Mouskouri's family lived in Canée, Crete, where her father, Constantin, worked as a film projectionist in a local cinema. Her mother, Alice also worked in the same local cinema as an usherette. When Mouskouri was three, Constantin moved the family to Athens. Mouskouri's family worked extremely hard in order to send Nana and her elder sister, Jenny, to the prestigious Athens Conservatoire. Mouskouri had displayed exceptional musical talent from the age of 6. However her sister, Jenny, appeared to be more the more gifted of the two. In fact Mouskouri only had one 'working' vocal chord (rather than the normal two). This a rare condition gives her voice its particularly original timbre.
Mouskouri's childhood was colored by the Nazi occupation of Greece. Her father became part of the Nazi resistance movement in Athens. Mouskouri began singing lessons at age 12. Despite the flaw in her vocal cords, Mouskouri took singing lessons regularly. During the Nazi German occupation, her family no longer had the financial means to pay for her singing lessons. But her teacher saw that she had a certain talent and continued to give her lessons free of charge. As a child, she listened to radio broadcasts of American jazz singers such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday as well as French chanson stars like Edith Piaf.
In 1950, she was accepted at the Conservatoire. She studied classical music with an emphasis on singing opera. The young Mouskouri committed herself into classical music studies with a passion, perfecting her vocals with extraordinary self-discipline as well as taking piano and harmony classes. After 8 years at the Conservatoire, Mouskouri was encouraged by her friends to experiment with jazz music. She soon began singing with her friends' jazz group at night and they even managed to get a radio slot. However, when Mouskouri's Conservatory professor found out about Mouskouri's involvement with a genre of music that he considered to be absolutely worthless, he flew into a fury and prevented her from sitting her end of year exams. Consequently, the Conservatoire expelled her. Mouskouri's dreams of becoming an opera singer were dashed.
Mouskouri left the Conservatoire and began performing at the Zaki club in Athens. She began singing jazz in nightclubs with a bias on Ella Fitzgerald repertory. It was at the Zaki in 1958 that Mouskouri met the famous Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis. Hadjidakis was immensely impressed by Nana’s original voice and immediately offered to write songs for her. He became her mentor. In 1959 Mouskouri performed Hadjidakis' Kapou Iparchi Agapi Mou (co-written with poet Nikos Gatsos) at the inaugural Greek Song Festival. The song won first prize, and Mouskouri began to be noticed. At the 1960 Greek Song Festival, she performed two more Hadjidakis compositions, Timoria and Kiparissaki. Both these songs tied for first prize. Mouskouri soon ventured further and participated at the Mediterranean Song Festival, held in Barcelona where she performed Kostas Yannidis' composition Xypna Agapi Mou. The song won first prize. Her wins attracted interest from several international record companies. Mouskouri wound up signed a recording contract with the Paris-based Philips-Fontana axis.
In 1961, Mouskouri performed the soundtrack of a German documentary about Greece. This resulted in the German-language single Weisse Rosen aus Athen ("The White Rose of Athens"). The song was originally adapted from a folk melody by Hadjidakis. It became an enormous hit, selling over a million copies in Germany. The song was later translated into several different languages and it went on to become one of Mouskouri's signature tunes. Mouskouri married Yorgos Petsilas in 1961. Mouskouri and Petsilas have two children, son, Nicolas born in February 1968 and daughter, Hélène born in 1970. In 1974, Mouskouri and Petsilas separated and she moved to Geneva, Switzerland. In 1975, Mouskouri and Petsilas were officially divorced.
In 1962, she met renowned American song producer Quincy Jones. Jones got her to go to New York to record an album of American jazz titled, The Girl From Greece Sings. Following that she scored another hit in the United Kingdom with My Colouring Book.
In 1963, she left Greece to live permanently in Paris, France. Mouskouri performed Luxembourg's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest that year, À Force de Prier. The song became an international hit, and helped win her the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque in France. Mouskouri soon attracted the attention of French composer Michel Legrand, who composed her two major French hits Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (1964) and L'Enfant au Tambour (1965).
In 1965, she recorded her second English-language album that was released in the United States entitled, Nana Sings. Jamaican-American Calypso musician Harry Belafonte heard and liked the album. Belafonte brought Mouskouri on tour with him through 1966. They teamed for a live duo album entitled, An Evening With Belafonte/Mouskouri. During this tour, Belafonte told Mouskouri to remove her signature black-rimmed glasses when on stage. She was so unhappy with the request that she wanted to quit the show after only two days. Finally, Belafonte relented and respected her wishes to perform with her glasses.
Mouskouri's 1967 French album Le Jour Où la Colombe ascended her to superstardom in France. This album featured many of her French songs, Au Coeur de Septembre, Adieu Angélina, Robe Bleue, Robe Blanche and the French pop classic Le Temps des Cerises. Her rendition of Guantanamera was very well received. Mouskouri made her first appearance at Paris' legendary Olympia concert theater in 1967, with a repertoire blending French pop, Greek folk, and Hadjidakis numbers.
