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.
l'Oiseau Tonnerre
Michel Sardou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comme on n'en avait jamais vu
Nous l'avons trait? Comme un fr? Re
On ne craint pas les inconnus
On l'a chauff? Lav? Nourri
Mais? Ses pieds toutes nos richesses
Et nous avons pris son m? Pris
Nos enfants nageaient nus
Dans les bras de la rivi? Re
Ils ont bien ri quand ils ont su
Que l'homme voulait prendre nos terres
Qui est propri? Taire
D'un rayon de lune
Des reflets du soir sur la dune
A qui appartient l'air
Qui sculpte l'? Cume
Et jusqu'o? Voit l'oeil de l'oiseau-tonnerre
Ils ont sem? Le sang, le feu
Et le malheur jusqu'aux nuages
En brandissant leurs pauvres dieux
Qu'ils agitaient sur des images
Dans la laideur de leurs prisons
Nos femmes sont des paysages
Qui nous font garder la raison
Ici o? Tout n'est que mirage
Nos enfants ne jouent plus
Dans les bras de la rivi? Re
Mais leur esprit plane au-dessus
Sur les ailes de l'oiseau-tonnerre
Qui est propri? Taire
D'un rayon de lune
Des reflets du soir sur la dune
A qui appartient l'air
Qui sculpte l'? Cume
Et jusqu'o? Voit l'oeil de l'oiseau-tonnerre
Qui est propri? Taire
D'un rayon de lune
Des reflets du soir sur la dune
A qui appartient l'air
Qui sculpte l'? Cume
Et o? Va le vol de l'oiseau-tonnerre
Qui est propri? Taire
D'un rayon de lune
Des reflets du soir sur la dune
A qui appartient l'air
Qui sculpte l'? Cume
Et o? Va le vol de l'oiseau-tonnerre
(Merci? Vinze pour cettes paroles)
The song "l'Oiseau Tonnerre" by Michel Sardou tells the story of a community that encounters a stranger, an iron man, who they treat as a brother despite being a complete unknown. The community welcomes him and gives him everything they have, but they soon realize that the stranger's intentions are not good, as he desires to take over their land. The community's children used to play freely in the river, but now they can't because of the stranger.
The lyrics then ask who owns the moon's light, the reflections on the dunes, the air that sculpts the foam, and how far the eye of the "l'Oiseau Tonnerre," or thunderbird, can see. They evoke a sense of longing for understanding and knowledge, as well as questioning who truly owns anything in this world. The lyrics continue to paint a picture of suffering and oppression caused by outsiders who bring destruction and chaos to the community's life. However, despite all this, the people find solace in the "l'Oiseau Tonnerre," and their children's spirits continue to soar with its wings.
Overall, the song highlights the idea of the unknown stranger disrupting the community's harmony and the search for answers to the essential question of ownership and control over existence. It's a plea for knowledge and understanding, and ultimately, the song refers to the thunderbird as a symbol of hope and freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Il est venu un homme de fer
A man of steel has come, unlike any we've ever seen
Comme on n'en avait jamais vu
This man is unique and unprecedented
Nous l'avons trait? Comme un fr? Re
We have treated him as a brother
On ne craint pas les inconnus
We do not fear the unknown
On l'a chauff? Lav? Nourri
We have kept him warm, clean, and fed
Mais? Ses pieds toutes nos richesses
But at his feet are all of our riches
Et nous avons pris son m? Pris
And we have taken his absence as a sign of wisdom
Pour un signe de sagesse
Attributing meaning to his silence
Nos enfants nageaient nus
Our children swam naked
Dans les bras de la rivi? Re
In the river's embrace
Ils ont bien ri quand ils ont su
They laughed when they learned
Que l'homme voulait prendre nos terres
That the man wanted to take our land
Qui est propri? Taire
Who owns
D'un rayon de lune
A moonbeam
Des reflets du soir sur la dune
Evening reflections on the dunes
A qui appartient l'air
Who owns the air
Qui sculpte l'? Cume
Who carves the foam
Et jusqu'o? Voit l'oeil de l'oiseau-tonnerre
And how far can the thunderbird see
Ils ont sem? Le sang, le feu
They have sown blood and fire
Et le malheur jusqu'aux nuages
And misfortune up to the clouds
En brandissant leurs pauvres dieux
Waving their poor gods
Qu'ils agitaient sur des images
That they stirred through images
Dans la laideur de leurs prisons
In the ugliness of their prisons
Nos femmes sont des paysages
Our women are landscapes
Qui nous font garder la raison
That keep us sane
Ici o? Tout n'est que mirage
Here where everything is a mirage
Nos enfants ne jouent plus
Our children no longer play
Mais leur esprit plane au-dessus
But their spirits soar above
Sur les ailes de l'oiseau-tonnerre
On the wings of the thunderbird
Et o? Va le vol de l'oiseau-tonnerre
And where does the flight of the thunderbird lead
Contributed by Sophie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.