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.

Les Beatnicks
Michel Sardou Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ils sont venus me voir
Dans un rythme de cordes
Et puis sur le trottoir
Ont rassemblé la horde
Les beatniks ssssss

Ils sont à notre époque
Le sujet dont on parle

Et si d'eux l'on se moque
Ils s'en portent pas plus mal

La musique et les routes
Leur servent de royaume
Ils sont les troubadours
Du siècle de l'atome

Ils sont venus me voir
Dans un rythme de cordes
Et puis sur le trottoir
Ont rassemblé la horde
Les beatniks ssssss

Ils sont aimés des uns
Et supportés des autres
Et rassasient leur faim
Sur le dos des apôtres
Des cheveux ils en ont
C'est ce qui fait leur force
De l'argent ils l'auront
Ils ne sont pas précoces

Ils sont venus me voir
Dans un rythme de cordes
Et puis sur le trottoir
Ont rassemblé la horde
Les beatniks ssssss

Moi quand je les regarde
Du haut de mes vingt ans
J'ai parfois le cafard
De vivre prudemment
Mais quand ils sont partis
En traînant leurs savates
Je continue ma vie
Et renoue ma cravate

Ils sont venus me voir
Dans un rythme de cordes
Et puis sur le trottoir
Ont rassemblé la horde
Les beatniks sss

Les beatniks sss
Les beatniks sss

Overall Meaning

The song "Les Beatnicks" by Michel Sardou is about the Beatnik movement, which originated in the United States in the 1950s. The lyrics describe how the Beatniks, with their guitar strings and their non-conformist attitudes, gather people on the street to listen to their music. The Beatniks are described as the subject of people's conversations at the time, and even if some people make fun of them, they don't mind. The Beatniks are depicted as wanderers, traveling the roads, sharing their music with anyone who will listen. They are the troubadours of the atomic age.

The song also describes the Beatniks' unconventional appearance, with long hair being their strength. They are supported by some people and hated by others, but they don't care either way. The song ends with the singer feeling a bit envious of their carefree lifestyle, but ultimately returning to his own life, his tie and all. The song highlights the Beatniks' philosophy of living life on their own terms, rejecting conventional societal norms and values, and striving to create their own culture and identity.

Line by Line Meaning

Ils sont venus me voir
These people came to see me

Dans un rythme de cordes
Playing strings with a specific rhythm

Et puis sur le trottoir
Then out on the sidewalk

Ont rassemblé la horde
They gathered a crowd

Les beatniks ssssss
They were the Beatniks

Ils sont à notre époque
They exist in our time

Le sujet dont on parle
The topic that is discussed

Et si d'eux l'on se moque
Even if we mock them

Ils s'en portent pas plus mal
They are not affected by it

La musique et les routes
Music and roads

Leur servent de royaume
Are their kingdom