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.
Côté Soleil
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un côté sombre, un côté clair
Elle dort complètement réveillée
Elle joue à faire mieux qu'exister
Elle se balance entre deux ciels
L'un sous ses pieds, l'autre au-dessus d'elle
Elle vit encore à l'heure d'été
Elle veut qu'il fasse beau toute l'année
Côté soleil, elle est mariée
Elle est heureuse, elle est aimée
Côté sommeil, elle a envie
D'avoir un autre homme dans sa vie
Mais sans faire de mal à personne
Côté sommeil elle déraisonne
(She's in love)
(Don't you know that she's in love)
(They tell me that she's in love)
(I've heard it said that she's in love)
Elle se balance entre deux gammes
De mélodie en mélodrame
Elle joue au mieux la bonne épouse
Les yeux sur la ligne bleue du blues
Elle se promène entre deux crimes
À la fois vilaine et sublime
Elle aimerait bien mourir des heures
Sur toutes ses années de bonheur
Côté soleil, elle est mariée
Elle est heureuse, elle est aimée
Côté sommeil, quand elle délire
C'est un jeune homme qu'elle fait souffrir
Mais sans vouloir lui faire de peine
Côté sommeil elle se déchaîne
(She's in love)
(Don't you know that she's in love)
(They tell me that she's in love)
(I've heard it said that she's in love)
Elle se balance entre deux airs
Un côté sombre, un côté clair
Elle dort complètement réveillée
Elle veut qu'il fasse beau toute l'année
(She's in love)
(Don't you know that she's in love)
(They tell me that she's in love)
(I've heard it said that she's in love)
(She's in love)
(Don't you know that she's in love)
(They tell me that she's in love)
(I've heard it said that she's in love)
(She's in love)
(Don't you know that she's in love)
The song Côté Soleil by Michel Sardou talks about a woman who is torn between two different sides of herself. She swings between two airs, one dark and one light, as she tries to play the role of the perfect wife and also desires to have another man in her life. She wants to live in perpetual sunshine, but she is also willing to indulge in a little bit of darkness. She is conscious of her contradictions, but she allows herself to be caught up in them. This woman lives in two different worlds, wanting to be everything to everyone.
The lyrics are poetic, suggesting that the woman has a rich inner life that is full of contradictions. Her life is like a melody, a drama, a crime, and a journey. She walks the line between beauty and ugliness, between happiness and sorrow. The woman is troubled in her sleep, where she dreams of another man, but she is still determined not to hurt anyone. She is a complex character, and her life is an endless balancing act between her desires and her responsibilities.
Overall, the song is about the contradictions that exist within all of us. The woman in the song embodies the struggle that we all face as we try to navigate our complex lives. She is both happy and deeply unsatisfied, both light and dark, and she is constantly swinging between these two extremes.
Line by Line Meaning
Elle se balance entre deux airs
She swings between two moods
Un côté sombre, un côté clair
One dark, one bright side
Elle dort complètement réveillée
She sleeps fully awake
Elle joue à faire mieux qu'exister
She pretends to do better than just exist
Elle se balance entre deux ciels
She sways between two skies
L'un sous ses pieds, l'autre au-dessus d'elle
One beneath her feet, the other above her
Elle vit encore à l'heure d'été
She still lives in summertime
Elle veut qu'il fasse beau toute l'année
She wants it to be sunny all year
Côté soleil, elle est mariée
On the sunny side, she is married
Elle est heureuse, elle est aimée
She is happy, she is loved
Côté sommeil, elle a envie
On the sleepy side, she desires
D'avoir un autre homme dans sa vie
To have another man in her life
Mais sans faire de mal à personne
But without hurting anyone
Côté sommeil elle déraisonne
On the sleepy side, she is irrational
(She's in love)
(She's in love)
(Don't you know that she's in love)
(Don't you know that she's in love)
(They tell me that she's in love)
(They tell me that she's in love)
(I've heard it said that she's in love)
(I've heard it said that she's in love)
Elle se balance entre deux gammes
She sways between two genres
De mélodie en mélodrame
From melody to melodrama
Elle joue au mieux la bonne épouse
She plays the role of the good wife
Les yeux sur la ligne bleue du blues
Eyes on the blues' blue line
Elle se promène entre deux crimes
She walks between two crimes
À la fois vilaine et sublime
At once ugly and sublime
Elle aimerait bien mourir des heures
She would like to die for hours
Sur toutes ses années de bonheur
On all her years of happiness
Côté sommeil, quand elle délire
On the sleepy side, when she raves
C'est un jeune homme qu'elle fait souffrir
It's a young man she makes suffer
Mais sans vouloir lui faire de peine
But without wanting to hurt him
Côté sommeil elle se déchaîne
On the sleepy side, she unleashes herself
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jacques Revaud, Michel Sardou, Pierre Delanoe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind