1. A French… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least seven artists using the name Niagara:
1. A French duo active from the early 1980s until the early 1990s
2. A Portuguese electronic trio releasing on the Lisbon labels Príncipe and Ascender.
3. A German jazz/funk-percussion group active in the early 1970s
4. A Ukrainian group
5. A Spanish hard rock band
6. The pseudonym of Lynn Rovner, who was the lead singer in the 1970s experimental band Destroy All Monsters.
7. An Italian progressive rock band
1. The French Niagara, who emerged from the thriving pop'n'rock scene in Rennes (France) in the early 80s, went on to become one of the best-selling duos of the decade. However, after years of chart hits and successful international tours, the duo finally went their separate ways in 1993. Muriel and Daniel have both launched solo projects, but these have failed to live up to the success of the Niagara years.
In the early 80s Rennes, a lively student town in Brittany, was the scene of a veritable music revolution. In 1982 Muriel met Daniel Chenevez, a talented young amateur musician who, after a brief spell studying sociology, had also launched a serious music career. Chenevez, who played guitar and keyboards, also kept up with all the latest music technology, experimenting with synthesisers and videos right from the beginning of his career.
Daniel and Muriel went on to start a relationship and would later get married, Muriel taking the name Muriel Moreno. Around the same time the pair decided to become musical partners, teaming up as a duo under the name Ombre jaune (Yellow Shadow). Daniel and Muriel made their public debut at the "Trans Musicales" festival in December 1982 and soon went on to make a name for themselves on the thriving Rennes scene, playing in clubs and concert halls throughout the Brittany region.
In February 1984 the duo changed their name to Niagara and the following year the cultural centre in Rennes offered to finance the release of singles for four local artists. Niagara was one of the lucky four chosen and the duo went into the studio shortly afterwards to record the single "Tchiki Boum", which proved an instant hit with record-buyers and within a few weeks of its release, Niagara went shooting into the Top 50, and many more hits were soon to follow.
Muriel and Daniel made a perfect duo - Muriel, definitely the more extrovert and flamboyant of the two, made a great frontwoman, dressing up in sexy Barbarella-style stage costumes and charming audiences with her sultry vocals. Meanwhile Daniel, the more shy and reserved of the duo, took a back seat during performances. As for the Niagara sound, this was produced through a fusion of sweet, carefree pop melodies and Afro-Cuban, funk and soul rhythms.
In 1986 the pair released their debut album, "Encore un premier baiser", scoring another huge hit with the French public. Videos were all the rage in the mid-80s and Niagara came up with consistently good visuals, Chenevez stepping behind the camera to produce the videos for "L'amour a la plage" and "Je dois m'en aller".
In 1988 Niagara were back at the forefront of the French music scene with their second album, "Quel enfer" (What a Hell). This album marked a definite shift in Niagara's image and their musical direction, a chang from a riot of multi-coloured psychedelia to black. Fans appeared to appreciate this change of style, however, and "Assez !" soon went rocketing to the top of the charts and proved a big hit in clubs up and down the country. By this point Niagara were at the height of their career and, shortly after the release of their second album, they set off on an extensive tour sponsored by MTV. Accompanied by a dozen musicians in their tour bus, Muriel and Daniel played to audiences in fifteen different countries over the next five months.
In April 1990 the duo returned to the spotlight with their third album "Religion", mixing hard rock with catchy pop melodies. Muriel's stage outfits changed accordingly, the sultry star appearing in concert dressed in full leather gear. Niagara's new image was supported by aggressive vocals and hard-hitting lyrics and new songs included "Pendant que les champs brulent" (While Fields Are Burning), "le Ciel s'est dechire" (The Sky Ripped In Two) and "Chemin de Croix" (Stations of the Cross). The group's new single "J'ai vu" (I Have Seen) was a powerful track about war.
By 1992 the Niagara craze was beginning to subside. Muriel and Daniel's relationship came to an end, but they decided to continue working together in their professional life. Recording kicked off in the ICP studio in Brussels (where Niagara had recorded their last three albums) and finished up in New York in August in the Electric Ladyland Studio. "La Vérité" was the biggest production of Niagara's career - in fact, no less than forty-five musicians worked in the studio with the duo. But this time round Niagara's rock sound failed to impress either the critics or the record-buying public.
On 25 March 1993 Niagara performed at Le Zénith in Paris, but later that year Muriel and Daniel finally decided to go their separate ways.
Subsequently, Moreno and Chenevez went on to put out a series of individual solo albums, none of which managed to achieve the same success as the Niagara records. Muriel experimented with electronic influences, Chenevez was also busy in the studio, working on his debut solo album, "Excentrique", released in 1996, which made as little impact as Muriel's solo album, however, neither the critics nor the record-buying public taking much interest in it.
Meanwhile, a compilation of the duo's greatest hits was released on 9 April 2002. Entitled "Flammes", the album proved a huge hit with the French public. Indeed, burgeoning sales meant the album went gold within two months of its release. But Muriel and Daniel refused to come out of Niagara "retirement" and promote their greatest hits compilation - as far as the duo are concerned their Niagara days are well and truly over.
2. Niagara is a Portuguese electronic trio releasing music on the Lisbon labels Príncipe and Ascender, the latter being their own imprint. Its members are Alberto Arruda, António Arruda and Sara Eckerson. They also record as Novo Mundo.
3. The German jazz/funk-percussion group, Niagara, existing between 1971-1973. The group featured artists including, on percussion: Klaus Weiss, Udo Lindenberg, Cotch Blackmon, Keith Forsey, Juan Romero, Danny Fichelscher, Joe Harris, George Green; on bass: Gary Unwin, Milan Pilar; on guitar: Paul Vincent; on horns: Ack van Royen; on sax & flute: Ferdinand Povel; on keyboard: Christian Schulze. They produced three albums: Niagara (1971), S.U.B. (1972) and Afire (1973). It is extremely difficult to find more information on the project, even in the official biographies of Klaus Weiss and Udo Lindenberg.
Je N'Oublierai Jamais
Niagara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Je n'ai plus que des souvenirs en lambeaux
Nous aimions courir dans des chemins perdus
Tu t'écorchais les pieds sur les cailloux tordus
Je n'oublierai jamais le moment où tu es parti
Je donnerai ce que j'ai pour que tu reviennes ici
A présent il ne reste que la poussière
Tu voulais jouer avec les arcs-en-ciel
Peut-être là où tu es les chevaux ont des ailes
Je n'oublierai jamais le moment où tu es parti
Je donnerai ce que j'ai pour que tu reviennes ici
The lyrics to Niagara's song Je N'Oublierai Jamais are melancholic and expressive of the pain and longing felt by the singer after her loved one's departure. The first verse refers to the end of the day, a moment when souls return to their graves, symbolizing the end of life and the inevitability of death. The singer is left with memories that are fragmented and incomplete, indicating the difficulty of trying to hold onto something that is no longer there. The memories shared between the two lovers involved exploring unknown paths and hiding away from the world. The image of the partner hurting themselves on twisted stones indicates that they are no longer present to share this path-walking adventure with the singer.
The chorus repeats the same line, “I will never forget the moment you left” and shows the depth of emotion the singer has for the missing person. They would give anything just to bring them back. Niagara conveys this longing through the use of simple lyrics that evoke powerful emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
A l'heure où les âmes regagnent leurs tombeaux
At a time when souls return to their graves
Je n'ai plus que des souvenirs en lambeaux
I only have torn memories left
Nous aimions courir dans des chemins perdus
We loved to run on lost paths
Tu t'écorchais les pieds sur les cailloux tordus
You scratched your feet on twisted stones
Je n'oublierai jamais le moment où tu es parti
I will never forget the moment you left
Je donnerai ce que j'ai pour que tu reviennes ici
I would give everything for you to come back here
Il y a tant de choses que nous aurions pu faire
There were so many things we could have done
A présent il ne reste que la poussière
Now, only the dust remains
Tu voulais jouer avec les arcs-en-ciel
You wanted to play with rainbows
Peut-être là où tu es les chevaux ont des ailes
Maybe where you are, horses have wings
Contributed by Liliana D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jean Vallin
La chanson la plus émouvant de NIAGARA ! Une Pure merveille mélodique !
annie-Marjolaine félix
Oui ma préférée 💞
Nadine Boullerot
Bonjour 👋, bon groupe et de très belles personnes et des belles chansons et elle chante très bien. Bonne journée à vous tous.
Star Gate
Splendide clip comme toujours, ce duo m'aura vraiment marqué depuis plus de 30 ans, de vrais artistes qui n'ont pas volé ce statut. Merci pour le partage
Guillaume de Fleurieu
Mon petit préféré ! Dommage que ce morceau ne soit pas plus connu ! En prime, un magnifique solo au clavecin avec les voix derrière...Waouh !
Jonty Solomons
One of the most beautiful songs. Musical genius.
LGuitare
Magnifique, Niagara c’est magique👍
Tissounette
Je pense à ma douce maman quand j'entends ces paroles ❤️
JeanGus
Je viens de découvrir ce superbe morceau .. magnifique et émouvant
fannychouette
Très belle chanson de niagara!je suis une grande fan ! magnifique hommage !