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.
Minuit Moins Dix
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Indique qu'elle s'est couchée
Vers les minuit moins dix
Toute seule devant la télé.
Le son était coupé.
Elle écoutait un disque en même temps.
Les voisins se sont plaints
Ils n'aiment pas les voisins,
Les pianos, les guitares.
Le walkman, "c'est pas fait pour les chiens".
Fatiguée d'être seule
Elle a fait ce qu'ils ont dit
Elle a fermé sa gueule
Et s'est remise au lit,
Les lumières allumées
Pour ne pas s'éveiller dans le noir.
Elle a cherché quelqu'un
Pour la prendre dans ses bras
Mais les hommes et l'amour
Sont des rêves qu'elle n'a pas.
Le walkman, "c'est pas fait pour les chiens".
Et tout a basculé.
Elle s'est sentie perdue,
Elle s'est sentie couler.
Elle a vu défiler
Tous les maris de sa mère,
A la porte vitrée
Cogner leur chevalière.
Elle a poussé un cri
Elle a revu son père,
Un vieil homme tout petit,
Étendu sur son lit,
Puis elle a manqué d'air
Et tout a basculé.
Elle s'est sentie perdue,
Oh Elle s'est sentie couler.
Le rapport de police
Indique qu'elle s'est couchée
Vers les minuit moins dix
Toute seule devant la télé.
Le son était coupé.
Elle écoutait un disque en même temps.
Les voisins se sont plaints
Du bruit comme tous les soirs.
Ils n'aiment pas les voisins,
Les pianos, les guitares,
Le walkman, "c'est pas fait pour les chiens",
Le walkman, "c'est pas fait pour les chiens".
Minuit Moins Dix is a poignant and melancholic song that speaks of loneliness, isolation and the pains of unrequited love. The song tells the story of a woman who is alone at home one night, listening to music and watching TV. The police report indicates that she went to bed at ten minutes to midnight, with the lights on so she wouldn't wake up in the dark. The neighbors had been complaining about the noise every night, but they don't like anything, not even pianos or guitars, and they say that the Walkman "isn't made for dogs". Feeling tired of being alone, she tries to find someone to hold her but she can't, as men and love seem to elude her. And then something happens, and suddenly she feels lost, sinking and drifting away.
The lyrics are full of emotion, and the slow and mournful melody only adds to the feeling of loss and sadness. The woman in the song is living a life of quiet desperation, trying to find meaning and love, but ultimately failing. The imagery of the neighbors, the police report, the Walkman, and the memories of her past all serve to paint a picture of a woman who is trapped in her own loneliness, unable to break free. The ending of the song leaves the listener with a sense of finality, as the chorus repeats that she went to bed alone, listening to music and watching TV, with the neighbors complaining about the noise. It's a haunting and powerful song that touches on the deepest human emotions shared by many.
Line by Line Meaning
Le rapport de police
The police report
Indique qu'elle s'est couchée
Indicates that she went to bed
Vers les minuit moins dix
At ten minutes to midnight
Toute seule devant la télé.
All alone in front of the TV.
Le son était coupé.
The sound was turned off.
Elle écoutait un disque en même temps.
She was listening to a record at the same time.
Les voisins se sont plaints
The neighbors complained
Du bruit comme tous les soirs.
About the noise like every night.
Ils n'aiment pas les voisins,
They don't like the neighbors,
Les pianos, les guitares.
The pianos, the guitars.
Le walkman, "c'est pas fait pour les chiens".
The Walkman, "it's not for the dogs".
Fatiguée d'être seule
Tired of being alone
Elle a fait ce qu'ils ont dit
She did what they said
Elle a fermé sa gueule
She shut up
Et s'est remise au lit,
And went back to bed,
Les lumières allumées
The lights on
Pour ne pas s'éveiller dans le noir.
So as not to wake up in the dark.
Elle a cherché quelqu'un
She looked for someone
Pour la prendre dans ses bras
To hold her in his arms
Mais les hommes et l'amour
But men and love
Sont des rêves qu'elle n'a pas.
Are dreams she doesn't have.
Et tout a basculé.
And everything changed.
Elle s'est sentie perdue,
She felt lost,
Elle s'est sentie couler.
She felt like she was sinking.
Elle a vu défiler
She saw go by
Tous les maris de sa mère,
All her mother's husbands,
A la porte vitrée
At the glass door
Cogner leur chevalière.
Knocking their signet rings.
Elle a poussé un cri
She let out a scream
Elle a revu son père,
She remembered her father,
Un vieil homme tout petit,
A very small old man,
Étendu sur son lit,
Lying on his bed,
Puis elle a manqué d'air
Then she ran out of breath
Et tout a basculé.
And everything changed.
Oh Elle s'est sentie perdue,
Oh she felt lost,
Elle s'est sentie couler.
She felt like she was sinking.
Le walkman, "c'est pas fait pour les chiens".
The Walkman, "it's not for the dogs".
Le walkman, "c'est pas fait pour les chiens".
The Walkman, "it's not for the dogs".
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JACQUES ABEL JULES REVAUD, JEAN PIERRE HENRI EUGEN BOURTAYRE, MICHEL CHARLES SARDOU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind