Offenbach… Read Full Bio ↴[see Jacques Offenbach for the French classical composer]
Offenbach is a Canadian blues rock band formed in Quebec in 1969 by Gerry Boulet, Michael Lamonthe, Jr., and Wezo. The band signed with the independent Barclay label in 1972 and released the French album Offenbach Soap Opera. Four years later, A&M provided a record deal and released the band's self-titled album in 1977. Also released that year was Never Too Tender and another self-titled LP. Lamonthe and Wezo left around that time and were replaced by Pierre Lavoie and Norman Kerr (though Kerr left soon after). In 1979, Offenbach recorded Traversion and added more new members, Breen LeBoeuf and John McVale. Four more studio albums followed — En Fusion (1980), Tonnedebrick (1983), Live a Fond D'Train (1984) and Rockorama (1985) — before the band split up in 1986. Recorded live in Montreal, the Offenbach album, Le Dernier Show, appeared in 1986. Gerry Boulet recorded two solo albums, Presque 40s in 1984 and Rendezvous Doux in 1988.
n 1996, McGale, Gravel and Leboeuf reunited as Offenbach Inc. for a reunion tour. Due to Boulet's death, they selected Martin Deschamps, who had recently won Quebec's L'Empire des futures stars competition, as the band's new vocalist. They toured extensively for two years, and released a greatest hits compilation in 1999. A second volume of hits followed in 2002.
In 2005, the band released Nature, which consisted of acoustic versions of their classic hits. It also includes one new song "L'amour est cruel" (Love is cruel). The music was written by Gravel in the 1980s and the words were later added by Deschamps. A concert at Montrteal's Bell Center on April 1, 2005, marked the 25th anniversary of Offenbach's first Forum show.
In 2018, Offenbach released Renaissance the first disc of new material in 33 years.
Taxi rock & roll
Offenbach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ramasse tes 25 cennes pis promène toé dans c'te taxi
Y'a plein d'soul dans sa tôle
Y'a du coeur dans le moteur
Oh yeah - prends le taxi rock & roll
Les soirs où t'es pressé d'aller tu sais pas vraiment où
Les soirs où tu veux d'la folie mais pas conduire en fou
Prends une sorte d'ambulance
REFRAIN
Taxi rock & roll
Ah - tu voudras plus jamais descendre
Taxi rock & roll
Ah - t'as des bonnes chances de te rendre
Tu vas t'rendre
Les soirs que l'désespoir est plus dur que les plus belles romances
Les soirs où t'as besoin d'savoir qu'on peut se sauver du noir
Dis-lui qu'c'est une urgence
Tu peux lui faire confiance
The lyrics of Offenbach's song "Taxi Rock & Roll" tell the story of a character who is experiencing some uncertainty in their life. On nights when they don't know where their life is taking them, they are advised to pick up whatever change they have and climb into a taxi. The taxi is described as having soul in its metal and heart in its engine, making it the perfect vehicle for the singer to ride in. On nights when they are in a hurry to go somewhere but don't really know where that is, they should opt for a taxi that sounds like a dancehall, an ambulance of sorts. The chorus repeats the refrain of "taxi rock and roll," and suggests that once you take this kind of taxi, you'll never want to get out of it again.
The lyrics continue to describe how the taxi can serve as a kind of savior for the singer. On nights when despair feels overwhelming and they need to feel that there is a way out of the darkness, they can call for a taxi and tell the driver that it's an emergency. The implication is that the figurative darkness of the singer's mind is lifted when they ride in the taxi rock and roll. Overall, the song encourages the listener to get lost in the moment and put their trust in something that seems bigger than themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Les soirs où tu sais pas au juste où c'que t'emmène la vie
On nights when you're not exactly sure where life is taking you
Ramasse tes 25 cennes pis promène toé dans c'te taxi
Pick up your 25 cents and take a ride in this taxi
Y'a plein d'soul dans sa tôle
There's plenty of soul in the car
Y'a du coeur dans le moteur
There's heart in the engine
Oh yeah - prends le taxi rock & roll
Oh yeah - take the rock & roll taxi
Les soirs où t'es pressé d'aller tu sais pas vraiment où
On nights when you're in a hurry and not really sure where to
Les soirs où tu veux d'la folie mais pas conduire en fou
On nights when you want some wildness but you don't want to drive like a maniac
Prends une sorte d'ambulance Qui sonne comme une salle de danse
Take something that feels like an ambulance but sounds like a dance hall
REFRAIN Taxi rock & roll Ah - tu voudras plus jamais descendre Taxi rock & roll Ah - t'as des bonnes chances de te rendre Tu vas t'rendre
Chorus: Rock & roll taxi, oh yeah - you'll never want to get out, rock & roll taxi, oh yeah - you're likely to reach your destination, you'll get there
Les soirs que l'désespoir est plus dur que les plus belles romances
On nights when despair is harder than the most beautiful romances
Les soirs où t'as besoin d'savoir qu'on peut se sauver du noir
On nights when you need to know that you can escape the darkness
Dis-lui qu'c'est une urgence Tu peux lui faire confiance
Tell him it's an emergency, you can trust him
Contributed by Sophie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Martin
on Une fille sans famille
Y a des erreur dans les paroles