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.

Le Blues Black Brothers
Michel Sardou Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Le jeune homme est parti
Le jeune homme a craqué
La musique qu'il écrit
Personne ne veut la jouer
Il a comme dans l'histoire
Où s'envole un enfant
Ecrit sur le miroir
Je pars mes chers parents

Il sera mieux chez lui
Dans le monde où il va
Ce qu'il chante ce qu'il dit
Se ressent mieux là-bas
Un avion au hasard
Dans une heure à Roissy
Et respirer ce soir
Les fumées de Saint Louis

Que devient le blues black brother
Les accents de Fever
Les sermons du sauveur
Le "vieux carré" du spleen
Que devient le blues black brother
Dans le flingue du killer
Dans la came du dealer
Les slides-guitares se minent
Que devient le blues black brother
Passé l'Hudson River
Tous les chagrins sont clean...

Que devient le blues black brother
Dans les feux du drover
Dans les yeux du rêveur
Quand le soleil décline
Que devient le blues black brother
Dans la main du gambler
Dans la nuit du voleur
Quand le film se termine

Que devient le blues black brother
Passé l'Hudson River
Tous les chagrins sont clean
Que devient le blues black brother

Que devient le blues black brother
Le saxo du lover
Le credo du serveur
Devant son verre de gin
Que devient le blues black brother
Le K.O. du boxeur
Le tango du danseur
Devant les sex-machines
Que devient le blues black brother
Passé l'Hudson River
Tous les chagrins sont clean

Que devient le blues black brother
Que devient le blues black brother

Overall Meaning

Michel Sardou's "Le Blues Black Brother" is a melancholic song about a young man who leaves his home in search of better opportunities for his music. He has grown disillusioned with the music industry, as no one wants to play the music he writes. He feels like an abandoned child, writing "Je pars mes chers parents" ('I leave, my dear parents') on the mirror before he takes off. The song talks about how the young musician will find a better life and audience for his music in America. The lyrics mention different scenarios he might face in his new life in America - from breathing in the smoke of St. Louis to the lights of the city, the fire of the cowboy, or the eyes of the dreamer during sunset.

The song's title is a play on words, using the French word 'blues' to refer both to the musical genre and the feeling of sadness that accompanies the young man's departure. The song is beautifully written and describes the different situations, people and places that the young man might encounter in his new country. The lyrics also ask what happens to the "blues black brother" - the music he creates, the influences he faces, and how he himself might change.

Line by Line Meaning

Le jeune homme est parti
The young man has left

Le jeune homme a craqué
The young man has cracked (under pressure)

La musique qu'il écrit
The music he writes

Personne ne veut la jouer
No one wants to play it

Il a comme dans l'histoire
It's like in the story

Où s'envole un enfant
Where a child flies away

Ecrit sur le miroir
Written on the mirror

Je pars mes chers parents
I'm leaving, my dear parents

Il sera mieux chez lui
He'll be better off at home

Dans le monde où il va
In the world he's going to

Ce qu'il chante ce qu'il dit
What he sings, what he says