In 1975, after a failed stint at managing & relaunching the image of the notoriously hard living and chaotic band the New York Dolls, Malcolm nurtured the formation of one of the most infamous punk bands in history, The Sex Pistols. He became their manager, and controlled their contracts, as well as most importantly to him, their image in the media. The venture ended in a disastrous US tour, and a film called "The Great Rock And Roll Swindle" that featured McLaren, and glorified his untraditional Situationist PR approach and manipulative Svengali-esque role in the band's career.
In the '80s, after the Sex Pistols had long broken up, Malcolm became the manager of another band, Adam and the Ants which veered away from punk's coarse format via new romantic pirate garb and poly rhythmic African style drumming. When Adam Ant rebelled and left the band, Malcolm repackaged the musicians with a 14 year old Anglo/Burmese girl named Annabella Lwin to form the band Bow Wow Wow. He soon used his headline making skills to propel the band and their underage lead singer to the top of the charts with a nude album cover scandal.
In the early 1980's, Malcolm began producing his own records, beginning with the hits "Buffalo Gals" and "Double Dutch" from the groundbreaking 1983 album "Duck Walk" which used NYC hip hoppers and scratch DJ's The World Famous Supreme Team, as its foundation. Future members of Art of Noise performed on, produced, and/or jointly composed various tracks. He next turned to opera, masterminding a pop adaptation of "Madam Butterfly" on the album "Fans" using an assortment of female vocalists, and skilled musician Robby Kilgore on the tracks.
McLaren has released numerous other albums and tracks since, including contributions to the movie soundtracks of Carry On Columbus, and Kill Bill 2, but his musical career peaked with his 1980's works. McLaren's original "Double Dutch" era material has since been reappropriated and sampled by sucessful artists including Mariah Carey, Eminem, Amerie and De La Soul.
In his later years, McLaren occasionally contributed to newspapers and magazines, directed and produced films and appeared on British reality television programmes. He died on the morning of 8 April 2010, following a battle with cancer.
La Main Parisienne
Malcolm McLaren Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been watching you
Watching you watching me
And every time I think of you
I think could this be love, ai ai ai ai
Une ligne dans ma main
Et tu es droit sur mon chemin
Mon Paradis c'est la rue
Tu me vois nue
Je suis emue
Tu me vois Reine
C'est pas la peine, ai ai ai
Ma vitrine est une vitrine Parisienne
J'ai la main Parisienne
I've been watching you
Watching me, watching you
J'ai la main Parisienne
Une ligne dans ma main
Et tu es droit sur mon chemin
Come on Monsieur
I take your hand
If you got some time to spend?
Si je t'ais plu
N'en parlons plus
La tour Eiffel
Paris est belle, ai ai ai ai
Ma vitrine est une vitrine Parisienne
J'ai la main Parisienne
I've been watching you
Watching me watching you
J'ai la main Parisienne
Si je t'ai plu
N'en parlons plus, ai ai ai ai
Ma vitrine est une vitrine Parisienne
Could this be love?
J'ai la main Parisienne
J'ai la main Parisienne
And every time I think of you I dream
Could this be love?
J'ai la main Parisienne
The lyrics of La Main Parisienne revolve around a narrator who has been observing someone in the city of Paris. This person is always watching them back and the singer wonders if it could be love since every thought of them sounds like "ai ai ai ai", which is a French expression of excitement. The lines "Une ligne dans ma main et tu es droit sur mon chemin" translate to "A line in my hand and you are right on my way", suggesting a possible sense of destiny. The singer describes themselves as "naked" and "thrilled" when watched by their love interest, who sees them as something of a queen. Paris is portrayed as a crowded desert, which could be both a negative and a positive. Streets are the singer's paradise and their window is like that of a Parisian store.
Line by Line Meaning
In this crowded desert they call Paris
Paris is so populated that it feels like a desert, and the singer is observing their surroundings.
I've been watching you
The singer has been keeping an eye on someone.
Watching you watching me
The singer has noticed that they are also being observed by the person they are watching.
And every time I think of you
The artist is frequently thinking about the person they are watching.
I think could this be love, ai ai ai ai
The artist wonders if their feelings for the person they are watching could be love. The 'ai ai ai ai' is an expression of excitement or nervousness.
Une ligne dans ma main
There is a line in the singer's hand.
Et tu es droit sur mon chemin
The person the singer is watching is directly in their path.
Comme une enfant perdue
The artist feels lost or vulnerable, like a lost child.
Mon paradis c'est la rue
The artist's paradise is the street. They may find comfort in being able to observe people in public spaces.
Tu me vois nue
The artist feels exposed or vulnerable to the person they are watching.
Je suis émue
The observation causes the singer to feel emotional.
Tu me vois reine
The artist feels like royalty or important in the eyes of the person they are watching.
C'est pas la peine, ai ai ai
The singer realizes that it is not worth pursuing a relationship with this person. The 'ai ai ai' is an expression of disappointment or frustration.
Ma vitrine est une vitrine Parisienne
The singer's storefront is decorated in the style of Paris.
J'ai la main Parisienne
The singer's hand has the style of Paris, possibly referring to their manicure or jewelry.
Come on Monsieur
The artist is encouraging the person they are watching to approach them.
I take your hand
The artist is making physical contact with the person they are watching.
If you got some time to spend?
The singer is asking the person they are watching if they have some free time to spend with them.
Si je t'ai plu
The singer is asking the person they are watching if they are interested in them.
N'en parlons plus
The artist is suggesting that if the person they are watching is not interested, they should move on. This can also mean 'let's not talk about it anymore'.
La tour Eiffel
The Eiffel Tower.
Paris est belle, ai ai ai ai
Paris is beautiful. The 'ai ai ai ai' is an expression of excitement or appreciation.
J'ai la main Parisienne
The singer's hand has the style of Paris.
Could this be love?
The artist is still questioning if their feelings could be love.
And every time I think of you I dream
The singer dreams about the person they are watching frequently. This could indicate longing or infatuation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AMINA, GORMAN, MAKAGA, MCLAREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rodrigosimoes2427
Love this album since 1994❤️ J’ai la main parisienne!
@glamnesianouveaux2039
Bow Down to you Mr Malcolm McLaren, you are THE genius of all GENIUS xxxxxxx I miss you so much +
@jmvirgfb
In its 16 year existence it's only today that I've found people who actually like it.
@janezjonsa3165
16+11= 27 years ago... thats 1995.
I listened this in 2000. On cassette. On the boat. Every night
@fasthracing
Excellent
@TheRollthedice
one of my fave albums of all time
@lynnegladwin6728
Just beautiful💝💝
@ainslieberrafella
Wow, 20 years since McLaren released his Paris album and for me this song was always the stand-out. I recorded most of this clip on my VCR when it was first broadcast all those years ago, but that was a lifetime ago. The song (and video) really stuck with me and I'm very pleased to find it here after all that time. The song still sounds fresh and it's a fantastic clip. Thanks for sharing!
@theblackboxclub
I too was watching the ITV Chart Show, the Saturday morning this was broadcast. I watched that show every weekend. I still have the VHS cassette with the recording. I bought the two CD release and listen to it when having a McLaren binge. Anything he released, I purchased. Never dull and a great trigger to use when needing a prompt to be creative!
@cjasewell
Love this track, passionate about this album. It's the most beautiful album I've ever heard.