Her career began accidentally in 1959 when she replaced her sister at the last minute in a French radio talent contest Naissance d'une étoile and won. Director Louis Malle then cast the young starlet in the film he was shooting at the time, Liberté, a project he finally abandonded, making Laforêt's first appearance on screen opposite actor Alain Delon in René Clément's 1960 drama Plein Soleil.
After this film she became very popular and interpreted many roles in the 1960s. She married director Jean-Gabriel Albicocco, who cast her in some of his own works, including La Fille aux Yeux d'Or (The Girl with the Golden Eyes), based on the Balzac story, which would become her nickname.
In her second film, Saint Tropez Blues, accompanied by a young Jacques Higelin at the guitar, she sang the title song and immediately started releasing singles, her first hit being 1963's Les Vendanges de l'Amour. Her songs offered a more mature, poetic, tender alternative to the light, teenage yé-yé tunes charting in France at the time. Her melodies borrowed more from exotic folk music, especially South American and Eastern European, than from contemporary American and British pop acts. Laforêt worked with many important French composers,musicians and lyricists, such as André Popp and Pierre Cour, who provided her with a panoply of colorful, sophisticated orchestral arrangements, featuring dozens of musical instruments and creating a variety of sounds, sometimes almost Medieval, Rennaissance or Baroque, other times quite modern and innovative.
At the end of the 1960s, Marie had become a rather unique figure in the French pop scene. Her music stood out, perhaps too much for her new label CBS Records, which expected of her more upbeat, simpler songs. She was interested in making more personal records, but finally gave in. Although her most financially successful singles (Viens, Viens, a cover of a British hit, and Il a neigé sur Yesterday, a ballad about the break-up of the Beatles) were released in the 1970s, Marie progressively lost interest in her singing career, moving to Geneva, Switzerland in 1978, where she opened an art gallery and abandoned music more or less altogether.
In the 1980s, Marie concentrated on her acting career, appearing in a few French and Italian films. Some music singles were eventually released, but were not popular. She made a comeback, however, in 1993 with an album (her last) for which she wrote the lyrics. In the 1990s, she again continued to work as an actress, both on screen and on stage. She has performed in a number of plays in Paris over the years, acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. In September 2005 she took the stage of Les Bouffes Parisiens for a two-weeks sold-out concerts, her first (and last) concerts since 1972. Laforêt moved to Geneva in 1978 and obtained Swiss citizenship.
Records
Marie Laforêt, the folk singer
Laforêt has been fond of folk music ever since she began recording in the early 1960s. She helped popularize the Bob Dylan song "Blowin' in the Wind" in France with her 1963 interpretation. On the B-side of the same EP she sings the classic American folk ballad "House of the Rising Sun". Other folk recordings include: "Viens sur la montagne", a 1964 French adaptation of the African-American spiritual "Go Tell It on the Mountain", recorded by American folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary the previous year, "Coule doux" (Hush-a-Bye), another Peter, Paul and Mary song, 1966's "Sur les chemins des Andes", a French version of the traditional Peruvian song "El Cóndor Pasa", and "La voix du silence", a 1966 cover of American duo Simon and Garfunkel's first hit, "The Sound of Silence".
Marie Laforêt, the rocker
She also recorded some rock songs in the 1960s, her most famous being "Marie-douceur, Marie-colère", a 1966 cover of the Rolling Stones hit "Paint It Black". Another popular recording was 1965's girl group-style "A demain, my darling", known by English-speakers as "The Sha La La Song" written by Marianne Faithfull on her debut eponymous album.
Marie Laforêt, the pop singer
Some of her most memorable pop songs are those written or arranged by French composer André Popp, such as "Entre toi et moi", "L'amour en fleurs", "Les noces de campagne", "Mon amour, mon ami", and "Manchester et Liverpool". The melody of the latter song gained fame in the former Soviet Union as the background music to the Vremya television news programme's weather forecast in the 1970s.[7]
Other important records
The quiet, bittersweet and minimally arranged ballad "Je voudrais tant que tu comprennes" (1966), composed by Francis Lai, is a Marie Laforêt favorite. Homage was paid to the song in the 1980s when French pop superstar Mylène Farmer added it to her own concert repertoire.
