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.
Verdun
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Verdun, c'était bien.
Pour celui qui en est mort,
Verdun, c'est un port.
Mais pour ceux qui n'étaient pas nés,
Qu'étaient pas là pour apprécier,
C'est du passé dépassé,
Un champ perdu dans le nord-est,
C'est une statue sur la grand place.
Finalement Verdun,
Ce n'est qu'un vieux qui passe.
Même si l'histoire nous joue souvent
Le mouvement tournant par Sedan,
C'est du passé.
C'est la chanson des Partisans,
C'est 1515, c'est Marignan,
Dépassé.
Une guerre qui s'est perdue sans doute
Entre Biarritz et Knokke-le-Zoute,
C'est une statue sur la grand place.
Finalement la terreur,
Ce n'est qu'un vieux qui passe.
Pour ceux qu'on n'a pas revus,
Verdun, n'est plus rien.
Pour ceux qui sont revenus,
Verdun, n'est pas loin.
C'est un champ brûlé tout petit,
Entre Monfaucon et Charny,
C'est à côté.
C'est une sortie dans le nord-est,
Sur l'autoroute de Reims à Metz.
On y va par la voie sacrée.
Finalement, Verdun,
C'est un vieillard rusé.
J'ai une tendresse particulière
Pour cette première des dernières guerres,
Dépassée.
Bien sûr que je n'étais pas né.
Je n'étais pas là pour apprécier
Mais j'avais un vieux à Verdun
Et comme je n'oublie jamais rien,
Je reviens,
Je reviens,
Je reviens.
The lyrics to Michel Sardou's song Verdun speak to the idea that for those who survived the brutal battle of Verdun in World War I, it was a significant experience that they would never forget. However, for those who perished, Verdun serves as a final resting place. For those who didn't live through the battle, Verdun is just a distant memory, a relic of the past that holds little meaning.
The song emphasizes the idea that time moves on, and even horrific events like war eventually become distant memories. The lyrics also touch on the idea that history is often romanticized or simplified, reduced to a mere statue in a town square. Nonetheless, the singer has a special tenderness for this first of the last wars and still returns to Verdun to honor the experience of those who lived through it.
Line by Line Meaning
Pour celui qui en revient,
Verdun, c'était bien.
For those who returned from there, Verdun was a heroic experience.
Pour celui qui en est mort,
Verdun, c'est un port.
For those who died there, Verdun is the final resting place.
Mais pour ceux qui n'étaient pas nés,
Qu'étaient pas là pour apprécier,
C'est du passé dépassé,
Un champ perdu dans le nord-est,
Entre Epinal et Bucarest,
For those who were not born yet, or not present at the time, it is a distant past, a lost field in the northeast, between Epinal and Bucharest.
C'est une statue sur la grand place.
Finalement Verdun,
Ce n'est qu'un vieux qui passe.
Just a statue on the main square, after all, Verdun is but a fleeting memory.
Même si l'histoire nous joue souvent
Le mouvement tournant par Sedan,
C'est du passé.
Although history often reminds us of the turning point at Sedan, it is still history.
C'est la chanson des Partisans,
C'est 1515, c'est Marignan,
Dépassé.
It's the song of the resistance, or the battle of Marignan in 1515, all of it passed away.
Une guerre qui s'est perdue sans doute
Entre Biarritz et Knokke-le-Zoute,
C'est une statue sur la grand place.
Finalement la terreur,
Ce n'est qu'un vieux qui passe.
A war that was surely lost somewhere between Biarritz and Knokke-le-Zoute, now just a statue on the main square. Ultimately, the horror is but a fleeting memory.
Pour ceux qu'on n'a pas revus,
Verdun, n'est plus rien.
Pour ceux qui sont revenus,
Verdun, n'est pas loin.
For those who were lost there, Verdun means nothing anymore. For those who came back, it's not far away and still lingers.
C'est un champ brûlé tout petit,
Entre Monfaucon et Charny,
C'est à côté.
It's just a small scorched field, between Monfaucon and Charny, right nearby.
C'est une sortie dans le nord-est,
Sur l'autoroute de Reims à Metz.
On y va par la voie sacrée.
Finalement, Verdun,
C'est un vieillard rusé.
It's a drive to the northeast, on the Reims-Metz expressway, using the Sacred Way. Eventually, Verdun is just an old and clever man.
J'ai une tendresse particulière
Pour cette première des dernières guerres,
Dépassée.
I have a special tenderness for this first of the last wars, now bygone.
Bien sûr que je n'étais pas né.
Je n'étais pas là pour apprécier
Mais j'avais un vieux à Verdun
Et comme je n'oublie jamais rien,
Je reviens,
Je reviens,
Je reviens.
Of course, I was not born then. I wasn't there to witness it, but I had an ancestor at Verdun, and since I never forget anything, I keep coming back, again and again.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MICHEL CHARLES SARDOU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind