Born in a Parisian suburb in a wealthy family, he had a happy childhood. His father owned a small business. In high school, influenced by the great chansonniers of his time Luis Mariano, Charles Aznavour and Gilbert Bécaud, he formed with classmates a band.
Studying at the Petit Conservatoire de Mireille, where Yves Duteil and Françoise Hardy had been discovered, he made his first single, Anatole in 1963. He meets Roland Vincent who becomes his regular composer. Michels first hit Chez Laurette the following year is from the musical he plays in 'Copains-Clopant' . In 1966 appears his album Inventaire 66, while he is opening act for Leny Escudero. As Jacques Brel, in 1967, provides a series of farewell performances in the Parisian music theater Olympia, Delpech is the support act. Johnny Stark, the impresario of Mireille Mathieu, decides to accompany him. Michel is touring as a supporting act along with Mireille, to the US and the USSR.
In 1968 he won the French Grand Prix du Disque with "Il ya des jours où on ferait mieux de rester au lit".
In 1969 he composed the song hippie Wight is Wight in French about the British Isle of Wight Festival that summer. It became a huge hit in France, Sandie Shaw covered it the following year. In 1970 he regrets the break-up of The Beatles in the song Et Paul chantait Yesterday, brings the album Un coup de pied dans la montagne and he breaks up with Johnny Stark.
In 1971 Delpech scored a European hit with Pour un flirt; even in Britain it reached the charts. Further chansons by him were Que Marianne était jolie (1972) and Les divorcés (1974), Le Chasseur (1974) and Le Loir-et-Cher (1977).
The following years Delpech devoted primarily to composing and writing lyrics. He had a comeback in 1983 with the single Animaux, animaux and his successful album Loin d'ici in 1985, followed in 1989 by J'étais un ange. In 1992 with Roland Vincent he made the album Les Voix du Brésil. Delpech then took a five year sabbatical.
From 1997 Delpech was particularly productive. J'étais un ange is the title of an album in 2000 that heralds a tour with musician friends such as Alain Chamfort, Charlélie Couture, Claude Nougaro, Marc Lavoine and Pierre Richard providing inspiration for the album Comme vous (2004) and Live -album Ce lundi-là au Bataclan (2004).
In 2006 he even released an album consisting of five CDs Delpech inventaires followed by Michel Delpech & ... Delpech with repertoire old and new and of musical contemporaries like Bénabar, Francis Cabrel, Alain Souchon, Cali, Laurent Voulzy, Julien Clerc and Clarika. In 2008 appeared a live DVD, Live au Grand Rex, which is widely acclaimed as an excellent live recording.
Delpech fought three years against throat cancer. On January 2, 2016 Delpech died in Paris
Le Mauvais Jardinier
Michel Delpech Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Je laissais mon cœur à l’abandon,
Peu importait la pomme
Pourvu qu’on y croque à l’occasion
Je laissais les averses
Donner l’eau qui manquait à mes fleurs
C’est pour ça qu’il ne reste
Il n’y a pas besoin d’être un bon jardinier pour faire pousser les ronces
Il n’y a pas besoin d’élaguer les chardons, d’arroser les orties
Il n’y a plus d’herbes folles, plus de fleurs du mal que le bouton de rose
Au jardin de mon cœur, au jardin de mes amours, au jardin de ma vie
La rose est trop fragile
A vingt ans que demander de plus
Qu’une fille facile
Qui a le goût du fruit défendu
Mes amours, mes fredaines
Avant toi, c’était au petit bonheur
Pas une marjolaine
N’a fleuri au jardin de mon cœur
Et puis tu es venue, petit grain de folie, petite fleur de misère
Je t’ai donné de l’eau, j’ai coupé mes chardons, mes ronces et mes orties
Tu es un myosotis et rose tu devins ; tu fis tant pour me plaire
Qu’il n’y a plus que toi au jardin de mon cœur, au jardin de ma vie
In the beginning of Michel Delpech's song Le Mauvais Jardinier, the singer admits to having left their heart abandoned before meeting their current love interest. They were willing to settle for less, as long as they got a taste of what they desired from time to time. They neglected their heart like one would ignore the need for proper care and maintenance of a garden. They let the rain provide for the flowers, but didn't take any extra steps to make sure the garden flourished. Because of this, the garden (their heart) is now full of thorns and weeds.
But the singer is quick to point out that one doesn't need to be a skilled gardener to grow thorns and weeds. These grow without any help, and it's effortless to let them take over. The garden is now beyond repair, overrun by things like nettles and thistles. There are no blooming flowers anymore, only a rose that's too fragile to survive. However, the singer's love interest comes along and turns the garden around. In contrast to the fragility of the rose, they are a wildflower, tough and tenacious. They are given the care they need, and with time they bloom into a wildflower and a rose, becoming the only things in the garden of the singer's heart.
Le Mauvais Jardinier speaks to the ways in which neglect can take hold in one's life, as well as how love can be a powerful transformative force. The lyrics' metaphorical comparisons to a garden are evocative, and the song serves as an ode to the importance of nourishing both oneself and one's relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Avant toi sans vergogne
Before you, shamelessly
Je laissais mon cœur à l’abandon,
I left my heart abandoned
Peu importait la pomme
The apple didn't matter
Pourvu qu’on y croque à l’occasion
As long as it was bitten occasionally
Je laissais les averses
I let the rain pour
Donner l’eau qui manquait à mes fleurs
Give the water that my flowers needed
C’est pour ça qu’il ne reste
That's why there are only
Que des ronces au jardin de mon cœur
Thorns remaining in the garden of my heart
Il n’y a pas besoin d’être un bon jardinier pour faire pousser les ronces
You don't need to be a good gardener to grow thorns
Il n’y a pas besoin d’élaguer les chardons, d’arroser les orties
No need to trim thistles, or water nettles
Il n’y a plus d’herbes folles, plus de fleurs du mal que le bouton de rose
There are no more wild herbs, no more flowers of evil, just the rose bud
Au jardin de mon cœur, au jardin de mes amours, au jardin de ma vie
In the garden of my heart, in the garden of my loves, in the garden of my life
La rose est trop fragile
The rose is too fragile
A vingt ans que demander de plus
What else can you ask for at twenty?
Qu’une fille facile
Only an easy girl
Qui a le goût du fruit défendu
Who likes the taste of forbidden fruit
Mes amours, mes fredaines
My loves, my flings
Avant toi, c’était au petit bonheur
Before you, it was random luck
Pas une marjolaine
Not a marjoram
N’a fleuri au jardin de mon cœur
Bloomed in the garden of my heart
Et puis tu es venue, petit grain de folie, petite fleur de misère
And then you came, a little grain of madness, a little flower of misery
Je t’ai donné de l’eau, j’ai coupé mes chardons, mes ronces et mes orties
I gave you water, I cut my thistles, thorns and nettles
Tu es un myosotis et rose tu devins ; tu fis tant pour me plaire
You became a forget-me-not, you turned into a rose; you did so much to please me
Qu’il n’y a plus que toi au jardin de mon cœur, au jardin de ma vie
That there's only you left in the garden of my heart, in the garden of my life
Contributed by Claire C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Françoise Fouine
un grand monsieur de la chanson française qui nous manque tant,
gandy roro
trés belle chanson
Monique DV
Jolie chansonnette, je l'aime bien, Michel peut chanter ce qu'ill veut, ça va toujours.
legreniereurovision
rip