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 La Longue
Noir Désir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et là, je n'aimerai que toi
À la longue
Là, je t'aime et dans tes bras
Toi, si tu ne loves que moi
On prolonge
Ton manège m'enchantait
Tournoyait
S'y noyer
Et la Terre s'est mise à valser
Sûr que le fond des cendriers
N'est pas net
Quand toi, tu m'appelles au secours
Ma chère folie et mon amour ma planète
Et tu veux du silence
En veux-tu?
Des années lumières blanches
Par dessus
Il y a le bruissement de tes ailes
Et les grands souffles qui nous appellent
À la longue
Toujours des fleuves qui me remontent
Et des vomissures qui me comptent
Parmi elles
L'or, c'est sûr, n'est pas loin
Cherche bien
Des sutures et des points
N'y font rien
D'où vient cette créature en robe longue
Et cette fusée encore oblongue qui se dresse
Elle est fière et droite comme un I
Qui peut deviner comment lui dire qu'elle cesse
In the song "A la longue" by Noir Désir, the singer is expressing their love and infatuation with their partner. They "cuddle in their arms" and wish to love only them for a long time. The singer mentions how their partner's actions and behavior used to enchant them, but now they see that things are not as they seem. They mention how the "bottom of the ashtrays" are not clean and that they need their love and "dear madness" to save them. They speak of a creature in a long dress and an oblong rocket that stands tall and proud, but they wonder how to make it stop.
The lyrics seem to express a sense of disillusionment and confusion in the singer's love life. They talk about the beauty they once saw in their partner, but now they see flaws and imperfections that they can't ignore. They seem to feel lost and uncertain about how to move forward in their relationship. The mention of the creature and rocket could be interpreted as symbols of longing and yearning for something they can't have or achieve.
Line by Line Meaning
Je me love dans tes bras
I snuggle up in your arms
Et là, je n'aimerai que toi
And there, I will love only you
À la longue
In the long run
Là, je t'aime et dans tes bras
There, I love you and in your arms
Toi, si tu ne loves que moi
You, if you only love me
On prolonge
We extend
Ton manège m'enchantait
Your carousel enchanted me
Tournoyait
Whirled
Autour du sentiment de
Around the feeling of
S'y noyer
Drowning in it
Et la Terre s'est mise à valser
And the Earth started to waltz
Sûr que le fond des cendriers
Surely the bottom of the ashtrays
N'est pas net
Is not clean
Quand toi, tu m'appelles au secours
When you call me for help
Ma chère folie et mon amour ma planète
My dear madness and my love my planet
Et tu veux du silence
And you want silence
En veux-tu?
Do you want some?
Des années lumières blanches
White light-years
Par dessus
Above
Il y a le bruissement de tes ailes
There is the rustling of your wings
Et les grands souffles qui nous appellent
And the great breaths that call us
À la longue
In the long run
Toujours des fleuves qui me remontent
Always rivers that bring me back
Et des vomissures qui me comptent
And vomits that count me
Parmi elles
Among them
L'or, c'est sûr, n'est pas loin
Gold is surely not far away
Cherche bien
Look well
Des sutures et des points
Sutures and stitches
N'y font rien
Do nothing about it
D'où vient cette créature en robe longue
Where does this creature in a long dress come from
Et cette fusée encore oblongue qui se dresse
And this still oblong rocket standing up
Elle est fière et droite comme un I
It is proud and straight like an I
Qui peut deviner comment lui dire qu'elle cesse
Who can guess how to tell it to stop
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jean-Paul Roy, Denis Guy Marc Barthe, Gay Serge Marius Pierre Teyssot, Bertrand Lucien Cantat
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elena Radic
Mon dieu. Je crois que c’est une de mes chansons préférées du monde..
Sarah-Electra Morrison
Ma chère folie et mon amour, ma planète...
Nicolas Marnic
a la larga ! a la que tengo entre las patas =)
Buen tema.