Maxime Le Forestier (born February 10, 1949 as Bruno Le Forestier) is a Fre… Read Full Bio ↴Maxime Le Forestier (born February 10, 1949 as Bruno Le Forestier) is a French folk singer-songwriter, as well as an accomplished guitarist. He was born in Paris to an English father and a French mother who had lived in England. He had two older sisters, Anne and Catherine. His musical training started on the violin. He attended the Lycée Condorcet, where he studied literature.

In 1965, Le Forestier formed a duo (Cat et Maxime) with his sister Catherine. Playing at cabaret venues on Paris' Left Bank, the pair met and formed a friendship with Georges Moustaki. They were amongst the first artists to cover a number of songs by Moustaki - including Ma Liberté and Ma Solitude. In 1968, Catherine joined Moustaki as a backing singer. Le Forestier began to focus on songwriting and composed Ballade pour un traître which was recorded and released by the French/Italian singer and actor, Serge Reggiani.

Le Forestier continued as part-time singer/songwriter during his military service (beginning 1969) with a parachute regiment (the inspiration for the song Parachutiste). He recorded two songs: "Cœur de Pierre, Face de Lune", and La Petite Fugue.

His military service ending September 1970, Le Forestier refocused on his musical career. He developed a folksy style which was enormously popular in the 1970s and '80s. His first album Mon Frère, released in 1973, contains several pieces that have entered French folklore, including the title song Mon frère, San Francisco, Comme un arbre and Education sentimentale. He toured extensively, both in France and abroad. In 1976, he toured in 14 cities in the USSR. Recently he has gained particular acclaim for his reworkings of the songs of Georges Brassens.

Approximative
Maxime Le Forestier Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Je suis parti de rien
Pour arriver chez toi.
T'était pas loin,
Mais pas là.

J'ai fait des pieds et des mains
Pour qu'on s'occupe de moi.
J'étais pas rien

Mais pas roi.

Approximative,
Pourquoi t'es jamais sur ma rive?
Jamais la même heure ni le même ton,
Jamais, jamais un pont.

J'ai fait des chants du soir
Exprès pour que tu pleures.
C'était pas de l'art
Et pas l'heure.

J'ai fait des chants du jour
Dans la rue du départ
Sur ton retour,
Mais trop tard.

Approximative,
Jamais vraiment là quand j'arrive.
Est-ce qu'on est du même hémisphère,
Du même coté de la terre?

J'ai touché ton étoile
De ma flèche imbécile.
C'était pas mal
Mais pas le mille.

Approximative,
Pourquoi t'es jamais sur ma rive,
Approximative,
Jamais vraiment là quand j'arrive?
Approximative
Comme des sensations qui s'écrivent,
Approximative

Comme deux continents qui dérivent,
Comme deux univers qui s'en vont.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Maxime Le Forestier's song "Approximative" can be interpreted as the story of someone who is trying to get the attention and affection of another person, but they always seem to be just out of reach. The first verse speaks of starting from nothing and working hard to get to where the other person is, only to find that they are not there. The singer then makes every effort to get noticed by the other person, but they are still distant and elusive. They try to create emotional connections through the songs they sing, but they are always either too early or too late. The singer even manages to make a small impact by touching the "star" of the other person, but it's not quite enough to bridge the gap between them.

The chorus of the song highlights the sense of frustration and uncertainty that the singer feels, with the repeating line "approximative" ("approximate" in English) emphasizing the imperfect and incomplete nature of their relationship. They question why the other person is never on their side ("sur ma rive" meaning "on my side of the river"), and wonder if they even exist on the same plane of existence ("du même côté de la terre").

Line by Line Meaning

Je suis parti de rien
I started from nothing

Pour arriver chez toi.
To arrive at your place.

T'était pas loin,
You weren't far,

Mais pas là.
But not there.

J'ai fait des pieds et des mains
I went to great lengths

Pour qu'on s'occupe de moi.
For someone to take care of me.

J'étais pas rien
I wasn't nothing

Mais pas roi.
But not a king.

Approximative,
Approximate,

Pourquoi t'es jamais sur ma rive?
Why are you never on my side?

Jamais la même heure ni le même ton,
Never the same time or tone,