son de ma voix
Suis je aussi maladroit et tristesse à la fois
Tu vois je rêve encore marcher plus vite que mes pas
Mais toi tu penses quoi
Tu dis rien
Soulager de te doigts douleur et poussière mon ange
Au voleur de ta voix plier chacune des phalanges
Me suggèrer comme ça des yeux du bout des doigts
Tu vois je rêve encore penser plus vite je peux pas
Mais toi tu dis rien, tu oublies
Tu penses à rien, tu souris ?
Qu'est ce qu'on est bien, on oublie
On traverse le haut, nos bas s'épousent sans lieu sombre
Mais toi tu penses quoi
Tu dis rien
Je veux bien m'arrêter si tu veux danser
Moi je veux bien tout quitter si tu veux bien t'approcher
Moi je veux bien m'arrêter si tu veux danser
Moi je veux bien tout quitter si tu veux bien t'approcher
Mais toi tu penses quoi
Tu dis rien
Mais toi tu dis rien, tu oublies
Tu penses à rien, tu souris ?
Qu'est ce qu'on est bien, on oublie
On traverse le haut, nos bas s'épousent sans lieu sombre
Et toi tu penses quoi
Tu dis rien
The lyrics to the song Tu Dis Rien by Louise Attaque are open to interpretation, but they seem to speak of two people in a relationship who see the world differently. The singer dreams of being a leader who can save the world and protect ideas, but struggles with self-doubt and anxiety. The other person is content to live in the moment, enjoying each other's company and letting go of their worries.
The singer seems to long for validation and understanding from the other person, asking repeatedly "Tu penses quoi toi? Tu dis rien" ("What do you think? You say nothing") but receiving no response. The other person seems to be comfortable with silence, letting their actions and emotions speak for them.
The song has a melancholy tone, with a guitar-driven melody that builds to an intense crescendo. The lyrics are poetic and introspective, reflecting on the complexities of relationships and the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu penses quoi toi
Asking the listener what their thoughts are
Tu dis rien
Not saying anything in response
En une heure, de tes bras souffler la colère du monde
Wishing to have the power to calm the world's anger with one's hands in an hour
Voyager être là sauver chacune des secondes
Wishing to travel and be present to save every single second
Et protéger du froid les idées sans confondre
Desiring to protect ideas from being lost or forgotten
Tu vois je rêve encore, penser plus vite que mon ombre
Expressing a dream of thinking faster than oneself
Vois-tu je serais roi, jusqu'à celui de ce monde
Imagining a world where the singer is the king of the world
Te souviens-tu de moi, jusqu'au son de ma voix
Wondering if the listener remembers the artist down to the sound of their voice
Suis je aussi maladroit et tristesse à la fois
Questioning if the artist is both awkward and sad at the same time
Tu vois je rêve encore marcher plus vite que mes pas
Desiring to walk faster than one's own steps
Mais toi tu penses quoi
Asking the listener once again what their thoughts are
Tu dis rien
Not receiving any response
Soulager de te doigts douleur et poussière mon ange
Wishing to relieve the listener's pain and dust on their fingers
Au voleur de ta voix plier chacune des phalanges
Thinking of bending the fingers of the thief who stole the listener's voice
Me suggèrer comme ça des yeux du bout des doigts
Suggesting that the listener read the singer's thoughts from their fingertips
Tu vois je rêve encore penser plus vite je peux pas
Acknowledging the limit to their ability to think faster than they currently do
Mais toi tu dis rien, tu oublies
Noticing that the listener is still not saying anything and seemingly forgetting something
Tu penses à rien, tu souris ?
Asking the listener if they are really thinking of nothing and just smiling
Qu'est ce qu'on est bien, on oublie
Reflecting on the feeling of being content and forgetting everything else
On traverse le haut, nos bas s'épousent sans lieu sombre
Describing how even though there are ups and downs, they join together without any dark place
Je veux bien m'arrêter si tu veux danser
Offering to stop for the listener if they want to dance
Moi je veux bien tout quitter si tu veux bien t'approcher
Willing to leave everything behind to be closer to the listener
Et toi tu penses quoi
Asking the listener once again for their thoughts
Tu dis rien
Still receiving no response
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROBIN FEIX, ALEXANDRE MARGRAFF, GAETAN ROUSSEL, ARNAUD SAMUEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind