He was bor… Read Full Bio ↴Michel Sardou (born January 26, 1947) is a French singer.
He was born in Paris, the son of Fernand Sardou and Jackie Rollin (Jackie Sardou). Contrary to what has been written at the beginning of his career, he is not the grandson of the dramatist Victorien Sardou.
He is known for songs dealing with various social and political issues, such as the rights of women in Islamic countries, clerical celibacy and colonialism. Another sometimes controversial theme found in some of his songs ("Les Ricains," for example) is respect and support for the culture and foreign policies of the United States. Another notable fact about his career is that he has focused his full attention on his homeland, ignoring the prospect of an international audience, although his 1981 single "Les lacs du Connemara" did manage to become a big international hit. A number of his hit songs were written in collaboration with Jacques Revaux, a few others (most notably "En chantant") with Italian singer Toto Cutugno.
Even in the 21st century, Michel Sardou remains immensely popular in France, selling out 18 consecutive dates at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in 2001, while his 2004 album "Du plaisir" went straight to the no. 1 spot on the French album charts.
He has been married three times, first to a French dancer, then to Babette (the mother of his children) and lastly to an lifelong friend who edits the French version of Vogue.
He is currently (2023) at the center of a controversy over a song he wrote fifty years ago: the lakes of Connemara. Juliette Armanet, a French pop starlet answering a question about a song that would made her leave a party and it was LES LACS DU CONNEMARA. Sardou, an idol of the French right, in spite of himself, is stuck between the left which finds him corny and the right which does not support that one attacks its institutions. Music is a strong force and nobody fights harder than those who LOVE certain songs. Amazingly this song has nothing to do with politics.
8 Jours A El Paso
Michel Sardou Lyrics
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Sans apercevoir un cheval
Ils sont loin les rodéos
Des cow-boys du corral
Pas très loin des rives du Rio Bravo
J'ai pleuré tout seul dans ma tête
Ils sont loin les vieux chariots
T'es bien mort, Pat Garrett
J'ai fait les torrents du Colorado
Sur un radeau pneumatique
Pas un seul joueur de banjo
Pas un frisson dans le dos
Un circuit touristique
On t'a déguisé à coup de blue-jeans gris
Far West, tu ferais d'la peine à Annie
On t'a climatisé comme une limousine
Texas, tu ferais pleurer Clémentine
J'ai passé huit jours à Baton Rouge
Au pays de l'Eldorado
Où soldats bleus et Peaux-Rouges
Se sont brisé les os
Ceux qui venaient boire sur la Bourbon Street
C'étaient ceux de Fort Alamo
Une poignée d'hommes magiques
Qui ont pris leur dernière cuite
Dans ce kiosque à journaux
À l'Est d'Eden, un géant reposait
Kawa tu fais d'la peine à Harley
J'ai passé huit jours à Chicago
Sans voir une mitraillette
Ils sont loin Capone and Co.
Les champions du racket
Bien sûr, il y avait dans le Tennessee
Quelques bons joueurs d'harmonica
Une trompette à Saint Louis
Une rythmique à Détroit
Pour chanter avec moi
On t'a déguisé un peu ton Rhythm 'n' Blues
Disco, tu fais grincer Blue Suede Shoes
On t'a empesé comme un col de smoking
Dixie, tu f'rais pleurer Scott Joplin
Dixie, tu f'rais pleurer Scott Joplin
The lyrics of Michel Sardou's "8 Jours A El Paso" tell the story of a man who spent eight days in El Paso, Texas, without feeling any sense of the Wild West that the town is known for. He longs for the days of rodeos, cowboys on horses, and old wagons. Instead, he is surrounded by tourist attractions and modern conveniences that have taken over the charm and the history of the town. A poignant moment comes when he sheds a tear for Pat Garrett, the lawman who killed the infamous outlaw Billy the Kid.
The singer then moves on to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the land of the Eldorado. He speaks of the clashes between the blue-coat soldiers and the Native Americans, casting a light on the country's dark history and the violent struggles that have shaped it. He also describes the men who drank themselves to death in a newsstand, as the singer painted a vivid picture of a city that is both fascinating and deeply troubling.
In the third part of the song, the singer visits Chicago, where he fails to spot a single machine gun, unlike the gangsters of Al Capone's era. He also laments that the jazz musicians are few and far between, and that the once-great Rhythm and Blues has now become plastered with glitter and disco. He ends the song by bemoaning the fact that the charm of Dixie has been all but lost.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the death of the Wild West and the cultural heritage that America has lost in the process of modernization and commercialization. It is a powerful reminder of the need to preserve history and the best parts of Americana for future generations.
Line by Line Meaning
J'ai passé 8 jours à El Paso
I spent 8 days in El Paso
Sans apercevoir un cheval
Without seeing a horse
Ils sont loin les rodéos
The rodeos are far away
Des cow-boys du corral
Of the cowboys in the corral
Pas très loin des rives du Rio Bravo
Not very far from the Rio Bravo river
J'ai pleuré tout seul dans ma tête
I cried alone in my head
Ils sont loin les vieux chariots
The old carts are far away
T'es bien mort Pat Garrett!
You're really dead Pat Garrett!
J'ai fait les torrents du Colorado
I went down the Colorado rapids
Sur un radeau pneumatique
On a rubber raft
Pas un seul joueur de banjo
Not a single banjo player
Pas un frisson dans le dos
Not a shiver down the spine
Un circuit touristique
A tourist circuit
On t'a déguisé à coup de blue-jeans gris
They disguised you with gray jeans
Far West tu ferais d'la peine à Annie
The Far West would make Annie sad
On t'a climatisé comme une limousine
They air conditioned you like a limousine
Texas tu ferais pleurer Clémentine
Texas would make Clémentine cry
J'ai passé 8 jours à Bâton Rouge
I spent 8 days in Baton Rouge
Au pays de l'Eldorado
In the land of Eldorado
Où soldats bleus et Peaux-Rouges
Where blue soldiers and Native Americans
Se sont brisé les os
Broke their bones
Ceux qui venaient boire sur la Burbon Street
Those who came to drink on Bourbon Street
C'étaient ceux de Fort Alamo
They were from Fort Alamo
Une poignée d'hommes magiques
A handful of magical men
Qui ont pris leur dernière cuite
Who had their last binge
Dans ce kiosque à journaux
In this newsstand
A l'Est d'Eden, un géant reposait
To the East of Eden, a giant rested
Kawa tu fais d'la peine à Harley
Kawa, you make Harley sad
J'ai passé 8 jours à Chicago
I spent 8 days in Chicago
Sans voir une mitraillette
Without seeing a machine gun
Ils sont loin Capone and Co
Capone and his gang are far away
Les champions du racket
The champions of racketeering
Bien sûr, il y avait dans le Tennessee
Of course, there were in Tennessee
Quelques bons joueurs d'harmonica
Some good harmonica players
Une trompette à Saint Louis
A trumpet in St. Louis
Une rythmique à Détroit
A rhythm in Detroit
Pour chanter avec moi
To sing with me
On t'a déguisé un peu ton Rhythm'n Blues
They disguised your Rhythm'n Blues a little
Disco tu fais grincer blues-sweet shoes
Disco, you make the blues and sweet shoes grind
On t'a empesé comme un col de smoking
They stiffened you like a tuxedo collar
Dixie tu f'rais pleurer Scott Joplin
Dixie you would make Scott Joplin cry
Dixie tu f'rais pleurer Scott Joplin.
Dixie you would make Scott Joplin cry.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Pierre Billon, Pierre Delanoe, Michel Sardou
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind