Michel Sardou (born January 26, 1947) is a French singer.

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 veux l'épouser pour un soir
Michel Sardou Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Je veux l'épouser pour un soir
Mettre le feu à sa mémoire
L'épuiser d'amour
Et disparaître dans la nuit
Comme un voleur, comme un bandit
Je veux l'épouser pour un soir
Et l'oublier un peu plus tard

Je voudrais aimer une enfant
Une fiancée de hasard
Que je croiserais en passant
Dans un gala de quelque part
Je voudrais aimer une enfant
Qui, dans sa robe des dimanches
Me défierait du premier rang
Avec les yeux de l'insolence

Je veux l'épouser pour un soir
Mettre le feu à sa mémoire
L'épuiser d'amour
Et disparaître dans la nuit
Comme un voleur, comme un bandit
Je veux l'épouser pour un soir
Et l'oublier un peu plus tard

Je voudrais aimer une enfant
Qui me ressemblerait un peu
Qui saignerait du même sang
Qui brûlerait du même feu
Oh, je voudrais aimer une enfant
Pour quelques heures, pour le plaisir
La prendre un soir à ses parents
Et, dans mes bras, la voir dormir

Je veux l'épouser pour un soir
Mettre le feu à sa mémoire
L'épuiser d'amour
Et disparaître dans la nuit
Comme un voleur, comme un bandit
Je veux l'épouser pour un soir
Et l'oublier un peu plus tard

Je veux l'épouser pour un soir
Et divorcer un peu plus tard

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Michel Sardou's song "Je veux l'épouser pour un soir" can be interpreted as a portrayal of the singer's desire for a fleeting, passionate encounter with a woman. He sings about wanting to marry her for only one night and then disappear into the night like a thief. The singer is interested in a relationship that is based purely on physical attraction, with no aspirations beyond that. He wants to make a lasting impression on his lover's memory and then move on with his life, forgetting her shortly after.

The second verse introduces the idea of the singer wanting to love a younger, innocent woman that he meets by chance. He imagines her dressed in her Sunday best, challenging him with insolent eyes. He wants to experience a brief encounter with someone who resembles him, shares his blood, and burns with the same fire. He dreams of holding her in his arms as she sleeps while feeling fulfilled with the pleasure earned from the encounter.

Overall, the song depicts a man who desires the quick thrill of a whirlwind romance but has no interest in maintaining any emotional or physical connection once the night is over. Despite these intentions, however, he still desires a connection that is intense and profound to some extent, even if only for a few short hours.

Line by Line Meaning

Je veux l'épouser pour un soir
I want to marry her for one night

Mettre le feu à sa mémoire
To ignite a fire in her memory

L'épuiser d'amour et disparaître dans la nuit
To exhaust her with love and disappear into the night

Comme un voleur, comme un bandit
Like a thief, like a bandit

Et l'oublier un peu plus tard
And forget her a little while later

Je voudrais aimer une enfant
I would like to love a child

Une fiancée de hasard
A chance fiancée

Que je croiserais en passant
That I would meet while passing by

Dans un gala de quelque part
At a gala somewhere

Qui, dans sa robe des dimanches
Who, in her Sunday dress

Me défierait du premier rang
Would challenge me from the front row