Il a fait partie du groupe musical québécois Beau Dommage et poursuit une carrière solo.
Discographie
* 1977 : Méfiez-vous du grand amour
* 1979 : De Longueuil à Berlin
* 1983 : Sauvage
* 1985 : Bonsoir, mon nom est Michel Rivard et voici mon album double
* 1987 : Un trou dans les nuages
* 1989 : Michel Rivard
* 1992 : Le Goût de l'eau... et autres chansons naïves
* 1998 : Maudit Bonheur
* 2004 : Bonsoir... mon nom est toujours Michel Rivard et voici mon album quadruple (en spectacle intime...)
* 2004 : Simple
* 2006 : Confiance
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Michel Rivard (born September 27, 1951), is a singer-songwriter and musician from Quebec. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His father was an actor, Robert Rivard. Michel began his career at an early age appearing in a Canadian television series (Rue des Pignons) and in TV commercials.
Rivard's career as a writer and composer began in earnest when he became a member of the theatrical group Quenouille Bleue, established in 1970. Later, he became a member of Théâtre Sainfoin, when it was founded in 1973.
Beau Dommage and beyond
Four years later, in 1974, Rivard and other members of Théâtre Sainfoin, formed the group Beau Dommage (an old Québécois expression meaning "certainly" or "damn right"). Rivard wrote and composed for Beau Dommage.
Beau Dommage became a very popular group, and as a result of his songwriting ability Rivard's popularity increase as well. Perhaps his most popular song from this era is "La complainte du phoque en Alaska". Although Beau Dommage disbanded in 1978, there were reunion concerts in 1984 and 1994, both of which Rivard participated in. Characteristic of Rivard's creative energy, he also put out his first solo album in 1977, Méfiez-vous du grand amour.
In 1978, as a sign of his increased prestige, Michel opened for Maxime Forestier and was accompanist for Forestier at the Olympia in Paris. Although an unlikely pairing, it resulted in a continued friendship. Rivard released his second LP, De Longueuil à Berlin, in 1979; that year also marked the beginning of Rivard's appearance in a series of concerts in Paris.
The 1980s
The following years saw Rivard involved in various collaborations, including film collaborations. These film collaborations included roles in Les Enfants de Kennedy, and Maria Chapdelaine. He also wrote scores for films, such as André Melançon's L'Espace d'un été, and Jean-Michel Ribes's Rien ne va plus. He also acted playing the lead Yves Simoneau's Pourquoi M. Zolock s'intéresse-t-il tant à la bande dessinée? (Why is Mr. Zolock so interested in Comic Strips?) (1982). He joined the LNI (Ligue nationale d'improvisation [National Improvisation League]) in 1980 and performed for several years. Not wanting to miss an opportunity for some political humour, Rivard was a candidate for the satirical Rhinoceros Party of Canada in 1980 when he ran against former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
He returned to music in 1983 with the release of his third LP, Sauvage. This LP included "Schefferville, le dernier train", a tune that became quite popular and which was written for the film Le Dernier glacier. (Rivard also acted in this film). Rivard made a music video of another song on Sauvage: "Rumeurs sur la ville". It was directed by Louis Saia and André Gagnon and won the Félix Video Clip of the Year for 1985 – awarded at the ADISQ (Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois et de la vidéo) award ceremonies.
During this time Rivard toured Quebec. He released a fourth LP, called Bonsoir... Mon nom est Michel Rivard et voici mon album double. This was a live recording made during his 1983–84 concerts. These live show recordings display his adeptness at comic improvisation as well as his musical creativity.
In December 1988 Rivard played the Convocation Hall in Toronto, Ontario. It was the first time in ten years that a Québécois sang in French there. Rivard continued to garner awards: In 1988 he won two more Félix awards "Concert of the Year" and "Male Singer of the Year." He also participated in concerts supporting political and humanitarian issues, among them: the Amnesty International concert "Human Rights Now!" along with Youssou N'Dour, Tracy Chapman, Bruce Springsteen, and others.
What was to become his most popular album, Un trou dans les nuages was issued in late 1987. It included songs that would be enduring hits for him: "Ma blonde et les poissons", "Libérer le trésor", "Je voudrais voir la mer", "Le privé", and "Un trou dans les nuages". Rivard received many awards for this album including the Charles-Cros Academie International Grand Prize.
Rivard released another album in 1989, Michel Rivard a compilation of greatest hits. He continued to perform concerts in Canada and Europe.
The 1990s
Rivard's seventh album Le goût de l'eau…et autres chansons naïves came out in 1992. It too became another award winning album for him and in 1993 Rivard performed at the Olympia theatre in Paris.
At this point in time Rivard's prominence as a creative musician and poetic lyricist with a broad humanitarian vision put him on a par with the two great performers of a previous Québécois generation, Gilles Vigneault and Félix Leclerc. Rivard's "Complainte du phoque en Alaska"' was one of the few songs recorded by Leclerc that Leclerc did not write himself. Rivard also shares with those two men, though more moderately, a concern and interest in Quebec's nationalist aspirations.
In 1998, Rivard released the haunting and personal Maudit Bonheur.
He had his own variety television show, Studio TV5, for a couple of years, where he invited musicians, songwriters, and singers that he enjoyed performing with and jammed with them.
[edit] The 2000s
Rivard's concert career continues and he also continues to perform in theatre. In 2002 his album Simple (a live concert album) came out, and in 2004 Bonsoir…mon nom est toujours Michel Rivard et voici mon album quadruple came out.
On August 5, 2007 Rivard performed the last show at the Montreal Spectrum. He had been the only act to perform over one hundred concerts at the venue.
La P’tite Vie
Michel Rivard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Au soldat nerveux le doigt sur la gâchette
Au plus p'tit géant jusqu'au nain le plus grand
De la beauté sublime au beau-frère anonyme
C'est une p'tite vie pareil
De l'amant de la nature au poseur de clôtures
De l'enfant qu'on isole dans les murs d'une école
Qui replogue sa guitare pis qui trouve pus ça drôle
On dira ce qu'on voudra la vie est aussi plate pour tout le monde ici-bas
On a beau faire nos têtes enflées dans une panne d'électricité
Tout le monde au monde a peur de rester pris dans l'ascenseur
On a eu les cheveux longs on a eu les cheveux courts
On a fait les fanfarons dans nos histoires d'amour
On a traversé les modes comme on traverse la rue
Des fois comme le lièvre d'autres fois comme la tortue
Oh la p'tite vie pareil
On a roulé sur l'or roulé dans la farine
Fumé du persil sniffé de l'aspirine
Tombé dans le stupre et la fornication
Pour revenir à jésus et lâcher la boisson
On dira ce qu'on voudra la vie est aussi platte pour tout le monde ici-bas
On a beau faire nos têtes enflées dans une panne d'électricité
Tout le monde au monde a peur de rester pris dans l'ascenseur
On se pogne la tête dans toutes sortes d'étaux
On se casse la gueule dans toutes sortes d'autos
On regrette en pleurant le temps qu'on a perdu
Le fun qu'on aurait eu a le laisser passer simplement
On dira ce qu'on voudra la vie est aussi plate pour tout le monde ici-bas
On a beau faire nos têtes enflées dans une panne d'électricité
Tout le monde au monde a peur de rester pris dans l'ascenseur
J'ai fait le tour du monde et j'en suis convaincu
La terre est ben plus ronde que le monde qui vit dessus.
The lyrics of Michel Rivard's "La p'tite vie" describe how, despite our differences and experiences, we all share a similar life. It starts off with examples of extreme differences between the rich and the poor, the happy and the anxious, and so on. However, the chorus ultimately brings us back to the main message: life, no matter who we are, is still a simple and small existence. We all have fears that evoke feelings of helplessness and vulnerability, such as being stuck in an elevator. The second verse then shows how we all take different paths in life, but in the end, we all encounter the same struggles and joys. Some of us may have had a rockstar past, while others are nature lovers or fence builders, but we all experience heartbreak and happiness. Life is not always perfect, and we all commit mistakes, have regrets, and wish to relive the moments we have missed. However, we must cherish every moment and avoid being stuck in the elevator of life.
This song depicts existentialism, a philosophy that emphasizes an individual's freedom and choice, focuses on the possibility of change and uniqueness, and addresses the search for meaning and purpose in life. The lyrics imply that despite our varying lifestyles, we all face similar challenges, fears, desires, regrets, and aspirations. The song is also a product of Quebec's regional identity, as it was a part of the popular show La p'tite vie, which portrayed the challenges of a middle-class family in Quebec.
Line by Line Meaning
Du millionnaire heureux qui s'achète une planète
From the happy millionaire who buys a planet
Au soldat nerveux le doigt sur la gâchette
To the nervous soldier with his finger on the trigger
Au plus p'tit géant jusqu'au nain le plus grand
From the smallest giant to the tallest dwarf
De la beauté sublime au beau-frère anonyme
From sublime beauty to anonymous brother-in-law
C'est une p'tite vie pareil
It's just a little life
De l'amant de la nature au poseur de clôtures
From the lover of nature to the fence builder
De l'enfant qu'on isole dans les murs d'une école
From the child isolated within school walls
A l'ancienne vedette de rock'n'roll
To the former rock'n'roll star
Qui replogue sa guitare pis qui trouve pus ça drôle
Who tunes his guitar and doesn't find it funny anymore
On dira ce qu'on voudra la vie est aussi plate pour tout le monde ici-bas
We can say what we want, life is just as boring for everyone here
On a beau faire nos têtes enflées dans une panne d'électricité
We can think highly of ourselves in a power outage
Tout le monde au monde a peur de rester pris dans l'ascenseur
Everyone in the world is afraid of being stuck in an elevator
On a eu les cheveux longs on a eu les cheveux courts
We've had long hair, we've had short hair
On a fait les fanfarons dans nos histoires d'amour
We've boasted in our love stories
On a traversé les modes comme on traverse la rue
We've gone through fashion trends like we cross the street
Des fois comme le lièvre d'autres fois comme la tortue
Sometimes like the hare, other times like the tortoise
Oh la p'tite vie pareil
Oh, it's just a little life
On a roulé sur l'or roulé dans la farine
We've rolled in gold, we've been fooled
Fumé du persil sniffé de l'aspirine
Smoked parsley, sniffed aspirin
Tombé dans le stupre et la fornication
Fallen into debauchery and fornication
Pour revenir à jésus et lâcher la boisson
To come back to Jesus and give up drinking
On se pogne la tête dans toutes sortes d'étaux
We bang our heads against all sorts of vices
On se casse la gueule dans toutes sortes d'autos
We fall out of all sorts of cars
On regrette en pleurant le temps qu'on a perdu
We cry while regretting the time we've lost
Le fun qu'on aurait eu a le laisser passer simplement
The fun we could've had if we just let it go
J'ai fait le tour du monde et j'en suis convaincu
I've been around the world and I'm convinced
La terre est ben plus ronde que le monde qui vit dessus.
The earth is much rounder than the people who live on it.
Contributed by Charlie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.