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.
C'Est Pas Du Brahms
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dans quel été j'étais,
Dans quel état ?
Un slow passait,
Un titre anglais.
Ce qu'il disait,
Nous ne le comprenions pas.
C'était une voix sur un piano,
Une chanson tendre
Qu'on aime entendre, qui sait,
Cent tois par jour.
Naturellement, chanson d'amour,
Chanson qui rime, évidemment,
Et qui ne dit rien d'important.
C'est pas du Brahms
Qu'Humphrey Bogart,
Pris de cafard,
Réclame à Sam.
C'est une chanson sans importance
Qui n'a un sens
Que tard le soir.
C'est pas du Brahms
Qu'on a dansé
La première fois
Qu'on s'est trouvés.
C'est une histoire
Vieille comme le monde
Comme elle se ferait teindre en blonde
Et qu'on n'a jamais oubliée.
Wouap dou wouap,
C'est pas du Brahms
Qu'on a voulu,
La première nuit
Qu'on s'est connus.
C'est une chanson très inférieure
De celles qui marquent en profondeur,
De celles qu'on n'oublie jamais plus.
Wouap dou wouap,
C'est pas du Brahms
Qu'Humphrey Bogart,
Pris de cafard,
Réclame à Sam.
Juste une chanson
Sans conséquence
Qui prend un sens
Que tard le soir.
C'est pas du Brahms
Qu'on a chanté
La nuit où tu n'es pas rentrée.
C'est une histoire
Vieille comme le monde
Qui nous suit jusqu'au bout du monde,
Une chanson tendre
Qu'on aime entendre,
Qui sait,
Cent tois par jour,
Naturellement chanson d'amour.
In Michel Sardou's song "C'est pas du Brahms," the singer reminisces about a past summer where they were listening to a slow English song that they didn't really understand. The song was a gentle love song that they couldn't help but listen to again and again, despite it not being anything important. The singer goes on to describe how this song wasn't like the classical composer Brahms, which Humphrey Bogart once requested while feeling down, but rather it was a simple love song that they danced to, sang, and ultimately became an enduring memory for them.
The lyrics highlight how even though the song may not have been complex or important, it still held meaning for the singer, especially in those late-night moments where the lyrics took on a deeper significance. This nostalgia for a simpler time is also evident in the references to old Hollywood actors like Bogart and Sam, placing the song in a specific time and era. Overall, the song serves as a testament to the power of music and how even the simplest tunes can hold a special place in our memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Cette année-là,
In that year,
Dans quel été j'étais,
In which summer was I,
Dans quel état ?
In what state?
Un slow passait,
A slow song was playing,
Un titre anglais.
An English title.
Ce qu'il disait,
What it said,
Nous ne le comprenions pas.
We didn't understand it.
C'était une voix sur un piano,
It was a voice on a piano,
Un bord de caisse pour le tempo,
A drumbeat for the tempo,
Une chanson tendre
A tender song
Qu'on aime entendre, qui sait,
That we love to hear, who knows,
Cent tois par jour.
Three hundred times a day.
Naturellement, chanson d'amour,
Naturally, a love song,
Chanson qui rime, évidemment,
A song that rhymes, obviously,
Et qui ne dit rien d'important.
And doesn't say anything important.
C'est pas du Brahms
It's not Brahms
Qu'Humphrey Bogart,
That Humphrey Bogart,
Pris de cafard,
Feeling down,
Réclame à Sam.
Asks Sam for it.
C'est une chanson sans importance
It's an insignificant song
Qui n'a un sens
That doesn't make sense
Que tard le soir.
Until late at night.
C'est pas du Brahms
It's not Brahms
Qu'on a dansé
That we danced to
La première fois
The first time
Qu'on s'est trouvés.
That we met.
C'est une histoire
It's a story
Vieille comme le monde
Old as time,
Comme elle se ferait teindre en blonde
Like dying your hair blonde
Et qu'on n'a jamais oubliée.
And that we've never forgotten.
Wouap dou wouap,
Wouap dou wouap,
C'est pas du Brahms
It's not Brahms
Qu'on a voulu,
That we wanted,
La première nuit
The first night
Qu'on s'est connus.
That we met.
C'est une chanson très inférieure
It's a very inferior song
De celles qui marquent en profondeur,
Those that leave a deep impression,
De celles qu'on n'oublie jamais plus.
Those that we never forget.
Wouap dou wouap,
Wouap dou wouap,
C'est pas du Brahms
It's not Brahms
Qu'Humphrey Bogart,
That Humphrey Bogart,
Pris de cafard,
Feeling down,
Réclame à Sam.
Asks Sam for it.
Juste une chanson
Just a song
Sans conséquence
Without consequence
Qui prend un sens
That makes sense
Que tard le soir.
Until late at night.
C'est pas du Brahms
It's not Brahms
Qu'on a chanté
That we sang
La nuit où tu n'es pas rentrée.
The night you didn't come home.
C'est une histoire
It's a story
Vieille comme le monde
Old as time,
Qui nous suit jusqu'au bout du monde,
That follows us to the end of the world,
Une chanson tendre
A tender song
Qu'on aime entendre,
That we love to hear,
Qui sait,
Who knows,
Cent tois par jour,
Three hundred times a day,
Naturellement chanson d'amour.
Naturally a love song.
Contributed by Nora P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.