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.
Los Angelien
Michel Sardou Lyrics
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Dominant la vallée,
S'enroulaient des piscines
Autour des grands palmiers.
Des filles aux seins de glace
Qu'on aime copain-copine,
Parfumant des palaces,
Des voitures qu'on ne vole pas,
Qu'on ne ferme jamais à clé
Et du soleil sur soi,
Hiver comme en été.
Des radios subsoniques
Aux D'Jockeys insensés,
Nous soufflant l'Amérique
Au fender et synthés.
Los Angélien, qui sait, tu vis comme en exil,
Un lointain Guernesey, un nouvel évangile,
Los Angélien là-bas, fragile et solitaire,
La ville est devant toi, immense comme un désert.
Quand le soleil décline,
Inondant la vallée,
Bonjour les vitamines,
Les usines à santé.
Souriant avec tendresse,
Tu plains mon désespoir
En faisant des bassesses
Pour piquer mon France-Soir.
Une jeunesse éternelle
Court sous les marronniers,
Des carrés d'immortelles
Plantés dans les allées.
Des années d'insomnie,
Des rêves tout éveillé
Et trois cents jours sans pluie
Sans rien à raconter.
Los Angélien, qui sait, tu vis comme en exil
Un lointain Guernesey, un nouvel évangile,
Los Angélien là-bas, fragile et solitaire,
La ville est devant toi, immense comme un désert.
In Michel Sardou's song "Los Angelien," he describes the lifestyle and environment in the city of Los Angeles. He sings about the hills overlooking the valley, towering palm trees, and luxurious swimming pools that surround them. The girls who are as cold as ice, but who will nevertheless be anyone's friend, and the extravagant palaces that have the fragrance of perfumes as immense as China. Sardou also mentions the cars that are never locked and how the sun shines on one all year round. He also brings up subsonic radios and DJ's that transport you to America while you listen to the syncopation of fender and synths.
Throughout the chorus, Sardou sings about the people of Los Angeles as if they are exiles living in a new Eden: a distant Guernesey, with its own new gospel. He paints a picture of an immense city stretching out like a desert in front of them, full of potential and yearning for something deeper. The city seems to have a welcoming attitude, waiting for newcomers to explore and thrive.
Overall, the song is about freedom, luxury, and discovering a new way of life. Sardou's lyrics display the city's rich culture and liveliness as it welcomes visitors with open arms.
Line by Line Meaning
Au sommet des collines Dominant la vallée, S'enroulaient des piscines Autour des grands palmiers.
At the top of the hills overlooking the valley, there were winding pools around tall palm trees.
Des filles aux seins de glace Qu'on aime copain-copine, Parfumant des palaces, Immenses comme est la Chine.
Girls with cold breasts that we love like buddies, filling enormous palaces with fragrance like that of China.
Des voitures qu'on ne vole pas, Qu'on ne ferme jamais à clé Et du soleil sur soi, Hiver comme en été.
Cars that are never stolen and never locked, with the sun shining down on you in winter or summer.
Des radios subsoniques Aux D'Jockeys insensés, Nous soufflant l'Amérique Au fender et synthés.
Subsonic radios with insane DJs blowing us away with American fender and synthesizer music.
Los Angélien, qui sait, tu vis comme en exil, Un lointain Guernesey, un nouvel évangile, Los Angélien là-bas, fragile et solitaire, La ville est devant toi, immense comme un désert.
In Los Angeles, who knows, you live like in exile, a far-off Guernsey, a new gospel, Los Angélien there, fragile and lonely, the city is in front of you, immense like a desert.
Quand le soleil décline, Inondant la vallée, Bonjour les vitamines, Les usines à santé.
When the sun sets, flooding the valley, hello to vitamins and the health factories.
Souriant avec tendresse, Tu plains mon désespoir En faisant des bassesses Pour piquer mon France-Soir.
Smiling with tenderness, you pity my despair by resorting to mean tricks to steal my newspaper.
Une jeunesse éternelle Court sous les marronniers, Des carrés d'immortelles Plantés dans les allées.
An eternal youth runs under the chestnut trees, with squares of immortals planted in the alleys.
Des années d'insomnie, Des rêves tout éveillé Et trois cents jours sans pluie Sans rien à raconter.
Years of insomnia, daydreams, and three hundred days without rain, with nothing to tell.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEAN PIERRE HENRI EUGEN BOURTAYRE, PIERRE DELANOE, JACQUES ABEL JULES REVAUD, MICHEL CHARLES SARDOU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind