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 Donneuse
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ses seins ses sous ses dessous
Elle donne son corps son coeur et l'heure
Comme la Normandie donne son beurre
C'est une fille à succursale
Mais à l'entrée principale
Il y a une sonnette de nuit
Une donneuse
Universelle
Qui vous donne tout pêle-mêle
Le bonjour son temps et le moral
Qui vous donne même le signal
Un soir de 14 juillet
Je me rappelle que j'lui ai
Demandé de m'offrir son pétard
Elle me l'a donné sans histoires
C'est une fille qui donne tout
N'importe quand n'importe où
Et même une idée du néant
Quand elle prend l'air intelligent
Une donneuse
Universelle
Qui vous donne tout pêle-mêle
Ses clés son blé et son avis
Comme la Bourgogne donne ses p'tits gris
C'est une fille qui donne tout
Mais malgré tout méfiez-vous
Elle aime tellement la justice
Qu'elle vous balance à la police
C'est une fille qui donne tout
Ses seins ses sous ses dessous
Elle donne son corps son coeur et l'heure
Comme la Normandie donne son beurre
C'est une fille qui donne tout
The song "La Donneuse" by Michel Sardou is about a woman who gives everything she has to offer to those around her. She gives her body, heart, time, money, and even her opinion on different matters. Sardou compares her giving nature to that of the Normandy region's giving of its butter or the Burgundy region's giving of its snails (p'tits gris). She is depicted as a universal giver who will give at any time and any place, and even offers the blankness of the void when she feels the need to sound intelligent.
However, Sardou also warns of her potential to harm others despite her altruistic nature. She loves justice so much that she can easily throw someone under the bus when necessary. The lyrics use the image of a pharmacy with a discreet, nighttime entrance to suggest that her giving nature is on the one hand admirable and on the other hand, somewhat illicit, a quality that could be seen as either endearing or concerning.
Overall, "La Donneuse" is an interpretation of the notion of altruism, questioning whether it is possible to give as much as this young woman gives, and asking what kind of impact such limitless giving can have. Is she someone who should be admired, pitied, or even feared? The song poses these questions without giving definitive answers, making the interpretation open to discussion.
Line by Line Meaning
C'est une fille qui donne tout
She's a girl who gives everything
Ses seins ses sous ses dessous
Her breasts, her money, her underwear
Elle donne son corps son coeur et l'heure
She gives her body, her heart, and her time
Comme la Normandie donne son beurre
Like Normandy gives its butter
C'est une fille à succursale
She's a girl with a branch (of services)
Mais à l'entrée principale
But at the main entrance
Il y a une sonnette de nuit
There's a night bell
Comme dans toutes les bonnes pharmacies
Like in all good pharmacies
Une donneuse
A giver
Universelle
Universal
Qui vous donne tout pêle-mêle
Who gives you everything mixed together
Le bonjour son temps et le moral
Hello, her time, and her mood
Qui vous donne même le signal
Who even gives you the signal
Un soir de 14 juillet
One evening on July 14th
Je me rappelle que j'lui ai
I remember that I
Demandé de m'offrir son pétard
Asked her to give me her firecracker
Elle me l'a donné sans histoires
She gave it to me without any issues
N'importe quand n'importe où
Whenever, wherever
Et même une idée du néant
And even an idea of nothingness
Quand elle prend l'air intelligent
When she pretends to be smart
Ses clés son blé et son avis
Her keys, her money, and her opinion
Comme la Bourgogne donne ses p'tits gris
Like Burgundy gives its little gray snails
Mais malgré tout méfiez-vous
But despite everything, be careful
Elle aime tellement la justice
She loves justice so much
Qu'elle vous balance à la police
That she'll turn you over to the police
C'est une fille qui donne tout
She's a girl who gives everything
Contributed by Eva A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.