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 Marche En Avant
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Je vous ordonne de jouer
La marche en avant
La marche en avant
Il faut vaincre ou il faut mourir
Mais plus question de réfléchir
Jouez-moi la marche en avant
La marche en avant
Un mort pour un mètre carré (hé)
Voilà le prix qu'il faut payer (hé)
C'est l'ordre du gouvernement
Ça permet de gagner du temps
Jouez-moi la marche en avant
La marche en avant
Là-bas dans son QG de toile
Le grand patron ne cèdera pas
Il est perdu dans ses étoiles
Il a foi dans sa baraka
Jouez-moi la marche en avant
La marche en avant
La marche en avant
La marche en avant
Clairon, il faut les rassembler
C'est le moment de bien donner
La marche en avant
La marche en avant
Franchir cette putain de rivière
C'est changer le sort de la terre
Jouez-moi la marche en avant
La marche en avant
De toute façon, vous n'avez pas (hé)
Le choix de reculer d'un pas (hé)
La gendarmerie est derrière
Son artillerie en bandoulière
Jouez-moi la marche en avant
La marche en avant
Nous sommes le trois février
Ce sera un beau jour férié
Les fonctionnaires nous béniront
Allez! Sonnez, clairons!
La marche en avant
La marche en avant
La marche en avant
La marche en avant
Sachez qu'à l'autre bout du monde
Dans une fabrique du nord
On forge la médaille ronde
Avec deux palmes
En plaqué or
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
(La marche en avant)
The lyrics to Michel Sardou's song La Marche En Avant depict the military marching forward with the order to either win or die, implying a sense of urgency and necessity to move forward in combat. The singer commands the drum major to play the march in advance, setting a tone of determination and focus. The government's orders to pay the price of one death for every square meter gained further highlights the severity of the situation. The commander is shown as someone who has complete faith in himself and his mission, even to the point of being lost in the stars.
The use of the word "putain" (whore) to describe the river the troops must cross underscores the hardships and obstacles faced in war. The call to arms to the clairon (trumpets) to rally the troops and change the fortunes of the land adds an air of bravery and valor. The last stanza speaks of the making of a prestigious award with two gold palms, implying the high cost of sacrifice in battle. The song therefore conveys a message of nationalistic pride and solidarity, highlighting the need to move forward in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Tambour-major, vous m'entendez?
Addressing the drum major, he asks if he can be heard
Je vous ordonne de jouer
He commands the drum major to play
La marche en avant, la marche en avant.
Specifically, the command is to play 'The march forward, the march forward'
Il faut vaincre ou il faut mourir
The situation requires victory or death
Mais plus question de réfléchir,
There is no more room for thinking
Jouez-moi la marche en avant, La marche en avant.
He reinforces his earlier command for 'The march forward' to be played
Un mort pour un mètre carré,
The cost is one life for every square meter
Voilà le prix qu'il faut payer.
This is the price that must be paid
C'est l'ordre du gouvernement.
This is an order from the government
Ça permet de gagner du temps.
It allows them to save time
Là-bas dans son Q.G. de toile,
The general is in his tent headquarters
Le grand patron ne cèdera pas.
The boss will not give in
Il est perdu dans ses étoiles.
He is lost in his own world
Il a foi dans sa baraka.
He believes in his luck
Clairon, il faut les rassembler.
He calls for the bugler to assemble them
C'est le moment de bien donner
This is the time to give it their all
La marche en avant, la marche en avant.
Again, he commands for 'The march forward' to be played
Franchir cette putain de rivière,
Their objective is to cross that damn river
C'est changer le sort de la terre.
This will change the fate of the land
Jouez-moi la marche en avant, La marche en avant.
He repeats his command for 'The march forward'
De toute façon, vous n'avez pas
There is no way around it
Le choix de reculer d'un pas.
They don't have the choice to move back
La gendarmerie est derrière,
The police are behind them
Son artillerie en bandoulière.
With their artillery slung over their shoulders
Nous sommes le trois février.
It is the third of February
Ce sera un beau jour férié.
It will be a beautiful holiday
Les fonctionnaires nous béniront.
The bureaucrats will bless them
Allez sonnez, clairons,
He calls for the buglers to sound their instruments
Sachez qu'à l'autre bout du monde,
He wants them to know that on the other side of the world
Dans une fabrique du nord,
In a factory in the north
On forge la médaille ronde
They are forging the round medal
Avec deux palmes en plaqué or.
With two gold-plated palm leaves
La marche en avant, la marche en avant.
He finishes with one last command for 'The march forward'
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jacques Revaud, Michel Sardou, Pierre Delanoe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind