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".
L'Appartement
Noir Désir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
À tes pieds, Laura, j'ai constaté que même
Un silence de toi, pouvait pousser mon rire à mourir
Attends-moi, toi tu es la reine
Des sommets, l'orage sévit dans les plaines
Tu ne m'entends pas, je suis parasité malgré moi
Enfermer mon cœur dans son appartement
Avec ou sans toi, j'ai quelques problèmes
Tu t'en fous, Laura, j'suis désolé quand même
Si tu vas par-là, ça me convient aussi dépose-moi
Encore une fois, c'est d'en bas que j'appelle
Elle se penche parfois de son nid d'hirondelle
Daigne me recevoir, ne me laisse pas de place pour m'asseoir
Elle a su, simplement
Changer les clefs de son cœur
Et de l'appartement
Attends-toi à c'que je me traîne
À tes pieds, Laura, en attendant je sais
Que le jour viendra, où je pourrai en mourir de rire
The lyrics of "L'Appartement" by Noir Désir describe the obsession and desperate longing of the singer, who refers to a woman named Laura. The singer admits that even a silence from Laura can affect his emotional state, leading to his despair or laughter. Laura is depicted as being in a position of power, represented as a queen of the heights with a storm raging in the plain below. Meanwhile, the singer considers himself to be parasitic and unable to escape his attachment to her, as he pleads for her attention and acceptance.
The chorus reveals that Laura has captured the singer's heart with a simplicity that allowed her to "lock it up" in her apartment. This phrase serves as a metaphor for how she has gained complete control over his emotions and life. The lyrics also suggest that the singer has anxiety and problems that he admits Laura does not care about, yet he still apologizes to her for his behavior.
In the second verse, the singer calls up to Laura's apartment from below, hoping that she will let him in. He describes her as occasionally leaning out from her "swallow's nest" to offer him a brief moment of attention. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer will continue to pursue Laura, no matter how impossible it seems, and that he may even die laughing in his pursuit of Laura's love.
Line by Line Meaning
Attends-toi à c'que je me traîne
Prepare yourself for how low I'll stoop
À tes pieds, Laura, j'ai constaté que même
I've noticed that even at your feet
Un silence de toi, pouvait pousser mon rire à mourir
Your silence can make my laughter die
Attends-moi, toi tu es la reine
Wait for me, you're the queen
Des sommets, l'orage sévit dans les plaines
Thunderstorms rage in the plains of the mountain
Tu ne m'entends pas, je suis parasité malgré moi
You can't hear me, I'm being consumed despite myself
Elle a su, simplement
She simply knew
Enfermer mon cœur dans son appartement
To lock up my heart in her apartment
Avec ou sans toi, j'ai quelques problèmes
With or without you, I have some problems
Tu t'en fous, Laura, j'suis désolé quand même
You don't care, Laura, I'm still sorry
Si tu vas par-là, ça me convient aussi dépose-moi
If you're going there, drop me off as well
Encore une fois, c'est d'en bas que j'appelle
Once again, I call from below
Elle se penche parfois de son nid d'hirondelle
Sometimes she leans out of her swallow's nest
Daigne me recevoir, ne me laisse pas de place pour m'asseoir
Please receive me, don't leave me without a place to sit
Changer les clefs de son cœur
To change the keys to her heart
Et de l'appartement
And to her apartment
Attends-toi à c'que je me traîne
Prepare yourself for how low I'll stoop
À tes pieds, Laura, en attendant je sais
At your feet, Laura, while waiting I know
Que le jour viendra, où je pourrai en mourir de rire
That the day will come, when I can die laughing
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bertrand Lucien Cantat, Denis Guy Marc Barthe, Gay Serge Marius Pierre Teyssot, Jean-Paul Roy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jenkins Rower
Expect me to be dragging around
At your feet, Laura, I found out that even
Your silence could make me laugh to death
Wait for me, you are the queen
Of the summits, the storm strikes in the flatlands
You don't understand me, although I have parasites
She simply knew how
To enclose my heart inside her apartment
With or without you, I have some problems
You don't care, I'm sorry
If you go there, it's fine to me too, drop me there
Once again, I call from down under
Sometimes she leans over of her swallows' nest
Condescend to receive me, doesn't let me without a place to sit
She simply knew how
To change the keys of her heart
And the apartment
Expect you to be dragging around
At your feet, Laura, waiting, I know
That the day will come, when I can laugh to death
Jenn
Attents-toi à c'que j'me traîne
A tes pieds, Laura, j'ai constaté que même
Un silence de toi
Pouvait pousser mon rire à mourir
Attends-moi, toi tu es la reine
Des sommets, l'orage sévit dans les plaines
Tu ne m'entends pas
Je suis parasité malgré moi
J'ai laissé, simplement
Enfermé mon coeur dans son appartement
Avec ou sans toi, j'ai quelques problèmes
Tu t'en fous, Laura, j'suis désolé quand même
Si tu vas par-là,
Ça me convient aussi, dépose-moi
Encore une fois, c'est d'en bas que j'appelle
Elle se penche parfois de son nid d'hirondelle
Daigne me recevoir, ne me laisse
Pas de place pour m'asseoir
Elle a su, simplement
Changer les clefs de son coeur
Et de l'appartement
Attends-toi à c'que je me traîne
A tes pieds, Laura, en attendant je sais
Que le jour viendra
Oú je pourrai en mourir de rire
Paroliers : Bertrand Lucien Cantat / Denis Guy Marc Barthe / Gay Serge Marius Pierre Teyssot / Jean-Paul Roy
Paroles de L'Appartement © Universal Music Publishing Group
Gauthier M
Bertrand! Quel poète tu es! Quel génie tu as!
Berlin80
Certainement l'une des meilleures chansons françaises du début des années 2000.
ASBOI 66.7
une des meilleures chansons au monde
LeBon Mormon
Une des meilleures tout court
Nicolas e
Non c bien
Nae
Ce mec est un génie des mots
Damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn !
Rava Fox
I don't know what it is about noir désir, that makes me fall in love with their songs, just one after another. i cant help to put it on repeat over en over en over, till its time to move on to their next song...
Jenkins Rower
Expect me to be dragging around
At your feet, Laura, I found out that even
Your silence could make me laugh to death
Wait for me, you are the queen
Of the summits, the storm strikes in the flatlands
You don't understand me, although I have parasites
She simply knew how
To enclose my heart inside her apartment
With or without you, I have some problems
You don't care, I'm sorry
If you go there, it's fine to me too, drop me there
Once again, I call from down under
Sometimes she leans over of her swallows' nest
Condescend to receive me, doesn't let me without a place to sit
She simply knew how
To change the keys of her heart
And the apartment
Expect you to be dragging around
At your feet, Laura, waiting, I know
That the day will come, when I can laugh to death
Hugo Namur
@Jenkins Rower actually, this traduction is inaccurate ;) It's a good job, but you sometime lose a bit of the songs message along the way ;) For example, you should not write "you don't understand me, although I have parasites", but "You can't hear me, I am being parasitized against my will". I know this comment is quite old, but I still wanted to mention it ;)
Jenkins Rower
@Hugo Namur I dont remenber but i think i just took a translation on internet ;)