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.
Ma Mémoire
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De mes amours,
Mon ange.
J'ai perdu la mémoire
Et ça m'arrange.
Je n'ai pas la mémoire
De tes amours,
Oh, mon ange.
Et ça m'arrange.
Je ne me souviens pas
De ma naissance
Ni de mes premiers pas
Dans l'existence.
J'ai complètement perdu la trace
Du temps, de l'au-delà,
Aucun souvenir des espaces
Où j'ai vécu déjà.
J'ai oublié les nuits
De la souffrance,
Ce mélange de cris
Et de silence
Et les longs couloirs d'hôpital
Qui vont vers le supplice,
Il ne me reste plus du mal
Que quelques cicatrices.
Je n'ai pas la mémoire
De mes amours,
Mon ange.
J'ai perdu la mémoire
Et ça m'arrange.
Je n'ai pas la mémoire
De tes amours,
Oh, mon ange.
J'ai perdu la mémoire
Et ça m'arrange.
J'ai oublié le ton
De la vengeance
Et le son du clairon,
De la revanche.
Ils sont partis, tous les débiles
De mon carnet d'adresse
Avec les noms des imbéciles
Qui peuplèrent ma jeunesse.
Je n'ai pas de mémoire,
Mais je suppose
Que c'est la même histoire,
La même chose.
Pour cette pauvre humanité
Qui, sans fin, recommence
Au long de son éternité,
La même indifférence.
Je n'ai pas la mémoire
De mes amours,
Mon ange.
J'ai perdu la mémoire
Et ça m'arrange.
Je n'ai pas la mémoire
De tes amours,
Oh, mon ange.
J'ai perdu la mémoire
Et ça m'arrange.
The lyrics in Michel Sardou's song "Ma Mémoire" express a detachment from memories, specifically memories of love and pain. Sardou sings of having lost his memory, but feeling that it suits him. He does not remember his past loves, including that of his "ange," or angel. He also does not have memories of his own birth or early experiences in life. Additionally, he has forgotten the nights of suffering and intense pain, as well as the feeling of seeking revenge. All of these memories have faded away, leaving him with only a few scars as remnants of the past.
The lyrics suggest an acceptance of the idea that memories can be burdensome, and that forgetting them can be a form of liberation. The repetition of the phrase "j'ai perdu la mémoire et ça m'arrange," meaning "I've lost my memory and it suits me," reinforces this message. Sardou also notes that this lack of memory is not necessarily unique to him, indicating that it is a common experience for humans, who are doomed to repeat the same patterns of indifference and forgetfulness in their eternal recurrence.
Overall, "Ma Mémoire" is a melancholic reflection on the transient nature of memory, and the relief that can come with letting go of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Je n'ai pas la mémoire
De mes amours,
Mon ange.
I cannot recall the memories associated with my romantic endeavors, my dear one.
J'ai perdu la mémoire
Et ça m'arrange.
Although I've lost my memories, it suits me just fine.
Je ne me souviens pas
De ma naissance
Ni de mes premiers pas
Dans l'existence.
I can't remember anything about my birth or the early stages of my life.
J'ai complètement perdu la trace
Du temps, de l'au-delà,
Aucun souvenir des espaces
Où j'ai vécu déjà.
I have completely lost track of time and the beyond, with no memory of the spaces I've already inhabited.
J'ai oublié les nuits
De la souffrance,
Ce mélange de cris
Et de silence
Painful and dark nights, filled with both screams and silence, are now forgotten to me.
Et les longs couloirs d'hôpital
Qui vont vers le supplice,
Il ne me reste plus du mal
Que quelques cicatrices.
Even hospital wards that lead to torture are mere scars and nothing more for me now.
J'ai oublié le ton
De la vengeance
Et le son du clairon,
De la revanche.
The sound of revenge and the trumpet that played it have eluded my memories.
Ils sont partis, tous les débiles
De mon carnet d'adresse
Avec les noms des imbéciles
Qui peuplèrent ma jeunesse.
All the crazy people from my contacts and the names of the idiots that populated my childhood have vanished.
Je n'ai pas de mémoire,
Mais je suppose
Que c'est la même histoire,
La même chose.
Despite not remembering much, I imagine it's still the same old story as before.
Pour cette pauvre humanité
Qui, sans fin, recommence
Au long de son éternité,
La même indifférence.
For poor humanity, who tirelessly repeats the same mistakes, the same indifference endures.
Je n'ai pas la mémoire
De mes amours,
Mon ange.
J'ai perdu la mémoire
Et ça m'arrange.
I cannot recall the memories associated with my romantic endeavors, my dear one. Although I've lost my memories, it suits me just fine.
Je n'ai pas la mémoire
De tes amours,
Oh, mon ange.
J'ai perdu la mémoire
Et ça m'arrange.
I cannot recall the memories associated with your romantic endeavors, my dear one. Although I've lost my memories, it suits me just fine.
Contributed by Katherine P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.