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".
Long Time Man
Noir Désir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said I'd be sitting here for the rest of my life
But I don't really care
I shot my wife
And brother, I can't even remember the reason why
Oh, it makes a long time man feel bad
Yeah, it makes a long time man feel bad
It sure makes a long time man feel bad
We was down in Jacksonville
A cold winter night
My baby and I, we began to fight
I heated up, and I grabbed my gun
I get so cold on those nights down south
She was laying in a pool right there on the kitchen floor
She looked up at me and began to smile
Her gasping words: "Baby, I love you"
Then she closed those baby blue eyes
Oh, it makes a long time man feel bad
Yeah, it makes a long time man feel bad
Well I ain't had no love since I don't know when
It sure makes a long time man feel bad
Sometimes I hear you call my name in the dead of the night
I ain't had those arms around me
I ain't had those lips, those lips, around me
It sure makes a long time man feel bad
So bad
In Noir Désir's song Long Time Man, the lyrics detail the story of a man who has been imprisoned for killing his wife. He admits to the crime but cannot remember the reason behind it. He reflects on the loneliness and emptiness he has felt since then, lamenting the fact that he hasn't had any love since the night of the murder.
The song creates a haunting atmosphere, with the man's guilt and regret palpable through the lyrics. His memories of the night of the murder are vivid, vivid enough to make the listener feel like they were there as well. The repetition of the line "it sure makes a long time man feel bad" throughout the song emphasizes the weight of the man's actions and his subsequent punishment.
Some possible interpretations of the song could be that it serves as a commentary on the destructive power of uncontrolled emotions, the consequences of actions that one can't undo, or the feeling of isolation and hopelessness that comes with making irreversible mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, they came to take me away
The police arrested me
Said I'd be sitting here for the rest of my life
I received a life sentence
But I don't really care
I don't feel remorseful for the murder I committed
I shot my wife
I killed my spouse with a gun
And brother, I can't even remember the reason why
I don't know why I did it
Oh, it makes a long time man feel bad
The memories of my actions make me feel regretful and guilty
Well I ain't had no love since I don't know when
I haven't experienced any romantic love in a long time
We was down in Jacksonville
My wife and I were living in Jacksonville
A cold winter night
It was cold outside
My baby and I, we began to fight
My wife and I got into an argument
I heated up, and I grabbed my gun
The argument escalated, and I retrieved my firearm
I get so cold on those nights down south
I feel internally cold when the weather is chilly
She was laying in a pool right there on the kitchen floor
My wife was in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor
She looked up at me and began to smile
My wife smiled at me as she was dying
Her gasping words: "Baby, I love you"
My wife's last words were expressing her love to me
Then she closed those baby blue eyes
My wife passed away after saying her last words
Sometimes I hear you call my name in the dead of the night
I still think about my wife and hear her voice sometimes
I ain't had those arms around me
I haven't felt the warmth and comfort of an embrace in a long time
I ain't had those lips, those lips, around me
I haven't experienced the intimacy of kissing someone in a long time
So bad
It makes me feel terrible
Contributed by Alex V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.