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 vie la mort etc.
Michel Sardou Lyrics
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Qui sont allés ailleurs
Combien d'hommes qui s'en vont
Parce qu'un mot à la con
Leur a brisé le cœur
Combien s'en sont allés, où vont les évadés
Chercher un guérisseur
Combien d'hommes qui reviennent
Est toujours la leur
La vie, la mort,
On entre, on sort, c'est tout
On veille, on dort,
On aime un corps, on y prend goût
On aime encore,
Encore plus fort, encore plus fou
Et puis après la guerre, la paix
C'est tout
Combien j'en ai compté qui se sont égarés
Parce qu'ils étaient perdus
Dans les recoins des villes, j'en ai vu des fragiles
Qui dormaient dans la rue
Et combien qui s'en foutent, qui ont laissé leurs doutes
Sous un carré de fleurs
Combien d'hommes qui reviennent
Parce que la femme qu'ils aiment
Est toujours la leur
La vie, la mort,
On entre, on sort, c'est tout
On veille, on dort,
On aime un corps, on y prend goût
On aime encore,
Encore plus fort, encore plus fou
Et puis après la guerre, la paix
C'est tout
La vie, la mort,
On entre, on sort, c'est tout
On choisit pas,
Ça vient comme ça
On est choisi, c'est tout
On fait ce qu'on doit
Avec ce qu'on a
On est en vie c'est tout
On aime encore,
Encore plus fort, encore plus fou
Et puis après la guerre, la paix
C'est tout
Et puis après, personne ne sait
Où ça conduit
Et on s'en fout
Michel Sardou's song "La Vie La Mort Etc" explores the themes of life and death, and how people navigate through the complexities of living. In the first stanza, Sardou touches on the idea of disappearing without really disappearing, wondering how many people have left to find something more, or been broken by thoughtless words. He also brings up the idea of seeking help from healers, and how love can bring men back from their journeys.
The chorus of the song highlights the cyclical nature of life and death, how people come and go, sleep and wake up, and love and lose. However, Sardou notes that in spite of it all, after war comes peace, and that's all there is to it.
In the second stanza, Sardou counts those who have lost their way and ended up sleeping on the streets, as well as those who have left their doubts behind in flower beds. He repeats the idea of love bringing people back from their wanderings, emphasizing the power of this feeling.
The final chorus repeats the idea that people don't really have control over life and death, and that one simply has to do the best they can with what they've got. Sardou ends the song by saying that after the war comes the peace, and that ultimately, nobody knows where anything leads, but it doesn't matter.
Line by Line Meaning
Combien de disparus qui n'ont pas disparu
Qui sont allés ailleurs
How many missing people aren't really missing but have just gone elsewhere?
Combien d'hommes qui s'en vont
Parce qu'un mot à la con
Leur a brisé le cœur
How many men leave because a stupid word has broken their hearts?
Combien s'en sont allés, où vont les évadés
Chercher un guérisseur
How many have left and where have the escapees gone to find a healer?
Combien d'hommes qui reviennent
Parce que la femme qu'ils aiment
Est toujours la leur
How many men return because the woman they love is still theirs?
La vie, la mort,
On entre, on sort, c'est tout
On veille, on dort,
On aime un corps, on y prend goût
On aime encore,
Encore plus fort, encore plus fou
Et puis après la guerre, la paix
C'est tout
Life and death are merely an entrance and an exit; we watch and sleep, we love a body, we become attached to it, we love even more, stronger and crazier. Then, after the war, comes peace. That's all.
Combien j'en ai compté qui se sont égarés
Parce qu'ils étaient perdus
Dans les recoins des villes, j'en ai vu des fragiles
Qui dormaient dans la rue
How many have I counted who got lost because they were already lost? In the corners of the cities, I have seen the ones who were fragile sleeping on the street.
Et combien qui s'en foutent, qui ont laissé leurs doutes
Sous un carré de fleurs
And how many don't care anymore, who left their doubts under a bunch of flowers?
La vie, la mort,
On entre, on sort, c'est tout
On veille, on dort,
On aime un corps, on y prend goût
On aime encore,
Encore plus fort, encore plus fou
Et puis après la guerre, la paix
C'est tout
Life and death are merely an entrance and an exit; we watch and sleep, we love a body, we become attached to it, we love even more, stronger and crazier. Then, after the war, comes peace. That's all.
La vie, la mort,
On entre, on sort, c'est tout
On choisit pas,
Ça vient comme ça
On est choisi, c'est tout
On fait ce qu'on doit
Avec ce qu'on a
On est en vie c'est tout
Life and death are merely an entrance and an exit; we don't choose, it comes as it is, we are chosen. We do what we must with what we have. We are alive, that's all.
On aime encore,
Encore plus fort, encore plus fou
Et puis après la guerre, la paix
C'est tout
Et puis après, personne ne sait
Où ça conduit
Et on s'en fout
We still love, even stronger, even crazier. Then, after the war, comes peace. That's all. And then, no one knows where it leads, and we don't care.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: MICHEL SARDOU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind