As her father, who emigrated from France to Québec at an early age, was also a musician, Marie-Mai began her interest in music in her early years when practising piano lessons and also participated in musical theatre. Shortly, she began singing and her grandmother noticed her talent. In the following years, she would help Marie-Mai improve her singing abilities even further. At that time, her grandmother suggested to her that she audition for a new competition, Star Académie. Prior to this, in 2001, she would start to perform in shows at Montreal's Théâtre Musical in the Passion intense show.
She became a finalist in the 2003 edition, in which she was immediately noticed by her pop-rock style. She finished third behind Marie-Elaine Thibert, the runner-up of the competition and Wilfred Le Bouthillier, the eventual winner.
After the Star Académie tour that ended in 2004, she was part of Rent, a rock opera musical which was held at the Olympia Theatre in Montreal.
On July 1, 2009, Marie-Mai performed "Mentir" and "Emmène-Moi" for Canada Rocks The Capital held in Ottawa.
On February 28, 2010, she performed "Emmène-Moi" during the closing ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Her debut album Inoxydable, produced by Fred St-Gelais, was released on September 28, 2004. Over 120,000 albums were sold in Quebec alone while the album was released in France in 2006. Several singles had reached high in the Quebec charts including the songs "Il faut que tu t'en ailles" and "Encore une nuit" which reached the top of the Radio Énergie charts.
In the fall of 2006, Marie-Mai had already reached the international stage, when she opened for Garou for four shows at the Olympia in Paris where several international acts made their mark at the landmark music hall. Additional stops in the European Tour included Switzerland, Belgium, Romania and Russia. In an interview with TVA's correspondent in Paris, Claude Charron, Marie-Mai mentioned she was thrilled about the experience and was amazed by the public reception in Paris. She also added that despite being a short experience each night (she opens with 30-minute performance), she enjoys every single moment of it and would stay there forever on the stage.
Her second album, Dangereuse Attraction (also produced by Fred St-Gelais), was released in August 2007. She mentioned in the interview with Charron that she hopes for success similar to her debut album Inoxydable. The first song from her next album is "Qui prendra ma place" (Who Will Take My Place) and already reached number 1 in the Francophone Chart of Radio NRJ (formerly Radio Énergie). Marie-Mai mentions that her second album is much more personal than Inoxydable. Her song "Tôt Ou Tard" is a cover of Alexz Johnson's "Waste My Time" on the album Songs from Instant Star. Over 80,000 albums were sold.
Marie-Mai provided guest vocals on David Usher's songs "Kill the Lights," on Wake Up and Say Goodbye, and "Je Repars," on The Mile End Sessions. She also provided guest vocals for Simple Plan's new song "Jet Lag" which is from their fourth album Get Your Heart On!, released on June 21 2011.
Take the Money
Marie-Mai Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You would lean on my side
I was counting
On all the years we go back
Expecting a different reaction
I've been throwing
Everything on the line
For an easier life
We thrive on separate motivations
If you're gonna go for safe over trust
If you're gonna trade your peace for glory
If you're gonna go for lust over love
I'm not gonna stand in your way so ...
Take the money and run away
Take the money and run away
Take the money and run away from me
I was hoping
You would cash on your pride
I was counting
On you to hop on the ride
I was thinking
That you would go for the long run
If you're gonna go for fast over right
If you're gonna walk and run over me
If you're gonna go for silence fight
I'm not gonna stand in your way
Go for fast over right
Go for silence over fight
You can trade your peace for glory
Go for safe over trust
Go for lust over love
Go ahead and walk over me
(Merci à Belchou pour cettes paroles)
The lyrics of Marie-Mai's song "Take the Money" tell a story of disappointment and betrayal in a relationship. The singer is hoping that her partner would choose to be with her and prioritize their love over everything else. However, the partner seems to be more interested in taking the easy route, making choices based on safety, glory, and lust, rather than trust, love, and mutual respect. This divide makes the singer realize that their motivations and priorities are vastly different, which has led to their inability to flourish as a couple.
The chorus "Take the money and run away" is a metaphor suggesting that the partner should take what they want and not look back, leaving the singer behind. The repetition of this line emphasizes the finality of the decision and the certainty that the singer feels. It is a powerful way of saying that it is better for the partner to leave and start anew as their relationship has come to a dead end.
Line by Line Meaning
I was hoping
I expected, I had faith in something
You would lean on my side
You would support me
I was counting
I trusted, I had faith
On all the years we go back
On our past history, our shared experiences
Expecting a different reaction
Hoping for a different outcome
I've been throwing
I have been risking everything
Everything on the line
My whole livelihood and future
While you've been wishing
While you have been hoping for something easier
For an easier life
For a simpler way of living
We thrive on separate motivations
We are driven by different things
If you're gonna go for safe over trust
If you choose safety over trustworthiness
If you're gonna trade your peace for glory
If you choose fame over tranquility
If you're gonna go for lust over love
If you choose physical desire over emotional love
I'm not gonna stand in your way so ...
I won't stop you from making your decision
Take the money and run away
Take what you want and leave
Take the money and run away
Take what you want and go
Take the money and run away from me
Take whatever you desire and leave me behind
I was hoping
I expected, I had faith in something
You would cash on your pride
You would act on your sense of self-worth
On you to hop on the ride
On you to join me on this adventure
I was thinking
I was hoping
That you would go for the long run
That you would stick with me for the long haul
If you're gonna go for fast over right
If you choose expediency over what is correct
If you're gonna walk and run over me
If you will take advantage of me to get ahead
If you're gonna go for silence fight
If you choose to stay quiet instead of fighting for what is right
I'm not gonna stand in your way
I won't interfere with your choices
Go for fast over right
Choose speed over correctness
Go for silence over fight
Stay quiet instead of fighting for what is right
You can trade your peace for glory
You can choose fame over tranquility
Go for safe over trust
Choose safety over trustworthiness
Go for lust over love
Choose physical desire over emotional love
Go ahead and walk over me
Take advantage of me to get what you want
Contributed by Miles B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.