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.
La Débandade
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comme une odeur comme un malaise.Tous les rats s'apprêtent à partir.
Ne vois-tu rien de ta falaise ?
Il y a dans les studios-délires
Comme un vieux son de Carmagnole.
Sœur Anne, si tu n'vois rien venir,
Ou tu es sourde, ou tu es folle.
Il y a dans les années qui viennent
Un vieux partisan dans la plaine,
Croissant de lune et drapeau noir.
Le vent ne sait plus où il souffle.
Ça tourbillonne ça rend colère,
Le cul posé entre deux gouffres
Beaucoup plus profonds que la mer.
Rigolez pas, mes camarades.
La débandade,C'est pour demain.
Rigolez, pas mes camarades.
La débandade,C'est pour demain.
J'ai des voyages en cavalcades,
Billet d'avion, chemin de fer.
Je sens monter des barricades
Comme des cailloux dans mes artères.
Je tourne en rond dans ma caverne,
Moitié furieux, moitié soumis
Avec en prime à ma lanterne
Une tristesse indéfinie.
Rigolez, pas mes camarades.
La débandade,C'est pour demain.
Rigolez, pas mes camarades.
La débandade,C'est pour demain.
A la fin des journées qui passent,
Quand on est seul, quand ça va mieux,
Lorsqu'on remet nos rêves en place,
Qu'on s'imagine vingt ans plus vieux,
Quels sont les hommes qui pourront dire
:"On a fait ce qu'on a voulu." ?
Sœur Anne, si tu n'vois rien venir,
C'est plus la peine : on est foutus.
Rigolez, pas mes camarades.
La débandade,C'est pour demain.
The song "La Débandade" by Michel Sardou deals with the sense of unrest and unease that permeates society. The singer describes a feeling of impending doom, as if society is teetering on the brink of collapse. He notes that there is a sense of something rotten in the air, something that is causing all the rats to flee the scene. The singer refers to "studios-délires" which can be interpreted as a type of media outlet, possibly referring to the manipulative nature of the news media and their role in shaping public opinion. The singer also mentions the return to a historical time when there was a great deal of political upheaval and uncertainty, incorporating the image of a croissant-shaped moon and black flag. The song speaks of chaos, mirrored by the tumultuous wind that can no longer be predicted or tamed.
The repetition of the phrase "Rigolez, pas mes camarades" ("Don't laugh, my comrades") serves as a warning, a plea to take the situation seriously. The singer seems to be on the move, trying to outrun the chaos that he knows is coming. He mentions his travels and the tickets he has already purchased but is still unable to shake the feeling of unease. The song ends with a sense of resignation, as the singer acknowledges that defeat may already be inevitable.
Line by Line Meaning
Il y a dans l'air que l'on respire
Comme une odeur comme un malaise.
There is a feeling of unease in the air that we breathe.
Tous les rats s'apprêtent à partir.
Ne vois-tu rien de ta falaise ?
Everybody is getting ready to leave, can't you see that you are on the edge?
Il y a dans les studios-délires
Comme un vieux son de Carmagnole.
Sœur Anne, si tu n'vois rien venir,
Ou tu es sourde, ou tu es folle.
There is something happening in the delirious studios that reminds one of the French Revolution. If you can't see it coming, you might be deaf or crazy.
Il y a dans les années qui viennent
Comme un retour au vent d'histoire,
Un vieux partisan dans la plaine,
Croissant de lune et drapeau noir.
In the coming years, there is a sense of going back in history, to a time of old partisans with crescent moon and black flag in the plain.
Le vent ne sait plus où il souffle.
Ça tourbillonne ça rend colère,
Le cul posé entre deux gouffres
Beaucoup plus profonds que la mer.
The wind is blowing aimlessly, causing anger, while we sit between two abysses that are deeper than the sea.
Rigolez pas, mes camarades.
La débandade,C'est pour demain.
Rigolez, pas mes camarades.
La débandade,C'est pour demain.
Don't laugh, my friends. The collapse is coming tomorrow.
J'ai des voyages en cavalcades,
Billet d'avion, chemin de fer.
Je sens monter des barricades
Comme des cailloux dans mes artères.
I have traveled far and wide, but now I feel like there are barricades mounting inside me, like stones in my arteries.
Je tourne en rond dans ma caverne,
Moitié furieux, moitié soumis
Avec en prime à ma lanterne
Une tristesse indéfinie.
I am spinning in circles in my cave, half angry, half resigned. And to top it off, there is an indefinable sadness inside me.
A la fin des journées qui passent,
Quand on est seul, quand ça va mieux,
Lorsqu'on remet nos rêves en place,
Qu'on s'imagine vingt ans plus vieux,
Quels sont les hommes qui pourront dire :
"On a fait ce qu'on a voulu." ?
Sœur Anne, si tu n'vois rien venir,
C'est plus la peine : on est foutus.
At the end of the days that go by, when we are alone and things are going better, and we revisit our dreams, imagining ourselves twenty years older, who are the men who will be able to say: "We did what we wanted to do"? If you still can't see it coming, then it's too late: we are doomed.
Rigolez, pas mes camarades.
La débandade,C'est pour demain.
Rigolez, pas mes camarades.
La débandade,C'est pour demain.
Don't laugh, my friends. The collapse is coming tomorrow.
Contributed by Sydney R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.