The 1973 hit "Viens, viens" was a cover version of a German song "Rain, Rain, Rain" performed by Simon Butterfly.
Marie's 1977 hit "Il a neigé sur Yesterday", perhaps her most well-known recording, was penned by musician Jean-Claude Petit, and lyricist Michel Jourdan, (famous for his work with Dalida, Nana Mouskouri, Michel Fugain and Mike Brant) and who had written the words for earlier Laforêt songs, such as "Les vendanges de l'amour" and "L'orage".
Qu'Y-A-T-Il De Changé ?
Marie Laforêt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fait un peu de ping pong
Dans l'espace léger
Les cloches se répondent
Aux quatre coins du monde
Qu'y a-t-il de changé?
Un soleil blanc là-bas
L'addition de l'été
Il fait beau dans la tête
Des gens de la planète
Est-ce l'éternité?
Un Pierrot fou d'amour
A cent fois fait le tour
Du monde en cerf-volant
Il fait tourner les tables
Il a l'air d'un bon diable
Sous son air insolent
Les enfants ont du cœur
Ils font pousser des fleurs
Autour de leurs cerceaux
Rien qu'en faisant la ronde
Ils bâtissent un monde
Où les enfants sont beaux
Tous les chasseurs d'antan
Jouent à tuer le temps
Plus jamais de vautours
Les gibiers de potence
Ont mis leur insolence
Au compte de l'amour
Tout ceci n'est pas vrai
C'est un mauvais portrait
Eh bien ma foi tant pis
Puisque le jour se lève
Et dessine mon rêve
Aux formes de Paris
Car le monde est au fond
Au fond au fond au fond
Comme dans les chansons
Et les jours où il pleut
Quand le ciel est moins bleu
Y a qu'à fermer les yeux
Marie Laforêt's song Qu'Y-A-T-Il De Changé ? is a poignant portrayal of a world where certain things never change. The opening verse talks about the eerie uniformity of church bells ringing at the same time all over the world, leaving the question of what has truly changed. The song then goes on to describe what appears to be a perfect world- the sun shining bright, the global population enjoying good mental health, there is even a happy-go-lucky clown. However, towards the end of the song, the artist confesses that this is all an illusion, a figment of imagination as the reality is that things are still the same.
The song showcases the hard-hitting reality of the world we live in, where the facade of change seems to be believed by many. The artist touches on the disparity between the truth and our perception. The artist talks about how, despite the fact that no real change has occurred, people are still happy and going about their lives. The cloudy sky makes way for Parisian sunshine, in the end leaving us with the thought that reality is merely a collection of perceptions.
Line by Line Meaning
Un carillon ding dong
A merry sound is heard from the bells ringing in the air
Fait un peu de ping pong
As the sound echoes through the atmosphere
Dans l'espace léger
In the ether so weightless and free
Les cloches se répondent
The ringing of the bells is heard
Aux quatre coins du monde
In every corner of the earth
Qu'y a-t-il de changé?
What has really changed?
Un soleil blanc là-bas
A white sun is shining up high
Ajoute un zéro à
Adding a zero to the equation,
L'addition de l'été
Makes the summertime more than fine.
Il fait beau dans la tête
The people who bask under this sun
Des gens de la planète
Are overjoyed by the new day begun.
Est-ce l'éternité?
Is this eternal happiness seen today?
Un Pierrot fou d'amour
A lovesick clown in despair
A cent fois fait le tour
Has flown around the world in the air
Du monde en cerf-volant
On his kite, flying without a care
Il fait tourner les tables
Flipping perspectives, how are they able?
