Michel Fugain is a French singer-songwriter who began his songwriting caree… Read Full Bio ↴Michel Fugain is a French singer-songwriter who began his songwriting career for others (like Hugues Aufray or Dalida) in the early 1960s and released his first record in 1966. He reached the peak of his popularity with his musical troupe "Big Bazar" in the early 1970s, with a string of major hits including "Une Belle Histoire" and "Fais Comme l'Oiseau", and had never ceased to record since then.

Derrière une chanson
Michel Fugain Lyrics

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{Refrain:}
Derrière un roman, un stylo
Derrière la plume, un homme
Ce que l'on pense avant les mots
Qui le saura ? Personne !
Derrière une chanson, un piano
Derrière les notes, l'accord
Qu'est-ce qu'on peut écrire de nouveau

Sinon la vie, la mort ?

Nous en étions au commencement
Et déjà deux génies, évidemment !
La Terre n'était pas assez bleue
Et trop étroite pour nous deux
C'était hier, ça fait combien ?
Vingt ans ? Trente ans peut-être ?
Plus ou moins

Derrière un roman, un stylo
Derrière la plume, un homme
Ce que l'on pense avant les mots
Qui le saura ? Personne !
Avant le couplet, une intro
Avant l'envol, l'envie
Paroles et musique en duo
Et devant nous : la vie

Nous en étions au commencement
On jouait les apprentis Don Juan
Toutes les femmes n'en faisaient qu'une
Pour toi les blondes et moi les brunes
C'était hier ! Ça fait combien ?
Vingt ans ? Trente ans peut-être ?
Plus ou moins

{au Refrain}

Paroles et musique en duo
Et à la vie, à la mort !

Overall Meaning

In Michel Fugain's song "Derrière une chanson", the refrain talks about what hides behind a song, which is a man behind a pen, and what they think before writing the lyrics. The songwriter states that no one knows what the writer is thinking before writing a song. The chorus also says that behind every song, there is a piano and an agreement between the notes. The song is about the creative process of writing a song and how it can be challenging to come up with something new, yet it boils down to life and death.

The song also talks about two geniuses at the beginning of time, and they were too good for the earth, so they had to figure out what to do until they settled for creating something. The song talks about the journey and how far the songwriter and his partner have come. It talks about how they started as apprentices to Don Juan and how they were young, acting like they knew everything. It talks about how they were searching for women back then and didn't realize they were creating a love story behind the scenes.

The song encourages people to remember that music is more than just what is said or written. The story behind the music is always hidden behind a pen, a man, a piano, and the essence of life and death. It is a lovely, thought-provoking song that leaves one to wonder what goes on behind the art and encourages them to appreciate the creative process.

Line by Line Meaning

Derrière un roman, un stylo
A pen lies behind a novel

Derrière la plume, un homme
A man is behind the pen

Ce que l'on pense avant les mots
What we think before the words

Qui le saura ? Personne !
Who will know? No one!

Derrière une chanson, un piano
A piano lies behind a song

Derrière les notes, l'accord
A chord is behind the notes

Qu'est-ce qu'on peut écrire de nouveau
What can we write that's new

Sinon la vie, la mort ?
Other than life, death?

Nous en étions au commencement
We were at the beginning

Et déjà deux génies, évidemment !
And already two geniuses, obviously!

La Terre n'était pas assez bleue
The Earth was not blue enough