Born in Pertuis, Vaucluse, Torr won her first singing contest at age fifteen, in 1962, winning the first year's On Chante dans mon Quartier contest in Avignon. Michèle was a tall beautiful woman with actress-like expression, and easily wins the audience over by singing the Édith Piaf song Exodus. Mireille Mathieu was runner-up that year with Les cloches de Lisbonne by Maria Candido. Then in 1963, at age sixteen, Michèle won a recording contract with the Mercury label, and opened for Jacques Brel at the Paris Olympia. She released three EPs (four songs each) throughout 1964, which were aimed at radio and juke-box play. Torr's release of Dans mes bras, oublie ta peine in 1964 was a big hit. Further releases of both original French material, and French covers of British and American hits, proved to be hit and miss. This setting the tone for Torr's career throughout the 60's, as she tried to find her niche. The Mercury contract ended in 1972.
Torr had continued to record and release singles during the early and mid 1970s like Une vague bleue, a big hit, but she achieved the biggest successes of her career at the end of the decade with Emmène-moi danser ce soir, La séparation and Discomotion. Through the 1980s she continued to release successful singles and albums and was a regular on television. Her career stalled in the 1990s, with much less new material being released, although compilations of earlier work kept her in the public eye.
On 3 March 2008, she released her album Ces années-là on the Sony BMG Import label.
On 12 November 2012, she released an album of religious songs Chanter c'est Prier on the Sony Music France S.M.A.R.T. label.
As of 2015, She continues to tour worldwide on the French music nostalgia circuit, with almost a concert a month.
Non à tous les garçons
Michèle Torr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Si tu es trop difficile, il se pourrait bien
Si ça continue, qu'il ne t'arrive rien
Si tu dis non, toujours non, non, non à tous les garçons!
Celui-ci est bien trop beau pour être malin.
Celui-là n'est pas idiot, il est vilain
Si tu es trop difficile, il se pourrait bien
Si ça continue, qu'il ne t'arrive rien
Si tu dis non, toujours non, non, non à tous les garçons!
Celui-ci t'aurait bien plu, tu n'en veux pas
Car il est encore plus fauché que toi
Et tu dis non, toujours non, non, non à tous les garçons!
Non à celui qui mesure deux mètres de long!
Non à celui qui t'arrive à peine au menton!
Non sans raison mais non, non, toujours non!
Non, non à tous les garçons!
Sois pas si difficile, regarde-toi!
Sois pas si difficile, fais comme moi!
Moi je dis oui, toujours oui, oui, oui à tous les garçons.
The song Non A Tous Les Garcons by Michele Torr is a French interpretation of Serge Gainsbourg's original song that speaks about a woman who constantly says "non" (no) to every man's advances. The lyrics suggest that if the woman does not change her ways and continues to refuse every man who approaches her, she may end up alone. The first verse implies that if the woman keeps saying "no" all the time, she might end up with no one at all. The second verse suggests that the woman turns down men who are "too beautiful to be smart" or "ugly but not stupid," indicating that she sets standards that cannot be met.
The third verse mentions a man who would have been suitable for the woman, but she rejected him because he was even more impoverished than she was, indicating that perhaps the woman also has a certain disdain for those who are poor. The fourth verse mentions rejecting a man because he is either too tall or too short, and the chorus repeats the phrase "non a tous les garcons," meaning "no to all the boys." However, at the end of the song, the singer instructs the woman to stop being so demanding and follow her example by saying "yes" to all the men who approach her.
Line by Line Meaning
Si tu es trop difficile, il se pourrait bien
If you're too picky, you might end up with nothing
Si ça continue, qu'il ne t'arrive rien
If it continues, you'll end up with nothing
Si tu dis non, toujours non, non, non à tous les garçons!
If you keep saying no, no, no to all the boys!
Celui-ci est bien trop beau pour être malin.
This one is too good-looking to be smart.
Celui-là n'est pas idiot, il est vilain
That one isn't dumb, he's just ugly.
Et tu dis non, toujours non, non, non à tous les garçons!
And you keep saying no, no, no to all the boys!
Si tu es trop difficile, il se pourrait bien
If you're too picky, you might end up with nothing
Si ça continue, qu'il ne t'arrive rien
If it continues, you'll end up with nothing
Si tu dis non, toujours non, non, non à tous les garçons!
If you keep saying no, no, no to all the boys!
Celui-ci t'aurait bien plu, tu n'en veux pas
You would have liked this one, but you don't want him
Car il est encore plus fauché que toi
Because he's even more broke than you are
Et tu dis non, toujours non, non, non à tous les garçons!
And you keep saying no, no, no to all the boys!
Non à celui qui mesure deux mètres de long!
No to the one who's two meters tall!
Non à celui qui t'arrive à peine au menton!
No to the one who barely reaches your chin!
Non sans raison mais non, non, toujours non!
Not without reason, but no, no, always no!
Non, non à tous les garçons!
No, no to all the boys!
Sois pas si difficile, regarde-toi!
Don't be so picky, look at yourself!
Sois pas si difficile, fais comme moi!
Don't be so picky, do as I do!
Moi je dis oui, toujours oui, oui, oui à tous les garçons.
I say yes, always yes, yes, yes to all the boys.
Contributed by Mackenzie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Luigi Presti
on Et je l'aime
Je lui donne tout mon amour,
Ma vie entière,
Mais elle me donne en retour
Toute la terre
Et je l’aime
Elle garde pour moi dans son cœur
Tant de tendresse
Pour mille années de bonheur
Et de caresses
Et je l’aime
Je n’entends rien, je ne vois rien
Que notre amour, notre amour
Pas une étoile dans les cieux
Ne peut prétendre
Avoir l’éclat de ses yeux
Tant elle est tendre
Et je l’aime
(chorus)
Enfin vous avez compris
Quelle importance
Prend cet amour dans ma vie
Mon existence
Et je l’aime
Je lui donne tout mon amour,
Ma vie entière,
Mais elle me donne en retour
Toute la terre
Et je l’aime