Il a l'air d'un bon diable
He seems almost like an angel
Sous son air insolent
Though his nonchalance is quite disingenuous
Les enfants ont du cœur
The children here have empathy galore
Ils font pousser des fleurs
They grow flowers simply by playing outdoors
Autour de leurs cerceaux
Around the hula hoops they hold so dear
Rien qu'en faisant la ronde
Simply by completing a circle round here
Ils bâtissent un monde
They are already creating a world that's sincere
Où les enfants sont beaux
Where children are lovely and hold no fears
Tous les chasseurs d'antan
All those hunters of yore
Jouent à tuer le temps
Are now just killing time, nothing more
Plus jamais de vautours
No more falcons soar
Les gibiers de potence
Those hunted creatures, no more to deplore
Ont mis leur insolence
While their pride and arrogance
Au compte de l'amour
Are answerable now to love that has a stronger force.
Tout ceci n'est pas vrai
But all that has been said before
C'est un mauvais portrait
Is just a bad image we abhor
Eh bien ma foi tant pis
Well, what a pity if that's the case
Puisque le jour se lève
One thing we can't do is erase
Et dessine mon rêve
The dawn that breaks and takes its space
Aux formes de Paris
In the shape and fashion of the city's maze
Car le monde est au fond
For at the end of the day
Au fond au fond au fond
The truest thing we can say
Comme dans les chansons
Is that there's no difference at all
Et les jours où il pleut
Even when the skies are gloomy and cloudy, too
Quand le ciel est moins bleu
All we have to do
Y a qu'à fermer les yeux
Is shut our eyes and enjoy our own emboldened view.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Yves Gilbert, Serge Claude Bernard Lama
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ару Нур
Un carillon ding dong
Fait un peu de ping pong
Dans l'espace léger
Les cloches se répondent
Aux quatre coins du monde
Qu'y a-t-il de changé ?
Un soleil blanc là-bas
Ajoute un zéro à
L'addition de l'été
Il fait beau dans la tête
Des gens de la planète
Est-ce l'éternité ?
Un Pierrot fou d'amour
A cent fois fait le tour
Du monde en cerf-volant
Il fait tourner les tables
Il a l'air d'un bon diable
Sous son air insolent
Les enfants ont du cœur
Ils font pousser des fleurs
Autour de leurs cerceaux
Rien qu'en faisant la ronde
Ils bâtissent un monde
Où les enfants sont beaux
Tous les chasseurs d'antan
Jouent à tuer le temps
Plus jamais de vautours
Les gibiers de potence
Ont mis leur insolence
Au compte de l'amour
Tout ceci n'est pas vrai
C'est un mauvais portrait
Eh bien ma foi tant pis
Puisque le jour se lève
Et dessine mon rêve
Aux formes de Paris
Car le monde est au fond
Au fond au fond au fond
Comme dans les chansons
Et les jours où il pleut
Quand le ciel est moins bleu
Y a qu'à fermer les yeux
Павел Бондаренко
Глаза и фактура мадам Лафоре просто вечны, Вечны, самая красивая женщина всех времен....
Olga Nekrasova
Ах Мари...
Теперь осталась только память... и её песни.
Царствие небесное Светлой Душе её.
Anton Yakubovskiy
@Palsuie величайшая певица. Это не какой-нибудь rolling stones/ She is a greatest singer/ But all of best are popular, especialy in our country
Palsuie
Why are there so much russian comments here ? Is this song popular in Russia ?
Didn't expect you would know about Marie Laforêt, it's great
trollolou
До чего же она была потрясающая!
ABM ARS
Почти все операторы снимают крупным планом лицо этой прекрасной певицы. Уверяю вас, не потому что фигурой не вышла, а потому что от такой красоты и камеру не отвернешь. Она прекрасна!
wise cat
@элли миллер Понимаю :-) В общем, как кто-то из комментаторов сказал где-то, "слушаем её глазами".
элли миллер
@wise cat не услышала, потому что была занята разглядыванием самой певицы
wise cat
@элли миллер "Леди в голубом" Гейнсборо тоже ценят и мужчины и женщины ;-) Тут нечто другое, и смотрим мы не только глазами. Что значит "не услышала с первого раза, что поет"? А погуглить и скопировать в переводчик текст песни (если не знаете французского)?...
элли миллер
Даже будучи девушкой, не могу оторвать глаза от неё. И так и не услышала с первого раза, что она поёт