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).
Immer frei sein
Mireille Mathieu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Es lag in seiner Hand
Zu werden wie sein Vater war
Doch er wurde Musikant
Das Mädchen das ihn leibte
Ließ er Enttäuscht zurück
Und er sang für sie lachend sein Lied
Ich will frei sein
Immer frei sein
Nie gefangen sein aus Liebe
Ich will frei sein
Immer frei sein
Und er sang die Melodie
La da da da da da da da
La da da da da da da da
Immer frei frei wie der wind
Frei frei wie der wind
Und eines tags da spielte er
Mal wieder in Paris
Ein Mädchen kam und sang mit ihm
Ein Lied so bittersüß
Er fühlte tief im herzen
Er darf sie nie verlieren
Doch sie sagte ich bleibe nicht bei dir
Ich will frei sein
Immer frei sein
Nie gefangen sein aus Liebe
Ich will frei sein
Immer frei sein
Und sie sang die Melodie
La da da da da da da da
La da da da da da da da
Immer frei frei wie der wind
Frei frei wie der wind
Ich will frei sein
Immer frei sein
Und es klang die Melodie
La da da da da da da da
La da da da da da da da
Immer frei frei wie der wind
Frei frei wie der wind
Immer frei frei wie der wind
Frei frei wie der wind
The song "Immer frei sein" by Mireille Mathieu tells the story of a wealthy boy who had the privilege of becoming just like his father. However, he chose to follow his passion for music and became a musician instead. He left the girl who loved him behind, but sang a song for her before he left telling her that he wanted to always be free and never be a captive of love. He sings about being as free as the wind, which represents his desire for independence, and he repeats this desire throughout the song.
Later on, the boy meets a girl who sings with him in Paris, and he falls deeply in love with her. Despite his feelings, the girl tells him that she cannot stay with him and also wants to remain free. This girl also sings about her desire for freedom and the sound of the wind represents the freedom that she desires as well. The song ends with both of them singing about their mutual need for freedom, and it seems that they are content with remaining independent and free rather than being tied down by love.
Line by Line Meaning
Er war ein Sohn aus reichem haus
He was a son from a wealthy family
Es lag in seiner Hand
It was in his hands
Zu werden wie sein Vater war
To become like his father
Doch er wurde Musikant
But he became a musician
Das Mädchen das ihn leibte
The girl who loved him
Ließ er Enttäuscht zurück
He left disappointed
Und er sang für sie lachend sein Lied
And he sang his song for her with a laugh
Ich will frei sein
I want to be free
Immer frei sein
Always be free
Nie gefangen sein aus Liebe
Never be trapped by love
Und er sang die Melodie
And he sang the melody
La da da da da da da da
La da da da da da da da
Immer frei frei wie der wind
Always free like the wind
Frei frei wie der wind
Free, free like the wind
Und eines tags da spielte er
And one day he was playing
Mal wieder in Paris
Once again in Paris
Ein Mädchen kam und sang mit ihm
A girl came and sang with him
Ein Lied so bittersüß
A song so bittersweet
Er fühlte tief im herzen
He felt deep in his heart
Er darf sie nie verlieren
He could never lose her
Doch sie sagte ich bleibe nicht bei dir
But she said, 'I won't stay with you'
Und sie sang die Melodie
And she sang the melody
Ich will frei sein
I want to be free
Und es klang die Melodie
And the melody sounded
La da da da da da da da
La da da da da da da da
Immer frei frei wie der wind
Always free like the wind
Frei frei wie der wind
Free, free like the wind
Immer frei frei wie der wind
Always free like the wind
Frei frei wie der wind
Free, free like the wind
Contributed by Vivian V. 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 !!! ;)