She was born in Avignon, Vaucluse, France, the oldest daughter of a poor family of fourteen children. She began singing as a small child, appearing in public at the age of four, singing in her church. As a young girl she worked in a factory, where she saved her money to pay for singing lessons.
Discovered by Johnny Stark, manager of France's biggest star at the time, Johnny Hallyday, she was tutored by orchestra leader Paul Mauriat and song writer André Pascal who wrote "Mon crédo", "Viens dans ma rue", "La première étoile" and many other hits for her . After her television performance in 1965 and debut run at the Paris Olympia, she was immediately hailed as the next Édith Piaf, such was her haunting voice.
Singles such as "Mon Credo" and "C'est Ton Nom" made her a huge star in France and all over Europe while making her a big success in North America and Mexico. Her French cover of Engelbert Humperdinck's "The Last Waltz" generated much publicity in Great Britain and with hit after hit, she soon toured Canada and the United States where she appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and the Danny Kaye Show. In Las Vegas, she sang with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra to great applause.
Still much in demand, she continues to perform regularly. She travels frequently, appearing at such venues as New York City's Carnegie Hall, Sport Palace in Montreal, Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles and Ice Palace of St. Petersburg. She has sold about 150 million copies of her albums in her 40 year career, recorded about 1200 songs in 9 languages, and was the first western singer in history who gave concerts in China. Over the years she sang duets with such luminaries as Charles Aznavour, Barry Manilow, Paul Anka, Plácido Domingo, Julio Iglesias, Tom Jones and others.
Songs such as "Acropolis adieu," "Ne me quitte pas," and "Santa Maria de la mer," are considered classics. Her French version of Roy Orbison's ballad, "Blue Bayou", is regarded by many as one of the best covers of that popular song.
In 1989, President François Mitterrand invited Mireille Mathieu to sing a tribute to General de Gaulle. She gave a series of concerts at the Palais des Congrès in Paris in December 1990. Three years later, she released an album devoted to her all-time idol, Édith Piaf.
In January 1996, "Vous lui direz…" was released. Maxime le Forestier wrote one of the titles, "A la moitié de la distance". She did not choose to perform live in France to promote the album, preferring rather to go to Los Angeles USA, where she triumphed on November 14th with her vibrant tribute to another of her idols, Judy Garland. The performance was a tremendous success she was dressed by Provence couturier, Christian Lacroix and looked stunning for the performance. [1]
In 2002, she released her 37th French album De tes mains. Mathieu celebrated the 40th anniversary of her career at the Paris Olympia, in November 2005, after releasing her 38th French album, which reached number 14 on the charts in France (it remained in the top 100 for several months).
A Blue Bayou
Mireille Mathieu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Je ne peux pas trouver
D'autres garçons à aimer
Que celui que j'ai rencontré
A Blue Bayou
Dans les cours et dans les bars
Il chantait sur sa guitare
A Blue Bayou
Je crois que j'aimerais
Retourner à Blue Bayou
Où les gens sont beaux
Où le ciel est chaud
A Blue Bayou
Sur le bateau blanc
Où quelqu'un m'attend
Dans un rayon de nuit
Descendu par hasard
Sur la guitare
Qui dort avec lui
Le soleil est bas sur ma ville
Le soleil est haut sur son île
On est si loin de l'an 2000
A Blue Bayou
Dans les cours et dans les bars
Je vivrai de sa guitare
Enroulée dans son vieux foulard
A Blue Bayou
Bien sûr que j'aimerais
Retourner à Blue Bayou
Où les gens sont beaux
Où le ciel est chaud
A Blue Bayou
Sur le bateau blanc
Où quelqu'un m'attend
Dans un rayon de nuit
Descendu par hasard
Sur la guitare
Qui dort avec lui
Des chemins d'opale, une voile
La lune rouge cerclée d'étoiles
J'ai beau chercher,
Je ne peux trouver
Mieux que lui pour moi
Mon bonheur est au bout
D'un rendez-vous
A Blue Bayou
The lyrics to Mireille Mathieu's A Blue Bayou tell the story of a woman who has fallen deeply in love with a man she met in the town of Blue Bayou. She declares that she has searched far and wide, but cannot find anyone else to love other than the man she met there. The town holds a special place in her heart, as it is where she first laid eyes on him, where he used to play guitar for only a few dollars. She reminisces about the beauty of the town, the warmth of the sun, and the people who inhabit it.
The woman is so deeply in love with the man that she dreams of returning to Blue Bayou and living there permanently, living off of his guitar and wrapped up in his old scarf. She romanticizes the idea of being on a white boat, where someone is waiting for her, and the moon is surrounded by stars. She has searched for someone who can make her as happy as he can, but no one compares to him in her eyes. The lyrics paint a picture of a woman who has found her soulmate in a small town, and is willing to give up everything to be with him.
Overall, the lyrics to A Blue Bayou are a beautiful and romantic tribute to the power of love and the beauty of finding it unexpectedly in a small town.
Line by Line Meaning
J'ai beau chercher
I've been searching for a while
Je ne peux pas trouver
But I cannot seem to find
D'autres garçons à aimer
Any other boys to love
Que celui que j'ai rencontré
Except for the one I met
A Blue Bayou
At Blue Bayou
Dans les cours et dans les bars
In the courtyards and bars
Il chantait sur sa guitare
He sang with his guitar
Pour quelques dollars
For some dollars
A Blue Bayou
At Blue Bayou
Je crois que j'aimerais
I think I would like
Retourner à Blue Bayou
To go back to Blue Bayou
Où les gens sont beaux
Where the people are beautiful
Où le ciel est chaud
Where the sky is warm
A Blue Bayou
At Blue Bayou
Sur le bateau blanc
On the white boat
Où quelqu'un m'attend
Where someone waits for me
Dans un rayon de nuit
In a beam of night
Descendu par hasard
That randomly descends
Sur la guitare
On the guitar
Qui dort avec lui
That sleeps with him
Le soleil est bas sur ma ville
The sun is low in my town
Le soleil est haut sur son île
The sun is high on his island
On est si loin de l'an 2000
We are so far from the year 2000
A Blue Bayou
At Blue Bayou
Je vivrai de sa guitare
I will live by his guitar
Enroulée dans son vieux foulard
Wrapped in his old scarf
Bien sûr que j'aimerais
Of course I would like
Retourner à Blue Bayou
To go back to Blue Bayou
Où les gens sont beaux
Where the people are beautiful
Où le ciel est chaud
Where the sky is warm
A Blue Bayou
At Blue Bayou
Sur le bateau blanc
On the white boat
Où quelqu'un m'attend
Where someone waits for me
Dans un rayon de nuit
In a beam of night
Descendu par hasard
That randomly descends
Sur la guitare
On the guitar
Qui dort avec lui
That sleeps with him
Des chemins d'opale, une voile
Opal-colored paths, a sail
La lune rouge cerclée d'étoiles
The red moon circled by stars
J'ai beau chercher,
I've been searching for a while,
Je ne peux trouver
But I cannot seem to find
Mieux que lui pour moi
Anyone better than him for me
Mon bonheur est au bout
My happiness is at the end
D'un rendez-vous
Of a meeting
A Blue Bayou
At Blue Bayou
Lyrics © Orbi-Lee Music, Barbara Orbison Music Company, Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, R-Key Darkus
Written by: Joe Melson, Roy Orbison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alejandra Pender
Llegué aquí porque conozco esa canción desde que yo era una niña en la versión de Roberto Jordan , mi papito me la cantaba cuando yo era pequeña.
Ahora con la tecnología sé que hay muchas versiones en varios idiomas. Y es preciosa en el idioma Francés.
Que hermosa interpretación.
🙏🏽❤️
Besos para ti papito, estás en el cielo ahora. Y te recuerdo con tanta ternura y amor.
Gabriel Antonio Pires
José ! linda música,grande interpretação!
Halina Nawara
Nie mogę , no jak można tak pięknie śpiewać .Piękna piosenka , wspaniała linia melodyjna . Dziękuję za ładne zdjęcia Pani Mireille . Pozdrawiam słuchających.
Tomas Anibal Gamero
Magnifica interpretación, de esta artista que es un monumento de mujer.
Milton Abel
Muito linda essa canção
Mario Alberto Medina
Hermosa interpretación, beautiful song.
Mireya Leon
👏👏👏👏Hermosa interpretación de lago azul. Mireille es especial. La escucho seguido con acrópolis adiós que también me encanta 🤝🇲🇽
Ben Stevenson
I’m happy to say that I saw a MM gig at the Lourdes Rugby stadium in the mid 1960’s , a really pure voice fantastic...
Kdubs Supergma
Wow! I am so jealous. What a delight for you. I love Mireille.
I discovered her in high school 50 years ago. Still superb!
Algirdas Motuza
Lorsque la voix divine est entendue, les larmes de joie ne peuvent pas être retenues. Je ne peux pas imaginer un monde sans toi, chère Mireille. Chaque matin, je demande à Dieu de vous envoyer une bonne santé.
Martin Adalape
M