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).
Alles nur ein Spiel
Mireille Mathieu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Warum denke ich immer nur an dich
Warum hoffe ich immer du rufst an bei mir
Warum habe ich tränen im Gesicht
Wir zwei liefen lachend durch den Regen
Sassen eng umschlungen im café
Tanzten auf den Straßen bis der Morgen kam
Es war doch alles nur ein Spiel
Ein kleines herz-an-herz-gefühl
Mit dir ein bißchen glücklich sein
Was war da schon dabei
Es war doch alles nur ein Spiel
Doch Zärtlichkeit verändert viel
Wir beide gingen Hand in Hand
Durch ein verliebtes Land
Warum sagtest du mir dann "Je t'aime"
Warum wurde ernst aus unserem Spiel
Ich denk an die wärme deiner Zärtlichkeit
Und such ein verlorenes Gefühl
Es war doch alles nur ein Spiel
Ein kleines herz-an-herz-gefühl
Mit dir ein bißchen glücklich sein
Was war da schon dabei
Es war doch alles nur ein Spiel
Doch Zärtlichkeit verändert viel
Wir beide gingen Hand in Hand
Durch ein verliebtes Land
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
Es war doch alles nur ein Spiel
Ein kleines herz-an-herz-gefühl
Ich wollt nicht daß es Liebe wird
Dann ist es doch passiert
Es war doch alles nur ein Spiel
Ein kleines herz-an-herz-gefühl
Mit dir ein bißchen glücklich sein
Was war da schon dabei
Es war doch alles nur ein Spiel
Doch Zärtlichkeit verändert viel...
The opening lines of the song, "Why can't I sleep at night?" immediately sets the tone for the rest of the song. It is a love song which explores the emotions of the singer, who cannot stop thinking of her loved one. She wonders why she is so attached to him, why tears well up in her eyes when she thinks of him, and why she hopes that he will call her. The second stanza of the song talks about happy memories of being with her partner where they had fun together and made promises that they will never hurt each other. But as the song progresses, it becomes clear that their love was only a game, a heart-to-heart feeling that they didn't intend to turn into something serious. The chorus of the song, "It was just a game, a little heart-to-heart feeling. With you, I was a little happy, what harm was there? It was just a game, but tenderness changes a lot," reveals the realization of the singer that their love, which they didn't expect, has become something more. The chorus repeats twice, each time highlighting the transformative effect of love and tenderness.
The last two verses of the song talks about the singer's struggle in coming to terms with her burgeoning love. She recollects the times when he used to tell her "Je t'aime," and how she always thought of it as part of their game. But now, the game has turned into something real, and she is struggling with the feelings of loss and nostalgia that come with it. The song ends with the repetition of the chorus, emphasizing that their love, which started as a game, has now become something bigger and more significant.
Line by Line Meaning
Warum kann ich nachts denn nicht mehr schlafen
I can't sleep at night because you're consuming my thoughts
Warum denke ich immer nur an dich
My mind is filled with thoughts of you, and I can't seem to escape them
Warum hoffe ich immer du rufst an bei mir
I'm constantly hoping that you'll call me, even though I know deep down that you won't
Warum habe ich tränen im Gesicht
I'm in tears thinking about what could have been between us
Wir zwei liefen lachend durch den Regen
We ran through the rain, enjoying each other's company and laughing together
Sassen eng umschlungen im café
We sat close together in a café, wrapped up in each other's arms
Tanzten auf den Straßen bis der Morgen kam
We danced through the night on the streets until morning came
Schworen uns - wir tun uns niemals weh
We promised each other that we wouldn't hurt each other
Es war doch alles nur ein Spiel
It was all just a game to us
Ein kleines herz-an-herz-gefühl
Just a moment of intimacy between us
Mit dir ein bißchen glücklich sein
Being with you made me a little bit happier
Was war da schon dabei
It didn't really mean much
Doch Zärtlichkeit verändert viel
But tenderness and intimacy can change a lot
Wir beide gingen Hand in Hand
We walked hand in hand
Durch ein verliebtes Land
Through a land full of love and possibility
Warum sagtest du mir dann "Je t'aime"
Why did you tell me "Je t'aime"?
Warum wurde ernst aus unserem Spiel
Why did our game turn into something serious?
Ich denk an die wärme deiner Zärtlichkeit
I'm thinking of the warmth and tenderness you showed me
Und such ein verlorenes Gefühl
And I'm searching for a feeling I've lost
Ich wollt nicht daß es Liebe wird
I didn't want it to be love
Dann ist es doch passiert
But it happened anyway
Contributed by Ellie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Thierry
on J'ai gardé l'accent
Mireille is born in Avignon, not in Marseille.
Thierry
on J'ai gardé l'accent
In the song "J'ai gardé l'accent" (I kept the accent), Mireille Mathieu sings about her pride in maintaining her native Provencal accent, which she developed growing up in Marseille. The lyrics describe various elements of Provencal culture and geography that are associated with the accent. For example, she mentions garlic from the garden, olive oil from the trees, and grapes from the vine. She also references the sound of the cicadas that populate the micocoulier tree and the color of the sky when the Mistral wind blows.
The song is also a celebration of Provencal identity and culture. Mireille Mathieu sings about the pride she feels in her accent and in the traditions and customs of her region. She references well-known cultural figures from Provence, such as the writer Marcel Pagnol and the poet Frederic Mistral. She also invokes the night sky and the stars that are so visible in the countryside.
Pascale Balan Amayed
on Il ne reste plus rien
POUR LA VIE ??? seul DIEU .... PEUT LE DIRE !!! ;)