Atlas began her career as part of the world fusion group Transglobal Underground. In 1995, she began to focus on her solo career with the release of Diaspora. She has since released seven solo albums and been a part of numerous collaborations. Her version of "Mon Amie La Rose" became a surprise success in France, reaching 16 on the French Singles Charts in 1999. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Conference Against Racism.
Exploding onto the scene in the early 1990s, Atlas rapidly gained widespread recognition for her successful pioneering meld of Western and Eastern musics, specifically, her use of cutting-edge electronic beats with Arabic melodies and instrumentation. After several releases with Nation Records and a string of albums fronting the seminal Transglobal Underground, she debuted with Diaspora (1994). Atlas then followed with Gedida (Beggar’s Banquet) which won the Victoire Award; the rest, as they say, is history.
Her critically-acclaimed albums Ana Hina (2007) and Mounqaliba (2010), have represented a radical evolution of Atlas’s artistic horizons. On both, Atlas combines her hallmark synthesis of Western and Middle Eastern musical traditions and culture with classical and jazz influences and sounds. Indeed, on Mounqaliba, she pushed the boundaries further, producing an album lavishly orchestrated by her long-time collaborator Samy Bishai.
In addition to her own projects, Atlas has worked extensively with an eclectic group of distinguished artists across a wide variety of musical genres including: pop (Peter Gabriel, Sinead O’Connor, Indigo Girls, and Jean-Michel Jarre); classical (Nigel Kennedy, Jocelyn Pook); jazz (Nigel Kennedy); film scores (Danny Elfman, Clint Mansell, David Arnold, Harry Gregson-Williams, Rachel Portman); and world music (Nitin Sawhney, Transglobal Underground, Talvin Singh).
Atlas’s distinctive voice has also featured on a wide number of soundtracks and scores for both films and video games, including Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Hulk (2003), Sex and the City 2 (2010), Stargate (1994), The Truth About Charlie (2002), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002), Brick Lane (2007), Sahara (2005), I Can’t Think Straight (2008), La Fille Sur Le Pont (1999), Whatever Lola Wants (2007), Bin-Jip (a.k.a. 3-Iron, English title) (2004); and Heavenly Sword (2007); Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005); Project Gotham Racing 4 (2007).
Atlas recently co-composing the music, together with Samy Bishai, for the internationally-renowned French contemporary ballet choreographer, Angelin Preljocaj. The ballet, entitled, Les Nuits will be touring internationally through to 2015. The soundtrack of the music – also entitled Les Nuits - is Atlas’s 2nd release on Mazeeka Records.
Mon Amie La Rose
Natacha Atlas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et mon amie la rose me l'a dit ce matin
A l'aurore je suis née, baptisée de rosée
Je me suis épanouie heureuse et amoureuse
Au rayon du soleil
Me suis fermée la nuit
Me suis reveillée vieillie
Oui j'etais la plus belle
Des fleurs de ton jardin
On est bien peu de choses
Et mon amie la rose me l'a dit ce matin
Vois le dieu qui m'a faite
M'a fait courber la tête
Et je sens que je tombe
Et je sens que je tombe mon coeur
Est presque nu j'ai le pied dans la tombe
Déjà je ne suis plus
Tu m'admirais que hier et je serais poussière
Pour toujours demain
On est bien peu de choses
Et mon amie la rose est morte ce matin
La lune cette nuit, a veillé mon amie
Moi en rêve j'ai vu, eblouissante et nu
Son âme qui dansait
Bien-au délà du nu
Et qui me souriait
Croit celui qui peut croire
Moi j'ai besoin d'espoir
Sinon je ne suis rien
On est bien peu de choses
Et mon amie la rose me l'a dit ce matin
Vois le dieu qui m'a faite
M'a fait courber la tête
Et je sens que je tombe
Et je sens que je tombe
Mon coeur est presque nu
J'ai le pied dans la tombe
Déjà je ne suis plus
Tu m'admirais que hier
Et je serais poussière
Pour toujours demain
The lyrics of Natacha Atlas's "Mon Amie La Rose" talk about the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. The song begins with the singer acknowledging how insignificant they are in the grand scheme of things, and how this fact was revealed to them by a rose, their friend. The rose, which was born at dawn and baptized by dew, was happy and in love, basking in the sun's warmth. But now, it is old and dying, with its head bowed and its heart almost bare, with one foot already in the grave.
The singer laments how short and fleeting life is, and how quickly beauty fades away. They imagine their own death, and how they will soon become nothing but dust. The rose, which had been the most beautiful flower in the garden, is now dead and buried, watched over by the moon. In a dream, the singer sees their friend's soul dancing beyond the veil of death, giving them hope that there is life even after death.
Overall, the lyrics of "Mon Amie La Rose" can be seen as a reflection on the transient nature of life, and a meditation on the beauty and fragility of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
On est bien peu de choses
We are very small and insignificant
Et mon amie la rose me l'a dit ce matin
My friend, the rose, told me this morning
A l'aurore je suis née, baptisée de rosée
At dawn, I was born and baptized by dew
Je me suis épanouie heureuse et amoureuse
I blossomed, happy and in love
Au rayon du soleil
In the sun's rays
Me suis fermée la nuit
Closed myself at night
Me suis reveillée vieillie
Woke up old
Pourtant j'etais trés belle
Yet I was very beautiful
Oui j'etais la plus belle
Yes, I was the most beautiful
Des fleurs de ton jardin
Of all the flowers in your garden
Vois le dieu qui m'a faite
See the god who made me
M'a fait courber la tête
Made me bow my head
Et je sens que je tombe
And I feel that I am falling
Mon coeur est presque nu
My heart is almost bare
J'ai le pied dans la tombe
I have one foot in the grave
Déjà je ne suis plus
Already, I am no longer
Tu m'admirais que hier
You admired me just yesterday
Et je serais poussière
And I will be dust
Pour toujours demain
Forever in tomorrow
La lune cette nuit, a veillé mon amie
The moon watched over my friend last night
Moi en rêve j'ai vu, eblouissante et nu
I saw her in my dreams, dazzling and naked
Son âme qui dansait
Her soul was dancing
Bien-au delà du nu
Far beyond the nakedness
Et qui me souriait
And she smiled at me
Croit celui qui peut croire
Believe those who can believe
Moi j'ai besoin d'espoir
I need hope
Sinon je ne suis rien
Otherwise I am nothing
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, ALPHA EDITIONS MUSICALES, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SIDONIE
Written by: Cecile Caulier, Jacques Lacome
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Theodisc
Natacha Atlas - Mon Amie la Rose (paroles FR) / My Friend the Rose (lyrics EN ⬇⬇⬇)
On est bien peu de choses
Et mon amie la rose
me l'a dit ce matin
A l'aurore je suis née
baptisée de rosée
Je me suis épanouie
Heureuse et amoureuse
Au rayon du soleil
Me suis fermée la nuit
Me suis reveillée vieille
Pourtant j'etais très belle
Oui j'etais la plus belle
Des fleurs de ton jardin
On est bien peu de choses
Et mon amie la rose
me l'a dit ce matin
Vois le dieu qui m'a faite
M'a fait courber la tête
Et je sens que je tombe
Et je sens que je tombe mon coeur
Est presque nu j'ai le pied dans la tombe
Déjà je ne suis plus
Tu m'admirais que hier
et je serais poussière
Pour toujours demain
On est bien peu de choses
Et mon amie la rose est morte ce matin
La lune cette nuit, a veille mon amie
Moi en rêve j'ai vu. Eblouissante et nu
Son âme qui dansait
Bien-au delà du nu
Et qui me souriait
Croit celui qui peut croire
Moi j'ai besoin d'espoir
Sinon je ne suis rien
On est bien peu de choses
Et mon amie la rose
me l'a dit ce matin
Vois le dieu qui m'a faite
M'a fait courber la tête
Et je sens que je tombe
Et je sens que je tombe
Mon coeur est presque nu
J'ai le pied dans la tombe
Déjà je ne suis plus
Tu m'admirais que hier
Et je serais poussière
Pour toujours demain
My Friend the Rose (EN)
We are very few things
And my friend the rose
told me this morning
At dawn I was born
baptised with dew
I blossomed
Happy and in love
In the sun's rays
Closed myself at night
Woke up old
Yet I was very beautiful
Yes I was the most beautiful
Of the flowers from your garden
We are very few things
And my friend the rose
told me this morning
See the god who made me
Made me bow my head
And I feel like I'm falling
And I feel like I'm falling
My heart is almost bare
I have one foot in the grave
Already I am no more
You admired me but yesterday
and I would be dust
Forever after tomorrow
We are very few things
And my friend the rose died this morning
The moon tonight, my friend is awake
Me in dreaming I saw. Dazzling and naked
Her soul which was dancing
Far beyond the nude
And who smiled at me
Believe the one who can believe
I have need of hope
Otherwise I am nothing
We are very few things
And my friend the rose
told me this morning
See the god who made me
Made me bow my head
And I feel like I'm falling
And I feel like I'm falling
My heart is almost nude
I have one foot in the grave
Already I am no more
You admired me but yesterday
And I would be dust
Forever after tomorrow
musicmasterfuzz
@Peyras MarieVoici la vraie version anglaise (The Rose) telle qu'enregistrée par Françoise Hardy en 65 :
The rose
A lifetime comes & goes
And as my friend the rose said only yesterday
"This morning I was born
And baptised in the dawn
I flowered in the dew
& life was fresh and new
The sun shone through the cold
And through the day I grew
By night-time I was old"
"At least there's never been
No, you have never seen
A rose more bright and gay"
A lifetime comes & goes
And as my friend the rose said only yesterday
"The good lord smiled on me
So why then should it be
I feel I'm falling now
Oh yes, I'm falling now
My heart no-one can save
My head begins to bow
My feet are in the grave"
The rose God smiled upon
Tomorrow will be gone
Forever gone away
A lifetime comes & goes
And so my friend the rose was dead at break of day
The moon is shining bright
& in my dreams tonight
Beneath the starlit sky
My friend the rose goes by
He has seen my dreams I see
A soul that wouldn't die
Still watching over me
Whatever fortune brings
I'll hope for better things
Or life will just be grey
"A lifetime comes & goes"
That's what my friend the rose
Said only yesterday
Dominique Buzon
Dès les premières paroles, Natacha Atlas et sa voix aux vibratos arabes magnifie cette version orientale. Pour moi elle en a fait un chef d'œuvre!
jeanchristophe
Absolument, Dominique ! Cette orchestration arabe déchire la version originale de Françoise Hardy ! J'adore !!!
Amal MESBAH
❤❤😊😊
MESLI Abderrezzak
@jeanchristopher4t
U
Zahia Ait si ali
Oui cette langueur nostalgique et sensuelle d enfer a la fois n estce pas?
Normann 🇨🇵
Je connaissais la version Françoise Hardy mais là je dois dire que je suis conquis . La version orientale chantée par Natacha Atlas m'a subjugué !! Bravo !!!
Nicolas Covas
Les consonances orientales viennent donner à cette chanson une profondeur encore plus touchante.
Michel Gaubert
Sublimissime❤merveilleux texte,et quelle envoûtante interprétation 😢ça frise le grand art.Aussi beau qu'un aria d'opéra ❤❤❤❤❤
les loisirs créatifs de Claire
Interprétation magnifique orientale d'une chanson française 🌹
MoulfritProd
J'ai entendu Natacha Atlas la première fois lors d'un voyage au Maroc. J'ai tout de suite été conquis! Les arrangements musicaux sont excellents, sa façon de chanter envoûtante.