His first album, La Marmaille Nue, was released in 1993 and sold 100,000 copies in the first year. His second album, Les Années Sombres ("The Dark Years"), a somber album that also went gold in its first months was released in 1995. In 1996, he regrouped with part of the Chihuahuas for the album Frères Misère (Brothers in Misery). Its rhythms are closer to punk, and the texts are more topical than his solo albums. With little media attention, the album failed to meet immediate success.
The release of his next album: Je sais pas trop ("I don't really know") was in 1997. Recorded live and featuring, once again, original melodies and sounds, it was a Gold record in France. Two years later, Mano Solo recorded the double album Internationale Shalala, live at the Tourtour, a little theatre where he played regularly since the beginning of his music career. He sings and plays guitar on the album, accompanied only by another guitarist, Jean-Louis Solans. The songs come from earlier Solo albums, except for Shalala, a hymn of "inner revolution" that the artist sang together with his audience at the end of every concert, with a positive and dynamic message.
His second live album, La Marche (The Walk), was released in 2002. It consists mostly of songs from the album Dehors ("Outside"), released earlier (August 2000). With the album comes a DVD featuring photos and videos from concerts, and CG animations from Mano Solo's imagination.
In 2004, Les animals was released. As with other Solo albums the sound was new, the lyrics contained much poetic language, and the songs were performed energetically. Some titles were new recordings of old songs. The song Botzaris, recorded with Les Têtes Raides, was featured on the album. Solo appeared on two tracks on the album Dans le caillou by Karpatt.
Solo had been HIV positive for years secondary to his youthful drug use. He was rushed to hospital after a concert in Paris on 12 November 2009. There he died at the age of 46 on 10 January 2010, due to his illness. He is buried at the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
Je taille ma route
Mano Solo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un son nouveau courir sous ma peau
Qui accompagne les fous battements de mon coeur
Sourdement sourdement ca cogne là-dedans
Et de loin en loin ca se rapproche une marée de triples croches
Qui martèlent les clous de ma nouvelle maison
Au rythme d'un tout qui m'invite à la passion
Poussé par mon instinct je trace ma vie
A grands coups de fusain
Et l'écho me revient décalé
Du temps où je battais le pavé
Et chaque jour il devient plus fort
Dans chaque partie de mon corps
Ignorant les dérives bousculant les fatigues
Il pousse mon âme vers l'avant
Alors que sorties du tempo me poussent des ailes dans le dos
Sans limites chevauchant cette musique
Je me déroule la tripe
Le son du tambour est mon meilleur ami
Chaque jour il me ramène la vie
Il bouscule mon sommeil me promets monts et merveilles
Et donne au temps sa propre mesure
Cicatrisant toutes les blessures
In the opening verse of "Je taille ma route" by Mano Solo, the French singer-songwriter speaks about a new feeling that has been coursing through his body recently, a sound that has been running under his skin. This sound is a steady beating of his heart which resonates inside him, and is accompanied by a strange sensation that builds up and then surges through his being. This sound within him assumes the form of triplets which create a hammering rhythm, thus making the nails of his new house resonate in synchrony with this newfound passion within him.
He then goes on to speak about how nothing disgusts him anymore, and how he is pushing himself to carve his own way in life, with the zeal and spontaneity of an artist with a fresh canvas in his hand, wondering where to start. He is driven by instinct, by the urge to create something that is truly his own. With powerful artistic strokes, he is moving ahead on this new path, unfettered by the chains of conformity and the conventions of society. As he moves forward, there is an echo that resounds within him, a powerful reminder of the days when he used to walk the streets, feeling free and unburdened.
In the final verse of the song, Mano Solo speaks about how this music that emanates within him is affecting his body, mind, and soul, taking hold of him with its magical powers. This music heals his wounds, helps him overcome his fears and anxieties, and gives him the courage to move forward with steadfast determination. In the end, it is the sound of the drum that becomes his closest friend, reminding him of life's beauty and mystery, pushing him to create something that is enduring and meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
Depuis quelques temps je le sens
For some time now, I can feel it
Un son nouveau courir sous ma peau
A new sound running under my skin
Qui accompagne les fous battements de mon coeur
That accompanies the crazy beating of my heart
Sourdement sourdement ca cogne là-dedans
Mutedly, it keeps pounding inside
Et de loin en loin ca se rapproche une marée de triples croches
And from time to time, a tide of triplets inches closer
Qui martèlent les clous de ma nouvelle maison
Hammering nails into my new home
Au rythme d'un tout qui m'invite à la passion
To the rhythm of everything that invites me to passion
Et je taille ma route plus rien ne me dégoutte
And I hit the road, nothing disgusts me anymore
Poussé par mon instinct je trace ma vie
Driven by my instinct, I chart my own path
A grands coups de fusain
With bold strokes of charcoal
Et l'écho me revient décalé
And the echo comes back to me, offbeat
Du temps où je battais le pavé
From the time when I was pounding the pavement
Et chaque jour il devient plus fort
And every day it becomes stronger
Dans chaque partie de mon corps
In every part of my body
Ignorant les dérives bousculant les fatigues
Ignoring the drifts, pushing through the fatigue
Il pousse mon âme vers l'avant
It pushes my soul forward
Alors que sorties du tempo me poussent des ailes dans le dos
While being out of time, wings sprout from my back
Sans limites chevauchant cette musique
Without limits, riding this music
Je me déroule la tripe
I unroll my insides
Le son du tambour est mon meilleur ami
The sound of the drum is my best friend
Chaque jour il me ramène la vie
Every day, it brings me back to life
Il bouscule mon sommeil me promets monts et merveilles
It shakes up my sleep, promising me wonders
Et donne au temps sa propre mesure
And gives time its own measure
Cicatrisant toutes les blessures
Healing all wounds
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Mano Solo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind