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).
L'Enfant Que Je N'ai Jamais Eu
Mireille Mathieu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Je l'aurais appelé David
J'aurais voulu qu'il fasse du bruit
Au milieu de cette maison vide
Au milieu de cette maison vide
Est-ce qu'il aurait eu mes yeux noirs?
Ou la forme de ton visage?
Est-ce qu'il aurait voulu savoir
Comment nous étions à son âge.
L'enfant, l'enfant que je n'ai jamais eu
Celui que tu n'as pas voulu
L'enfant que je n'ai pas gardé
Celui que tu n'as pas aimé
L'enfant, l'enfant, un enfant!
Oh mon enfant.
Il serait comme tous les garçons
Un peu absent mais toujours là
Il serait du signe de lion
Avec des sentiments de chat
Avec des sentiments de chat
Je l'entendrais rentrer la nuit
Comme je t'attendais autrefois
Il serait mon fils, mon ami
Si je l'avais choisi sans toi
Si je l'avais choisi sans toi
L'enfant, l'enfant que je n'ai jamais eu
Celui que tu n'as pas voulu
L'enfant que je n'ai pas gardé
Celui que tu n'as pas aimé
L'enfant, l'enfant, un enfant!
Oh mon enfant.
Il aurait treize ans aujourd'hui
Je l'aurais appelé David
J'aurais voulu qu'il fasse du bruit
Au milieu de cette maison vide
Je l'aurais aimé comme toi
Et j'aurais adoré ce rôle
Il serait venu quelquefois
Poser sa tête sur mon épaule
Poser sa tête sur mon épaule
L'enfant, l'enfant, un enfant!
Oh mon enfant.
Oh mon enfant, mon enfant.
The lyrics of "L'Enfant Que Je N'ai Jamais Eu" by Mireille Mathieu tells a heartbreaking story of a woman who has never had the chance to have a child because of her partner not wanting to. The song expresses the motherly instincts that she feels towards a child that she has never had. In the first few lines, the singer imagines what her child would have been like if he were still alive. She imagines that her child would be celebrating his thirteenth birthday and names him David. She wishes for her child to be alive so that he could make noise in her empty house. She wonders if her child would have her dark eyes or her partner's facial features, and if he would be curious about his parents' lives when they were his age.
Throughout the song, the singer envisions the milestones she will miss out on in her child's life, such as his first day of school, his teenage years, and eventually seeing him grow up into a young man. She imagines what he would be like as a teenage boy, slightly absent-minded yet still present in her life. She assigns him the zodiac sign of Leo, representing his strength and courage, and with the warmth and loyalty of a cat. She pictures her child coming back home late at night, and being the son that she always wanted. She would have loved him like her partner and played the role of a proud mother. In the end, she sings "Oh my child", repeatedly expressing her longing for a child that she never had.
Overall, the song paints a vivid picture of a woman's unfulfilled desire and how she imagines her life with a child. It captures the longing and pathos felt by women who have always wanted to be mothers but couldn't be. The hauntingly beautiful melody further intensifies the emotional depth of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Il aurait treize ans aujourd´hui
He would be thirteen years old today
Je l´aurais appelé David
I would have named him David
J´aurais voulu qu´il fasse du bruit
I would have wanted him to make noise
Au milieu de cette maison vide
In the middle of this empty house
Est-ce qu´il aurait eu mes yeux noirs?
Would he have had my black eyes?
Ou la forme de ton visage?
Or the shape of your face?
Est-ce qu´il aurait voulu savoir
Would he have wanted to know
Comment nous étions à son âge?
How were we at his age?
L´enfant, l´enfant que je n´ai jamais eu
The child, the child I never had
Celui que tu n´as pas voulu
The one you did not want
L´enfant que je n´ai pas gardé
The child I did not keep
Celui que tu n´as pas aimé
The one you did not love
L´enfant, l´enfant, un enfant!
The child, the child, a child!
Oh mon enfant.
Oh my child.
Il serait comme tous les garçons
He would be like all the boys
Un peu absent mais toujours là
A bit absent but always there
Il serait du signe de lion
He would be a Leo
Avec des sentiments de chat
With cat-like feelings
Je l´entendrais rentrer la nuit
I would hear him come home at night
Comme je t´attendais autrefois
Like I used to wait for you
Il serait mon fils, mon ami
He would be my son, my friend
Si je l´avais choisi sans toi
If I had chosen him without you
L´enfant, l´enfant, un enfant!
The child, the child, a child!
Oh mon enfant.
Oh my child.
Je l´aurais aimé comme toi
I would have loved him like you
Et j´aurais adoré ce rôle
And I would have loved this role
Il serait venu quelquefois
He would have come sometimes
Poser sa tête sur mon épaule
To rest his head on my shoulder
Oh mon enfant,
Oh my child,
Oh mon enfant, mon enfant
Oh my child, my child
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Didier Rene Henri Barbelivien, Pascal Auriat
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Annie GOY MINGOT
Merveilleuse Mireille ! Que c'est bon de t'écouter.... Encore une très belle chanson sentimentale, comme tant d'autres ! Tu nous ravies toujours. Merci.
Татьяна Полянская
Восхитительно прекрасно чудесно спасибо большое за шансон обожаю и люблю люблю люблю восхищаюсь вами
Виктория Агеева
Мне 43 года. Я выросла на ее песнях. И сейчас ,слушая их, вспоминаю детство. У нас дома всегда были пластинки, привезенные из Ленинграда. Ещё хочется добавить: мама все же смогла побывать на ее концерте в Ленинграде во время командировки. Золотые времена 80-е!
Philos999
Avec ce titre, Mireille Mathieu a tout de même failli entrer au Top 50 en 1988. Le vidéo-clip de la chanson était régulièrement diffusé dans l'émission sur Canal +. Je m'en souviens, j'étais petit (J'avais 6 ans en 1988), mais je regardais énormément le Top 50 à cette époque. Il y avait une catégorie de disques "Les Frissonnants" dont les vidéo-clips étaient diffusés dans l'émission avant que les disques ne se vendent suffisamment pour espérer entrer au classement. Le vidéo-clip de cette chanson de Mireille Mathieu était souvent diffusé dans cette catégorie. Pour autant, le 45 tours ne s'est jamais suffisamment vendu pour entrer dans le classement du Top 50.
Kurt Reuter
What a great song! Her voice is amazing!!! J' adore Mireille. Mercy beaucoup pour la chanson.
Katy! (vanille)
Magnifique chanson ! Bises katy ! 🏖🏝😘❤♥️♥️🌹
Maria Ari
J'adore cette chanteuse. Cette chanson me touche mon cœur
Gros bisous mireille
Barcelone
Fabienne Esclavon
Cette chanson me fera toujours avoir les larmes aux yeux.
Johan adam.
ana Cristina
SUBLIME ET TELLEMENT DOULOUREUX 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Aina Aina
2020!!! Oh, Mireille!!! ❤️❤️❤️Restez avec nous, toujours!!!! 👋👋👋🙏🙏🙏🌹🌹🌹