In 1968, Mouskouri turned her attention to the British market and hosted a variety show called Nana and Guests. In 1969, she released her first full-length British LP, Over and Over. It became a smash hit that spent almost two years on the U.K. charts. Mouskouri spent much of the 1970s on the road which helped to broaden her worldwide popularity to levels. In France, she released a series of top-selling albums that included Comme un Soleil, Une Voix Qui Vient du Coeur, Vielles Chansons de France, and Quand Tu Chantes. She also recorded a successful version of Habanera, from Bizet's opera Carmen. She continued to release highly received albums in Europe, including her 1975 album Sieben Schwarze Rosen which was a significant success in Germany, and her English-language album Book of Songs that sold millions of copies worldwide.
In 1979, Mouskouri had another English-language album named Roses and Sunshine. This album was very well received in Canada. She scored a worldwide hit in 1981 with Je Chante Avec Toi, Liberté, which was translated into several languages after its widespread success in France. The momentum from this album also helped boost her following German album, Meine Lieder Sind Meine Liebe. In 1984, Mouskouri returned to Greece for her first live performance in her homeland since 1962.
In 1986, Mouskouri recorded Only Love, the theme song to a BBC TV series that went on to top the U.K. charts. The song was also a hit with its French version, L'Amour en Héritage. That same year, Mouskouri made a play for the Spanish-language market with the hit single Con Todo el Alma. The song was a major success in Spain, Argentina and Chile. She released five albums in different languages in 1987, and the following year returned to her classical conservatory roots with the double LP The Classical Nana (aka Nana Classique), which featured some of her favorite opera excerpts.
Mouskouri's 1991 English album, Only Love: The Best of Nana Mouskouri became her best-selling release in the United States. She spent much of the 1990s with her rigorous global touring schedule. Among her early 1990s albums were spiritual music, Gospel (1990), the Spanish-language Nuestras Canciones, the multilingual, Mediterranean-themed Côté Sud, Côté Coeur (1992), Dix Mille Ans Encore, Falling in Love Again: Great Songs From the Movies. Falling in Love reunited her with Harry Belafonte on two songs.
She recorded several more albums over 1996-1997, including the Spanish Nana Latina (which featured duets with Julio Iglesias and Mercedes Sosa), the English-language Return to Love, and the French pop classics, Hommages. In 1997, she staged a high-profile Concert for Peace at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. This concert was later released as an album, and aired as a TV special on PBS in the U.S.
Mouskouri was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in October 1993 [1]. She took over from the previous ambassador, American actress Audrey Hepburn. Mouskouri's first U.N. mission took her to Bosnia to draw attention to the plight of children affected by Bosnian war. She was deeply moved by her experience in Bosnia and went on to give a series of fund-raising concerts in Sweden and Belgium.
Mouskouri represented Greece in the European Parliament from 1994 until 1999 as a member of the largely conservative New Democracy party.
In 1993, Nana recorded a new album, Hollywood. It was produced by Michel Legrand. Hollywood was a collection of famous film songs. It served was not only a tribute to the world of cinema, but also as a personal reference to childhood memories of sitting with her father in his projection room in Crete.
Between December 11-14, 1997, Mouskouri gave four triumphant performances at the Olympia in Paris to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her singing career. Also in 1997, Mouskouri resigned from her position as a European MP. She explained that a fervent pacifist, she refused to back wars.
Mouskouri currently lives in Switzerland with her second husband, André Chapelle whom she married on January 13, 2003. She still performs about 100 concerts each year. In 2004, her French record company released an unprecedented 34-CD box set of more than 600 of Mouskouri's mostly French songs.
For 2005 and 2007, she plans a farewell concert tour of Europe, Australia, Asia, South America, the United States, and Canada. During an interview with The Australian newspaper, when asked why this would be her final concert series, Mouskouri said she wanted to retire on a high note. "I never thought that I would grow that old. It is better really to stop while you are standing well on your feet. I just want to be proud and in very good form and thank the audience for all this love," she said.
Je Reviens Chez Moi
Nana Mouskouri Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Il pleut encore à Chamonix
On traverse à gué la Garonne
Le ciel est plein d' bleu à Paris
Ami l'hiver est à l'envers
Ne t'en retourne pas dehors
Le monde est en chamaille
On gèle au sud, on sue au nord
Fais do feu dans la cheminée
Je reviens chez nous
S'il fait do soleil à Paris
Il en fait partout
Fais do feu dans la cheminée
Je rentre chez moi
Et si l'hiver est trop rusé
On hibernera
La Seine a repris ses vingt berges
Malgré les lourdes giboulées
Si j'ai do frimas sur les lèvres
see'est que je veille à ses côtés
Ami j'ai le see?you're à l'envers
Le temps ravive le cerfeuil
Et je ne veux pas être seule
Quand l'hiver tournera de l'?il
Fais do feu dans la cheminée
Je reviens chez nous
S'il fait do soleil à Paris
Il en fait partout
Fais do feu dans la cheminée
Je rentre chez moi
Et si l'hiver est trop rusé
On hibernera
Je rapporte avec mes bagages
Un goût qui m'était étranger
Moitié dompté moitié sauvage
see'est l'amour de mon potager
La la la lala la la la
Lala la la la
La la la lala la la la
Lala la la la
Fais do feu dans la cheminée
Je reviens chez nous
S'il fait do soleil à Paris
Il en fait partout
The song "Je t'aime" by Nana Mouskouri talks about the changes that the winter season brings to the different parts of the world. The song highlights the contrast of the weather patterns across different regions. The first stanza talks about the unusual occurrence of snow in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, whereas in Chamonix, France, it is still raining. Crossing the Garonne River is also unusual due to the overflowing water from the rain. The sky in Paris is clear, which is extraordinary. The second stanza mentions the return home to make a fire in the fireplace because of the cold weather. The singer tells her friend not to go back outside because the weather is harsh, and the world is in chaos. She reflects on the world's disorder as people freeze in the south and sweat in the north. The refrain emphasizes the idea of coming home and making a fire in the fireplace to warm oneself up.
The third stanza gives a sense of continuity as the river Seine still manages to hold on despite the harsh weather. The singer holds on to her lover, knowing that being alone in the cold season wouldn't be nice. She mentions the time reviving the chervil, emphasizing the point that every season comes with its blessings. The refrain features heavily in this part too. The last part of the song talks about bringing back some taste that was once unfamiliar. The singer talks about the love of her garden, both tamed and wild.
Line by Line Meaning
Il a neigé à Port-au-Prince
It snowed in Port-au-Prince
Il pleut encore à Chamonix
It's still raining in Chamonix
On traverse à gué la Garonne
We cross the Garonne by foot
Le ciel est plein d' bleu à Paris
The sky is full of blue in Paris
Ami l'hiver est à l'envers
My friend, winter is upside down
Ne t'en retourne pas dehors
Don't go back outside
Le monde est en chamaille
The world is in chaos
On gèle au sud, on sue au nord
We freeze in the south, we sweat in the north
Fais do feu dans la cheminée
Make a fire in the chimney
Je reviens chez nous
I come back home
S'il fait do soleil à Paris
If it's sunny in Paris
Il en fait partout
It's sunny everywhere
Je rentre chez moi
I go back to my home
Et si l'hiver est trop rusé
And if winter is too cunning
On hibernera
We'll hibernate
La Seine a repris ses vingt berges
The Seine has regained its twenty banks
Malgré les lourdes giboulées
Despite heavy hailstorms
Si j'ai do frimas sur les lèvres
If I have frost on my lips
see'est que je veille à ses côtés
It's because I'm watching over it
Ami j'ai le see?you're à l'envers
My friend, I have the winter upside down
Le temps ravive le cerfeuil
Time revives chervil
Et je ne veux pas être seule
And I don't want to be alone
Quand l'hiver tournera de l'?il
When the winter turns its eye
Je rapporte avec mes bagages
I bring with me my luggage
Un goût qui m'était étranger
A taste that was strange to me
Moitié dompté moitié sauvage
Half tamed, half wild
see'est l'amour de mon potager
It's the love of my vegetable garden
La la la lala la la la
La la la lala la la la
Lala la la la
Lala la la la
La la la lala la la la
La la la lala la la la
Lala la la la
Lala la la la
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEAN-PIERRE FERLAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Leandro de Santos
A ma grand-mère décédée le 22 novembre 2021, elle chantait cette chanson qu'elle connaissait par cœur. Tendres pensées pour ma mamie partie trop tôt ❤️❤️😞
Laura Mocanu
L
Martine Gardey
Pour Noël à tous ceux qui sont seuls. J,en ai toujours les larmes aux yeux..joyeux Noël à tous.
Raquel Donaire
Hermosa voz y melodía siempre Nana Moskouri
Idka Rajec
The melody is so beautiful I am ready to cry from happiness!
Maria Eduarda Trevisan
Simplesmente maravilhosa música linda Brasil 2021🐦🐦🐢🐢
Helene Muller
trop belle chanson, je ne m'en lasse pas
Marie Paul Isabelle Théosmy
J'ai eu une soudaine envie d'écouter cette chanson...
😇💞🔥 J'adore !
Sandrine Champay
Moi aussi..une soudaine envie d'écouter nana ce soir...
christian lepine
Très belle chanson nana que de souvenir de ma jeunesse.