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.
Les Années 30
Michel Sardou Lyrics
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Le front populaire
Et le Président Lebrun
Dans l'usine en grève
Tout le monde rêve
De voir la mer à Saint-Aubin
Dans les années trente
Il faut trouver des milliards
La gauche et la droite
S'insultent et se battent
Et retour à la case départ
Les 200 familles
Tous à la Bastille
Pour applaudir Léon Blum
Comme dit ma grand-mère
"Y faut pas s'en faire
La France est prospère, yop la boum"
Dans les années trente
Les jardiniers plantent
Sur la marmite un drapeau noir
La gauche et la droite
Se tirent dans les pattes
Et retour à la case départ
Les années octante
Le franc qui serpente
Et bonjour le programme commun
Dans l'usine en grève
Une voix s'élève
"Les 35 heures pour l'an prochain"
La classe ouvrière
Les masses populaires
Il faut trouver des milliards
La gauche et la droite
Jouent les acrobates
Et retour à la case départ
Dans les années folles
Les rois du pétrole
Vivaient encore sous la tente
La bombe atomique
Et l'informatique
On s'en fout comme de l'an 40
Les années octante
Toute la vie augmente
Les moules s'accrochent aux paysans
Mais lorsque l'on sonde
La France profonde
On nous dit qu'tout l'monde est content
La classe ouvrière
Le front populaire
Et le Président Lebrun
Dans l'usine en grève
Tout le monde rêve
De voir la mer à Saint-Aubin
Dans les années trente
Le tabac augmente
Il faut trouver des milliards
La gauche et la droite
S'insultent et se battent
Et retour à la case départ
Les 200 familles
Tous à la Bastille
Pour applaudir Léon Blum
Comme dit ma grand-mère
"Y faut pas s'en faire
La France est prospère, yop la boum"
Dans les années trente
Les jardiniers plantent
Sur la marmite un drapeau noir
La gauche et la droite
Se tirent dans les pattes
Et retour à la case départ
La classe ouvrière
Les masses populaires
Et bonjour le programme commun
Dans l'usine en grève
Une voix s'élève
"Les 35 heures pour l'an prochain"
Les années octante
Toute la vie augmente
Les moules s'accrochent aux paysans
Mais lorsque l'on sonde
La France profonde
On nous dit qu'tout l'monde est content
The song "Les Années 30" by Michel Sardou is a reflection on the societal and economic changes that occurred in France during the 1930s and the 1980s. In the first verse, Sardou sings of the working class, labor struggles, and the political divide between the left and the right. The workers dream of escaping to St-Aubin, a seaside town, as they strike in their factories. The next verse touches on the economic difficulties of the 1930s, as the government struggles to find the funds necessary to sustain the country. The 200 richest families, representing the wealthy elite, cheer on Leon Blum, and Sardou quotes his grandmother saying, "Don't worry, France is prosperous."
However, the political turmoil and the persistent economic problems cause history to repeat itself, with the left and the right fighting and ultimately going "back to square one." In the next verse, Sardou talks about the 1980s, where inflation rates and higher living costs were the major issues faced by the people. The masses are struggling to make ends meet, and the various political factions attempt to solve these problems. But regardless of these attempts made by the ruling class, the people of France are content with their lives. The final verse is a recapitulation of the first, highlighting the similarities between the 1930s and the 1980s, where the working class is enduring the same struggles. "Les Années 30" is a commentary on the cyclical nature of the French society, where history seems to be repeating itself.
Line by Line Meaning
La classe ouvrière,
The working class,
Le front populaire
The popular front
Et le Président Lebrun,
And President Lebrun,
Dans l'usine en grève,
In the striking factory,
Tout le monde rêve
Everyone dreams
De voir la mer à St-Aubin.
Of seeing the sea in St-Aubin.
Dans les années trente,
In the thirties,
Le tabac augmente,
Tobacco prices increase,
Il faut trouver des milliards.
Billions must be found.
La gauche et la droite
The left and the right
S'insultent et se battent
Insult and fight each other
Et retour à la case départ.
And back to square one.
Les 200 familles,
The 200 families,
Tous à la Bastille,
All at the Bastille,
Pour applaudir Léon Blum,
To applaud Léon Blum,
Comme dit ma grand-mère,
As my grandmother said,
"Y faut pas s'en faire,
"We don't have to worry,
La France est prospère yop la boum!"
France is prosperous yop la boum!"
Les jardiniers plantent
The gardeners plant
Sur la marmite un drapeau noir,
A black flag on the pot,
Les années octante,
The eighties,
Le franc qui serpente
The franc snakes
Et bonjour le programme commun,
And hello to the common program,
Dans l'usine en grève,
In the striking factory,
Une voix s'élève,
A voice rises,
"Les 35 heures pour l'an prochain."
"35 hours for next year."
Les masses populaires,
The popular masses,
Il faut trouver des milliards,
Billions must be found,
La gauche et la droite
The left and the right
Jouent les acrobates
Play acrobats
Et retour à la case départ.
And back to square one.
Les rois du pétrole
The kings of oil
Vivaient encore sous la tente.
Still lived under tents.
La bombe atomique
The atomic bomb
Et l'informatique,
And the computer age,
On s'en fout comme de l'an 40.
We don't care about them like in the 40s.
Toute la vie augmente.
Life costs increase.
Les moules s'accrochent aux paysans
Mussels cling to peasants
Mais lorsque l'on sonde
But when we investigate
La France profonde,
Deep France,
On nous dit qu'tout l'monde est content.
We are told that everyone is happy.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jacques Revaud, Michel Sardou, Pierre Delanoe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind