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 Prix D'Un Homme
Michel Sardou Lyrics
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J'ai les yeux bandés, les poings liés
Putain de ville, on n'avance pas
Qu'est-ce que j'ai envie de fumer
J'étouffe et j'ai très mal au dos
Chaque fois qu'il donne un coup de frein
Demain je serai dans les journaux
En attendant, je vaux combien?
Quel est mon prix, qui va payer?
Mes amis n'ont pas les moyens
Et ma femme va s'affoler
Qu'est-ce que j'ai envie de mes mains
La vie d'un homme, qu'est-ce que ça vaut?
Ça ne peut pas aller bien loin
Un peu de sang et beaucoup d'eau
À propos d'eau, je boirais bien
J'espère que les flics vont m'aider
Pour une fois que j'en ai besoin
Peut-être qu'ils nous ont repérés
En attendant, qu'est-ce que j'ai faim
Se faire piéger en plein Paris
En pleine civilisation
On se croirait en Italie
Le monde est moins beau qu'il n'est con
Quel est mon prix, qui va payer?
Je n'ai pas d'argent devant moi
Des gens sur qui je peux compter
Si j'en ai cinq, je suis un roi
La vie d'un homme, qu'est-ce que ça vaut?
Ça ne peut pas aller bien loin
Un peu de sang et beaucoup d'eau
À propos d'eau, je boirais bien
Cette fois me voilà bien bouclé
Du sparadrap collé aux yeux
Pas moyen de me réchauffer
J'ai la tête et le ventre creux
Mourir de soif à Courbevoie
Crever de faim à Fontainebleau
À quelques minutes de chez soi
La vie d'un homme, qu'est-ce que ça vaut?
Quel est mon prix, qui va payer?
Mes amis n'ont pas les moyens
Et ma femme va s'affoler
Qu'est-ce que j'ai besoin de mes mains
La vie d'un homme, qu'est-ce que ça vaut?
Ça ne peut pas aller bien loin
Un peu de sang et beaucoup d'eau
À propos d'eau, je boirais bien
La vie d'un homme, qu'est-ce que ça vaut?
Ça ne peut pas aller bien loin
Un peu de sang et beaucoup d'os
À propos d'os, je vaux combien?
The lyrics of Michel Sardou's "Le Prix D'Un Homme" paint a rather bleak picture of the value of human life. The singer is blindfolded and handcuffed, being taken to an unknown destination by guards who refuse to talk to him. He is in pain, feeling suffocated and experiencing discomfort in his back every time the guards apply the brakes. He thinks that tomorrow he will be featured in the news, but he wonders what his worth is at that moment. Who will pay for his life? His friends do not have the funds, and his wife will be in panic-mode. He longs to use his hands and smoke a cigarette, but his fate lies in the hands of his captors. The singer starts to realize that his life, and by extension, the life of any man, does not hold much value.
The song progresses to show how the singer's perspective has shifted as he is awaiting his fate. While still handcuffed and blindfolded, he is now hungry and thirsty, hoping that the police will come to his rescue this time. He feels trapped in the heart of a civilized city and compares his situation to being in Italy. Ultimately, he begins to question the worth of an individual's life, wondering if it is worth more than a little blood and water. He ends the song by asking how much he is worth if there were only "a little blood and many bones." The lyrics undoubtedly paint a grim picture of what it is like to be at the mercy of others without any control over fate.
Line by Line Meaning
Les gardiens ne me parlent pas.
The guards are ignoring me.
J'ai les yeux bandés, les poings liés.
My eyes are covered, my hands are tied.
Putain de ville, on n'avance pas.
Damn this city, we're not making any progress.
Qu'est-ce que j'ai envie de fumer.
I really want to smoke.
J'étouffe et j'ai très mal au dos,
I'm suffocating and my back hurts.
Chaque fois qu'il donne un coup de frein.
Every time he hits the brakes.
Demain je serai dans les journaux.
Tomorrow I'll be in the news.
En attendant, je vaux combien?
In the meantime, what am I worth?
Quel est mon prix, qui va payer?
What's my price, who will pay it?
Mes amis n'ont pas les moyens.
My friends can't afford it.
Et ma femme va s'affoler.
And my wife will freak out.
Qu'est-ce que j'ai envie de mes mains.
I really want to use my hands.
La vie d'un homme, qu'est-ce que ça vaut?
What is a man's life worth?
Ça ne peut pas aller bien loin.
It can't go very far.
Un peu de sang et beaucoup d'eau.
A little blood and a lot of water.
A propos d'eau, je boirais bien.
Speaking of water, I could use a drink.
J'espère que les flics vont m'aider,
I hope the cops will help me.
Pour une fois que j'en ai besoin.
For once when I need it.
Peut-être qu'ils nous ont repérés.
Maybe they've spotted us.
En attendant, qu'est-ce que j'ai faim.
In the meantime, I'm hungry.
Se faire piéger en plein Paris,
Getting caught in the middle of Paris,
En pleine civilisation,
In the midst of civilization,
On se croirait en Italie.
It feels like we're in Italy.
Le monde est moins beau qu'il n'est con.
The world is less beautiful than it is stupid.
Je n'ai pas d'argent devant moi.
I don't have any money with me.
Des gens sur qui je peux compter,
People I can count on,
Si j'en ai cinq, je suis un roi.
If I have five, I'm a king.
Cette fois me voilà bien bouclé,
This time I'm really stuck,
Du sparadrap collé aux yeux.
With tape over my eyes.
Pas moyen de me réchauffer.
No way to warm up.
J'ai la tête et le ventre creux.
I'm hungry and lightheaded.
Mourir de soif à Courbevoie,
Dying of thirst in Courbevoie,
Crever de faim à Fontainebleau,
Starving in Fontainebleau,
A quelques minutes de chez soi.
Just a few minutes from home.
Un peu de sang et beaucoup d'os.
A little blood and a lot of bones.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Michel Sardou, Pierre Delanoe, Pierre Billon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind