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.
La barre est dure
Mano Solo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ta victoire est amère, tout un monde englouti un peu salé.
Et le canal résonne, la glace sous la proue qui pleure et
gémit comme tes deux pieds gelés. Tiens la bien.
Déchire cette eau à grands coups d'hélice, ta victoire est si triste.
Elle n'appartient qu'à toi, comme le vent dans ton cou,
comme ta sueur qui navigue entre ta peur et ton courage.
lourde trop lourde de glace et de graisse.Tiens la bien.
Tu oses toi même y croire quand tu mens,
à tes deux mains qui pleurent ta victoire si froide
plantée dans la mousse des parois d'écluses
qui suintent comme le désir d'en finir,
d'un coup d'un seul dans ses bras là-bas.Tiens la bien.
Ses yeux, ses cheveux , tout noirs, t'attendent peut être.
Mais tu sais bien que non, mais tu sais vraiment rien pauv'con!
Ta victoire est si pure, si seule, si dure.
Ta victoire est si vaine qu'elle ne peut qu'être belle,
tiens la bien...
The lyrics of Mano Solo's song "La barre est dure" speak about a boat journey and the physical and emotional struggles that come with it. The singer encourages the person holding the steering wheel to hold it firmly with both hands, as the victory they have achieved is bitter and has cost them a lot. The world seems to have swallowed them up, and the tears that flow from the singer's eyes are as salty as the water around them. The sound of the canal echoes around them, while the singer encourages them to keep holding on.
The second verse speaks about the physical struggle of navigating through the water, with the singer telling the person to use the propeller to tear through the water. The victory they have achieved is filled with sadness, as it is theirs alone, just like the wind that rages around them and the sweat that drips down their neck. The victory is both far away and too heavy, weighed down by ice and fat. The singer encourages the person to hold on tight to the steering wheel.
The third verse speaks about the emotional struggle that the person is going through, where they lie to themselves about their victory being cold and distant. They cry with both hands, feeling as though they are surrounded by sticky moss and feeling a strong desire to end everything. They long to be in the arms of someone who is waiting for them, but deep down, they know that it is just a dream. The victory they have achieved is pure, but it is also pointless, and the singer once again urges them to hold on tight.
Overall, this song speaks to the idea of victory being a double-edged sword, with the struggle and cost of achieving it almost overshadowing the joy of having won. It is a reminder that sometimes, it is not just about the destination, but also about the journey itself.
Line by Line Meaning
La barre est dure tiens la bien, tiens la bien des deux reins.
Keep a steady hand on the wheel, use both your limbs. The struggle is tough and demanding.
Ta victoire est amère, tout un monde englouti un peu salé.
Your victory is bittersweet, as it comes at the cost of losing some of your world.
Et le canal résonne, la glace sous la proue qui pleure et gémit comme tes deux pieds gelés. Tiens la bien.
The canal echoes with your pain as you push through the ice, feeling the same cold in your own feet.
Déchire cette eau à grands coups d'hélice, ta victoire est si triste.
Plow through the water with great force, but realize that your victory is tinged with sorrow.
Elle n'appartient qu'à toi, comme le vent dans ton cou, comme ta sueur qui navigue entre ta peur et ton courage.
This victory is yours alone, like the wind in your face, like your sweat that mixes your fear and your bravery.
Ta victoire est si vaine, si lointaine, lourde trop lourde de glace et de graisse.Tiens la bien.
Your victory feels empty, distant, weighed down by both ice and fatigue. Hold on tightly.
Tu oses toi même y croire quand tu mens, à tes deux mains qui pleurent ta victoire si froide plantée dans la mousse des parois d'écluses qui suintent comme le désir d'en finir, d'un coup d'un seul dans ses bras là-bas.Tiens la bien.
You dare to believe your own lies, grasping onto a numb victory. You feel like giving up, and your hands grip in despair against the mossy walls of the canal. Keep holding on.
Ses yeux, ses cheveux , tout noirs, t'attendent peut être. Mais tu sais bien que non, mais tu sais vraiment rien pauv'con!
Her dark eyes and dark hair may await you, but realistically, you know it's not meant to be. You're clueless, you poor fool!
Ta victoire est si pure, si seule, si dure. Ta victoire est si vaine qu'elle ne peut qu'être belle, tiens la bien...
Your victory is pure and lonely, but still admirable. Its emptiness only adds to its beauty. Hold on tightly...
Contributed by Dylan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mika Mikaz
Que de souvenirs...
SpYZ AsoX
la meilleure pour moi ❤❤❤
psy cho
énorme mano ;)
Franck Wortigen
sublime album
Janet 777
Tiens bon la barre mon frere ma sœur. Paix a ton âme Mano
__Pyrrhon__
à 35 du matin jétais dans un sal pétrain
Philippe T
poète
Datsik
Bravo tu as réussi à gâché la qualité d'un titre en or.....
Janet 777
@Cynthia de Smet c'est clair
Cynthia de Smet
Faut vraiment pas avoir de coeur pour sortir une telle connerie