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.
Je N'Ai Jamais Su Dire
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Les mots que tu aimais,
Pourtant, je n'ai jamais
Cessé de t'aimer.
Comme un enfant terrible,
J'ai cassé mon jouet.
Comme un enfant terrible,
Car je n'ai jamais su dire
Les mots que tu aimais.
Pourtant, je n'ai jamais
Cessé de t'aimer.
Je t'aime et je ne peux
Vivre sans ton sourire.
Je ne peux concevoir
Sans toi mon avenir.
Pris dans une tourmente,
Sans cesse ballotté
Loin d'une vie décente,
Je ne pouvais chanter
Que je t'aime et je ne peux
Vivre sans ton sourire.
Je ne peux concevoir
Sans toi mon avenir.
Maintenant tu me quittes
Et je meurs lentement.
Mon univers s'effrite
Et je pleure doucement.
Il ne me restera
Que de beau souvenirs
Du temps où le lilas
Fleurissait ton sourire.
Mais maintenant,
Tu me quittes
Et je pleure lentement.
Mon univers s'effrite
Et je meurs doucement,
Doucement.
In Michel Sardou's song Je N'Ai Jamais Su Dire, the singer is expressing his regret for not being able to express his love in the right words to his partner. Despite this challenge, he proclaims that he has never stopped loving her. He compares his inability to express himself to that of a naughty child who breaks his toys and deserves punishment. This comparison shows how the singer recognizes his flaws and is willing to accept the consequences of his actions.
The singer goes on to say that he cannot imagine his future without her and feels lost without her smile. He feels trapped and tossed around by the turmoil of life but feels he would have been able to sing his love for her if she were still with him. He desperately wants to communicate his love for her but can only do so in his mind.
The final verse sees the ultimate end of his relationship, and he is left with nothing but memories of her where she was happy and smiling. The lilacs in her smile signify a time when she was truly happy, and the singer mourns the loss of that happiness. The song ends on a sorrowful note as the singer realizes that he is dying slowly without the love of his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Je n'ai jamais su dire
I could never express myself in the way you wished, though I never stopped loving you.
Les mots que tu aimais,
The phrases that you loved the most were out of my reach.
Pourtant, je n'ai jamais
Despite my inadequacy, my feelings for you remained the same throughout.
Cessé de t'aimer.
There was no stopping my love for you as time went on.
Comme un enfant terrible,
Like a child who's uncontrollable,
J'ai cassé mon jouet.
I broke my toy, as I acted recklessly like a child.
Je mérite le fouet
I deserve to be punished for my behavior
Car je n'ai jamais su dire
Because I couldn't articulate the words you wanted me to say.
Je t'aime et je ne peux
I love you and I cannot exist without your presence.
Vivre sans ton sourire.
I cannot lead my life without the happiness you bring to me.
Je ne peux concevoir
I cannot fathom a future for myself
Sans toi mon avenir.
Without you, there is no future for me.
Pris dans une tourmente,
Amidst the chaos that surrounds me,
Sans cesse ballotté
There is no end to my turbulence.
Loin d'une vie décente,
My life lacks respectability.
Je ne pouvais chanter
I could not sing
Que je t'aime et je ne peux
All I could sing was - I love you and I cannot exist without your presence.
Vivre sans ton sourire.
I cannot lead my life without the happiness you bring to me.
Je ne peux concevoir
I cannot fathom a future for myself
Sans toi mon avenir.
Without you, there is no future for me.
Maintenant tu me quittes
Now that you've abandoned me,
Et je meurs lentement.
I am dying slowly.
Mon univers s'effrite
My world is crumbling down,
Et je pleure doucement.
And I weep silently.
Il ne me restera
All that shall remain with me
Que de beaux souvenirs
Are the beautiful memories
Du temps où le lilas
From the moments when lilacs
Fleurissait ton sourire.
Would make your smile bloom.
Mais maintenant,
But now
Tu me quittes
You are leaving me
Et je pleure lentement.
And I cry slowly.
Mon univers s'effrite
My world is crumbling down,
Et je meurs doucement,
And I die slowly,
Doucement.
Very slowly.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHEL CHARLES SARDOU, MICHEL PAUL FUGAIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind