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.

La riviere de notre enfance
Michel Sardou Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Je me souviens d'un arbre, je me souviens du vent
De ces rumeurs de vagues au bout de l'océan
Je me souviens d'une ville, je me souviens d'une voix
De ces Noëls qui brillent dans la neige et le froid

Je me souviens d'un rêve, je me souviens d'un roi
D'un été qui s'achève, d'une maison de bois
Je me souviens du ciel, je me souviens de l'eau

D'une robe en dentelle déchirée dans le dos

Ce n'est pas du sang qui coule dans nos veines
C'est la rivière de notre enfance
Ce n'est pas sa mort qui me fait d'la peine
C'est de n'plus voir mon père qui danse

Je me souviens d'un phare, je me souviens d'un signe
D'une lumière dans le soir, d'une chambre anonyme
Je me souviens d'amour, je me souviens des gestes
Le fiacre du retour, le parfum sur ma veste

Je me souviens si tard, je me souviens si peu
De ces trains de hasard, d'un couple d'amoureux
Je me souviens de Londres, je me souviens de Rome
Du soleil qui fait l'ombre, du chagrin qui fait l'homme

Ce n'est pas du sang qui coule dans nos veines
C'est la rivière de notre enfance
Ce n'est pas sa mort qui me fait d'la peine
C'est de n'plus voir mon père qui danse

Ce n'est pas du sang qui coule dans nos veines
C'est la rivière de notre enfance

Ce n'est pas sa mort qui me fait d'la peine
C'est de n'plus voir mon père qui danse

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Michel Sardou's song "La rivière de notre enfance" speak of nostalgia for the past and memories of childhood. The singer remembers specific images from his past, such as an old tree, the sound of ocean waves, Christmas time in the snow, a dream he once had, and the warmth of familiar smells. The nostalgia felt is made more poignant by the realization that the people and places of one's childhood have changed with time, and that nothing can bring back those lost moments. The singer admits that the river of their childhood, which flows through all of them, is what defines and connects them, and that it is the memories of his father that cause him the most pain because they are forever lost.

The chorus, "Ce n'est pas du sang qui coule dans nos veines/C'est la rivière de notre enfance/Ce n'est pas sa mort qui me fait d'la peine/C'est de n'plus voir mon père qui danse," speaks to the idea that the river of their childhood is what ties them all together, and that it is a bond that remains even as time wears on. The loss of his father is deeply painful for the singer, as he can no longer see him dance or be part of his life.

Line by Line Meaning

Je me souviens d'un arbre, je me souviens du vent
I remember a tree, I remember the wind

De ces rumeurs de vagues au bout de l'océan
the sound of waves at the end of the ocean

Je me souviens d'une ville, je me souviens d'une voix
I remember a city, I remember a voice

De ces Noëls qui brillent dans la neige et le froid
the Christmases that sparkle in the snow and cold

Je me souviens d'un rêve, je me souviens d'un roi
I remember a dream, I remember a king

D'un été qui s'achève, d'une maison de bois
an ending summer, a wooden house

Je me souviens du ciel, je me souviens de l'eau
I remember the sky, I remember the water

D'une robe en dentelle déchirée dans le dos
a lace dress torn at the back

Ce n'est pas du sang qui coule dans nos veines
It's not blood that runs in our veins

C'est la rivière de notre enfance
It's the river of our childhood

Ce n'est pas sa mort qui me fait d'la peine
It's not his death that makes me sad

C'est de n'plus voir mon père qui danse
It's not seeing my father dance anymore

Je me souviens d'un phare, je me souviens d'un signe
I remember a lighthouse, I remember a sign

D'une lumière dans le soir, d'une chambre anonyme
a light in the evening, an anonymous room

Je me souviens d'amour, je me souviens des gestes
I remember love, I remember the gestures

Le fiacre du retour, le parfum sur ma veste
the carriage ride home, the scent on my coat

Je me souviens si tard, je me souviens si peu
I remember so late, I remember so little

De ces trains de hasard, d'un couple d'amoureux
The chance encounters on trains, a couple in love

Je me souviens de Londres, je me souviens de Rome
I remember London, I remember Rome

Du soleil qui fait l'ombre, du chagrin qui fait l'homme
the sun that casts shadows, the sorrow that makes a man