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.
Voyageur Immobile
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
J'ai vécu des souffrances
Dans le plus grand silence
D'un univers sans fin
Dans mon cerveau liquide
Descendaient des rapides
Qui se perdaient au loin
Où tournaient mes fantasmes
Où naissaient mes chagrins
Dans mon cerveau malade
Défilaient en cascade
Tous les châteaux du Rhin
Et les palais sans nombre
Qui s'abîmaient dans l'ombre
Des égouts vénitiens
Dans mon cerveau fragile
Des cavaliers d'argile
M'ont découvert la Chine
Et là sous un ciel jaune
J'ai aimé sur son trône
Ma première figurine
Voyageur immobile
Retenu par un fil
Aux anneaux de cristal
D'un océan glacial
J'ai connu des naufrages
De soleil en eau bleue
En vieux chasseur d'images
Quelques chariots en feu
Voyageur immobile
Retenu par un fil
Aux anneaux de cristal
D'un océan glacial
Attaché comme une île
In Michel Sardou's "Voyageur Immobile," the lyrics describe the struggles and fantasies of a person who is trapped within the confines of their own mind. The traveler, or "voyageur," has experienced great suffering in silence, trapped within an endless universe. The lyrics touch on the tumultuous and chaotic nature of the traveler's thoughts, as rapid currents flow through their liquid brain and their palaces and castles crumble into the shadows. The traveler's thoughts are fragile and delicate, as they are discovered and explored by horsemen of clay and lead to the discovery of far-off lands, such as China.
Despite the vividness of the traveler's inner world, they are ultimately unable to escape their immobility, as they are tethered to the icy ocean by a crystal ring. The lyrics are a poignant and introspective exploration of the inner battles that people face, particularly those who feel trapped by their own thoughts and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Voyageur immobile,
The singer feels stuck and unable to travel, perhaps due to physical or mental limitations.
J'ai vécu des souffrances
The singer has undergone much suffering.
Dans le plus grand silence
The suffering was experienced in silence, perhaps due to a lack of support or understanding from others.
D'un univers sans fin.
The artist feels trapped in an endless universe.
Dans mon cerveau liquide,
The artist is referring to their brain.
Descendaient des rapides
The singer experienced fast and intense thoughts or emotions.
Qui se perdaient au loin
These thoughts and emotions faded away into the distance.
Dans la mer des sarcasmes
The surrounding world seems filled with bitter sarcasm.
Où tournaient mes fantasmes,
Despite the bleakness, the artist still has dreams and desires.
Où naissaient mes chagrins.
But those dreams and desires often lead to more pain.
Dans mon cerveau malade,
The singer's mind is not well, perhaps indicating a mental illness.
Défilaient en cascade
The artist experiences a constant flood of thoughts or memories.
Tous les châteaux du Rhin
These thoughts or memories include castles along the Rhine river.
Et les palais sans nombre
As well as countless palaces.
Qui s'abîmaient dans l'ombre
But these places fade away into darkness.
Des égouts vénitiens.
The artist may be referencing a dark and dirty part of Venice.
Dans mon cerveau fragile,
The artist's mind is also fragile and vulnerable.
Des cavaliers d'argile
The singer has vivid and imaginative thoughts.
M'ont découvert la Chine
These thoughts take the singer to China.
Et là sous un ciel jaune,
The artist experiences this world under a yellow sky.
J'ai aimé sur son trône,
The artist experiences love or admiration for someone important.
Ma première figurine.
This person or thing may be represented as a figurine.
Retenu par un fil
The singer feels tethered in some way.
Aux anneaux de cristal
Perhaps these are some kind of obstacles or challenges.
D'un océan glacial,
The singer must navigate a frigid and inhospitable ocean.
J'ai connu des naufrages
In this journey, the singer has experienced shipwrecks or failures.
De soleil en eau bleue,
The singer encounters beautiful landscapes but also difficult circumstances.
En vieux chasseur d'images,
The artist sees themselves as a photographer or documentarian.
Quelques chariots en feu.
Perhaps referencing some kind of violent or chaotic scene.
Attaché comme une île.
The singer feels isolated and tethered like an island.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jacques Revaud, Jean-Loup Dabadie, Michel Sardou
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind