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.
Maudit Français
Michel Sardou Lyrics
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Je marche en londonien, démarche en hollandais
Je pleure en espagnol, je souris en chinois
Je chaloupe en créole, m'écroule en berlinois
Je soupire en flamand, me signe en polonais
Et je compte en allemand comme un vrai japonais
Je prie en tibétain, m'indigne en iroquois
À en croire les sondages, qui je suis? J'en sais rien
Un graphique, une image, profil américain
Je bronze en esquimau, ce n'est pas encore assez
J'les entends dans mon dos, crier toute la journée
"Maudits français"
Québec est à six heures d'errance
"Maudits français"
Je sais tes souvenirs d'enfance
"What did you say?"
Le passé n'a plus d'importance
"Maudits français"
Où est ton rêve d'indépendance?
Je joue en brésilien, prévois en écossais
Je jure en maghrébin, je prie en irlandais
Je valse en autrichien, je me damne en danois
Je cours en africain, à la fin je m'y noie
À en croire les sondages, qui je suis j'en sais rien?
Un graphique, une image, profil américain
Je me parle en mongol mais ça n'leur suffit pas
J'entends le rock'n'roll dire "qu'est-ce que tu fais là?"
"Maudits français"
Toujours au cœur d'une résistance
"Maudits français"
On n'sait jamais sur quoi tu danses
"It's a long way"
Le chemin de l'indifférence
"Maudits français"
Où est ton rêve d'indépendance?
"Maudits français"
Québec est à six heures d'errance
"Maudits français"
Je sais tes souvenirs d'enfance
"What did you say?"
Le passé n'a plus d'importance
The lyrics of Michel Sardou's song "Maudits Français" reflect on how in a globalized world, people can be influenced and exposed to various cultures, languages, and traditions. The singer talks about his ability to communicate, act, and express his emotions in different languages and dialects, from Italian to Javanese, from Flemish to Polynesian. He describes himself as a citizen of the world, detached from any national boundaries or stereotypes, a profile that fits the American model of identity, according to the lyrics. However, despite his multicultural outlook, the singer is still confronted with a harsh reality: the stigma and prejudice against the French people. He hears the constant chants of "Maudits Français!" (Cursed French), referring to Canada's separatist movement, and he questions the legitimacy of such negative labeling.
Through the use of irony and sarcasm, the song criticizes the superficiality and inequalities of globalization, where national identities and cultural differences are gradually erased or commodified, while prejudgments and stereotypes persist. The final verse, "Where is your dream of independence?" seems to address the French-Canadian audience and their struggle for sovereignty, while also questioning the meaning and relevance of an exclusive nationalistic ideal.
Line by Line Meaning
Je crie en italien,
Écris en javanais,
Je marche en londonien,
Démarche en hollandais.
I speak Italian,
Write in Javanese,
Walk like a Londoner,
Stride like a Dutch man.
Je pleure en espagnol,
Je souris en chinois,
Je chaloupe en créole,
M'écroule en berlinois.
I cry in Spanish,
I smile like a Chinese,
I sway like a Creole,
Collapse like a Berliner.
Je soupire en flamand,
Me signe en polonais,
Et je compte en allemand
Comme un vrai japonais.
I sigh in Flemish,
Sign like a Pole,
And I count in German
Like a true Japanese.
Je prie en tibétain,
M'indigne en iroquois,
Je chasse en canadien,
Résiste en québécois.
I pray in Tibetan,
Protest like an Iroquois,
I hunt like a Canadian,
Resist like a Quebecer.
A en croire les sondages,
Qui je suis? J'en sais rien.
Un graphique, une image,
Profil américain.
According to the polls,
Who am I? I don't know.
A graph, an image,
American profile.
Je bronze en esquimau.
Ce n'est pas encore assez.
J'les entends dans mon dos
Crier toute la journée
I tan like an Eskimo.
It's not enough yet.
I hear them behind my back
Screaming all day.
"Maudits français!"
Québec est à six heures d'errance.
"Maudits français!"
Je sais tes souvenirs d'enfance.
"What did you say?"
Le passé n'a plus d'importance.
"Maudits français!"
Où est ton rêve d'indépendance?
"Damned French!"
Quebec is six hours away.
"Damned French!"
I know your childhood memories.
"What did you say?"
The past doesn't matter anymore.
"Damned French!"
Where is your dream of independence?
Je joue en brésilien,
Prévois en écossais,
Je jure en maghrébin,
Je prie en irlandais.
I play like a Brazilian,
I plan like a Scot,
I swear like a Maghrebi,
I pray like an Irishman.
Je valse en autrichien,
Je me damne en danois,
Je cours en africain,
A la fin je m'y noie.
I waltz like an Austrian,
I damn myself like a Dane,
I run like an African,
In the end, I drown in it.
Je me parle en mongol
Mais ça n'leur suffit pas.
J'entends le rock'n'roll
Dire "Qu'est-ce que tu fais là?"
I speak to myself in Mongolian
But that's not enough for them.
I hear rock 'n' roll
Saying "What are you doing here?"
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Didier Barbelivien, Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Michel Sardou
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind