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.
Dixit Virgile
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
D'avoir appris le latin
Si ça ne sert plus à rien,
Même pas à la messe.
Dixit Virgile,
Un soir au Mont Palatin,
Titire tu patule,
Et vade retro Satana,
Alleluia,
In accula seculorum,
Ad libitum,
In vino veritas
Et omnia vanitas,
Civis pacem para bellum,
Vade mecum,
C'est pas du français
Mais c'est tout comme.
Moi j'aime bien
Les mots qui ne prouvent rien
Et je traduis
A ma guise
Ce qu'on dit,
Quoiqu'on dise.
Et vade retro Satana,
Alleluia,
In secula seculorum,
Ad libitum,
In vino veritas,
Et omnia vanitas
Et lorsque je bois du champagne,
C'est en magnum
Et je suis heureux
Au maximum.
C'est pas la peine
D'avoir appris le latin
Si ça ne sert plus à rien,
Même pas à la messe.
Et vade retro Satana,
Alleluia,
In secula seculorum,
Ad libitum,
In vino veritas
Et omnia vanitas.
Vous pouvez très bien continuer
Ad libitum.
Vous pouvez très bien continuer
Ad libitum.
Vous pouvez très bien continuer
Ad libitum,
Ad libitum,
Ad libitum.
The lyrics of Michel Sardou's song "Dixit Virgile" can be interpreted as a commentary on the futility of learning Latin in modern times. The lyrics express the sentiment that learning Latin no longer serves any practical purpose, not even in religious contexts such as the mass. The reference to "Dixit Virgile" indicates that this sentiment of futility is not a new one, as it was already being expressed as far back as the days of the ancient Roman poet Virgil.
The subsequent lines are full of Latin phrases and references to Christian and classical literature. The line "Vade retro Satana" is a Latin phrase meaning "Get thee behind me, Satan," which is a famous line uttered by Jesus in the New Testament. "Alleluia" is a commonly used word in the Christian liturgy, and "In accula seculorum" is a phrase from the Catholic mass meaning "in the age of ages." "In vino veritas" is a Latin phrase meaning "In wine, there is truth," which is a quote from the ancient Greek poet Alcaeus.
Line by Line Meaning
C'est pas la peine
It's not worth it
D'avoir appris le latin
To have learned Latin
Si ça ne sert plus à rien,
If it's not useful anymore,
Même pas à la messe.
Not even for mass.
Dixit Virgile,
Said Virgil,
Un soir au Mont Palatin,
One evening at the Palatine Hill,
Titire tu patule,
Tityrus, you will be fortunate,
Recubans ça se danse.
Lying down, that's how you dance.
Et vade retro Satana,
And go back, Satan,
Alleluia,
Hallelujah,
In accula seculorum,
Into the needle of eternity,
Ad libitum,
At will,
In vino veritas
In wine, there is truth,
Et omnia vanitas,
And all is vanity,
Civis pacem para bellum,
If you want peace, prepare for war,
Vade mecum,
Come with me,
C'est pas du français
It's not in French
Mais c'est tout comme.
But it's close enough.
Moi j'aime bien
I really like
Les mots qui ne prouvent rien
Words that don't prove anything
Et je traduis
And I translate
A ma guise
In my own way
Ce qu'on dit,
What is being said,
Quoiqu'on dise.
Regardless of what is said.
Et lorsque je bois du champagne,
And when I drink champagne,
C'est en magnum
It's in a magnum
Et je suis heureux
And I am happy
Au maximum.
To the fullest.
Vous pouvez très bien continuer
You can keep going
Ad libitum.
At will.
Vous pouvez très bien continuer
You can keep going
Ad libitum.
At will.
Vous pouvez très bien continuer
You can keep going
Ad libitum,
At will,
Ad libitum,
At will,
Ad libitum.
At will.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JACQUES ABEL JULES REVAUD, MICHEL CHARLES SARDOU, PIERRE DELANOE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind