Theo Hakola from Passion Fodder produced their first LP in 1987 Où veux-tu qu'je r'garde ?. This 6 tracks album shows what would become a Noir Désir trademark: finely crafted lyrics with powerful rock sound.
Noir Désir's second album, Veuillez rendre l'âme (à qui elle appartient), released in 1990, introduced punk rock elements to their sound. This continued with their next album, Tostaky, which contained the successful song Tostaky.
One of the most popular rock groups in France, their success continued with the release of the dance-influenced 666.667 Club, and the remix album One Trip One Noise. Their last album, 2001's Des visages des figures, was a slower, more ambitious affair. This album also contained a collaboration with a fellow francophone Manu Chao. "Des visages, des figures" was the album of the consecration for the group which won the music award (Victoire de la Musique) of the best rock album of year 2002, as well as the award of best clip for "Le Vent nous portera". Although their last album seemed to be the slowest one, the following gigs were huge rock shows where thousands of fans came to see the group.
In 2003, allegedly on a drug binge, Bertrand Cantat slapped his girlfriend, Marie Trintignant during an argument in a hotel room in Lithuania. As she fell, her head hit the bed, and she consequently bled to death. Marie Trintignant was a popular French actress and was working on a movie. A Lithuanian judge sentenced Cantat to 8 years in prison after a jury convicted him of manslaughter. He was sentenced in Lithuania and served his sentence in a prison near Toulouse in France.
In September 2005, an album, En public, which contains highlights of their last tour. They also released a DVD set, Noir Désir en images, which contains various live performances, footage and videos. Special permission was obtained in order to allow the imprisoned Cantat to participate in the development of those.
Noir Désir members have not ruled out the possibility of re-forming once Cantat is released from jail. Cantat was released early on account of good behaviour on October 16th, 2007, but immediately retreated to his house near Bordeaux. At the time, he would not speak to the press regarding his musical future.
In November 2008, two free tracks were released. The band wished to show, with this release, that productive and cathartic, works from Noir Désir still impregnate the French scene with intellectual and emotional abuse.
Teyssot-Gay has stated that the group is currently in the process of composing and recording a new album which he feels should be finished in 2009. However according to a May 14, 2009 article in Le Parisien the album will not be ready until January 2010.
On November 29, 2010 it was announced that guitarist Serge Teyssot-Gay was leaving the band citing "emotional, human and musical differences" with lead singer Cantat.
On November 30, 2010 band's drummer Denis Barthe announced that Noir Désir is disbanded for good and that is useless to let the band live with "artificial respiration".
A L'Arrière Des Taxis
Noir Désir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dans un élan de poésie mal contrôlé
À cent à l'heure sur les boulevards
Sur les banquettes de moleskine
En s'en remettant au hasard
Sans plus se soucier de Lénine
S'aimaient à l'arrière des taxis
Tant que les heures passent
Tant que les heures passent
Peu importent les années
Et peu importent les villes
C'est Paris, Moscou, Berlin
Berlin, l'enchanteresse
Et le déjà-vieux règne de l'électricité
Partout, même sous nos peaux
La cicatrice aux néons
Et les égouts qui débordent
En pensant à Lili Brik
Et Vladimir Maïakovsky
Ils s'aimaient à l'arrière des taxis
Ils s'aimaient à l'arrière des taxis
Tant que les heures passent
Tant que les heures passent
Ah oui
Vous les avez connus, ceux qui
Emportés par leur fantaisie ludique
Mais en pensant à Lili Brik et Vladimir Maïakovsky
Et leurs sourires à peine éteints
Et les cent-vingt croix de leurs mains
Leurs mains qui glissaient sur leurs skins
Se perdaient sur la moleskine
Ils s'aimaient à l'arrière des taxis
Ils s'aimaient à l'arrière des taxis
Tant que les heures passent
Tant que les heures passent
Tant que les heures passent
Tant que les heures passent
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
The song "A L'Arrière Des Taxis" by Noir Désir speaks of a group of people who lived their lives passionately and recklessly through poetry, love, and the rush of adrenaline. These people would ride in the back of taxis at high speeds through the streets of cities like Paris, Moscow, and Berlin, indifferent to the ideals of communism and Lenin that were prevalent at the time. The song describes how these individuals lived life in the moment, detached from the concerns of the world, and acted on impulsive desires rather than rational thought.
The lyrics evoke the theme of existentialism, where life is imbued with meaning only through individual experience and choice. The reference to Lili Brik and Vladimir Maïakovsky, who were both renowned poets and lovers, adds to the song's romanticism and creates a sense of nostalgia. The repetition of the phrase "Ils s'aimaient à l'arrière des taxis" (they loved each other in the back of taxis) reinforces the idea that love and passion can be found in the most unexpected places and moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Vous les avez connus ceux qui
You have known those who
Dans un élan de poésie
In a burst of poetry
Mal contrôlé
Uncontrollably
A cent à l'heure sur les boulevards
At a hundred miles per hour on the boulevards
Sur les banquettes de moleskine
On the moleskin benches
En s'en remettant au hasard
Leaving it up to chance
Sans plus se soucier de Lénine
No longer caring about Lenin
S'aimaient à l'arrière des taxis
Loved each other in the back of taxis
Tant que les heures passent
As long as the hours pass
Peu importent les années
The years don't matter
Et peu importent les villes
And the cities don't matter
C'est Paris, Moscou Berlin
It's Paris, Moscow, Berlin
Berlin l'enchanteresse...
Enchanting Berlin...
Et le déjà vieux règne de l'électricité
And the already old reign of electricity
Partout même sous nos peaux
Everywhere, even under our skin
La cicatrice aux néons
The neon scar
Et les égouts qui debordent
And the overflowing sewers
En pensant à Lili Brik
Thinking of Lili Brik
Et Volodia Maïakovsky
And Volodya Mayakovsky
Ils s'aimaient à l'arrière des taxis
They loved each other in the back of taxis
Tant que les heures passent
As long as the hours pass
Vous les avez connus ceux qui
You have known those who
Emportés par leur fantaisie
Carried away by their fancy
Ludique
Playful
Mais en pensant à Lili Brik
But thinking of Lili Brik
Et Vladimir Maïakovsky
And Vladimir Mayakovsky
Et leurs sourires à peine éteints
And their smiles barely faded
Et les cent-vingt croix de leurs mains
And the one hundred and twenty crosses on their hands
Leurs mains qui glissaient sur leurs skins
Their hands sliding on their skins
Se perdaient sur la moleskine
Getting lost on the moleskin
Ils s'aimaient à l'arrière des taxis
They loved each other in the back of taxis
Ils s'aimaient à l'arrière des taxis
They loved each other in the back of taxis
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Denis Barthe, Serge Gay-Teyssot, Frederic Vidalenc, Bertrand Cantat
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind