Papooz is a French indie pop band based in Paris, France, composed of Ulyss… Read Full Bio ↴Papooz is a French indie pop band based in Paris, France, composed of Ulysse Cottin and Armand Penicaut, who write and sing in English. They have released two albums and one EP since 2014. Papooz's breakout single, "Ann Wants to Dance", was released in the summer 2015, and the music video, directed and filmed by Soko in Greece, received millions of views. Their first album Green Juice (2016), recorded at the Cap Ferret and mixed by Ash Workman (Metronomy, François & The Atlas Mountains, Baxter Dury). They have compared their sound to Phoenix. "Rarely has self-reflection sounded so groovy," writes Evan Crandell in his review of a Night Sketches album preview for Earmilk.

The band's second album, Night Sketches, was considered darker and more electric. It was made in collaboration with and produced by Adrien Durand, head of Bon Voyage Organisation (BVO). "Unlike our first album, which contained miscellaneous songs written years ago and without any knowledge of either production or arrangements, we 'mentalized' this new album. We wanted to bridge the gap between the seventies and the eighties, by bringing in even more groove." The album has elements of vintage pop (Steely Dan) and synth-pop. Durand stated that the band's "strength lies in the songwriting".

The album was also contributed to by musicians of the young French music scene, including drummer Wendy Killman, bass player Maxime Daoud (Forever Pavot, Ojard), and saxophonist Julien Cavard (Amadou & Mariam). The album was mixed by Italian Andrea Suriani (Cosmo, Calcutta, Giorgio Poi) and is a mix of classical and modern pop. It includes the first single "You and I", the ballade "About Felix", inspired by the loss of a friend, a saxophone-driven song titled "Let the Morning Come Again", a soft rock tune ("Danger to Myself"), as well as a ska song ("Undecided").

Papooz have a talent for sway pop and irrefutable groove like very few of their compatriots, aside from Phoenix and Tahiti 80 we cannot think of anyone else. Tropical pop here, wild bossa nova there, all of it deeply anchored in the American style of the Seventies, Ulysse and Armand are perfectly matched. Falsely dabbler and completely inspired, the duo fights the ambient gloom with their songs.

Pacific Telephone
Papooz Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lucille's got the face of an earthquake
Shaking, shaking
She takes off her dress in the misty
Morning, morning

I paid the man and drove
To some place down the coast
The landscape in the distance
Enfolded like a river
On the beach the sun was scorned
My hands around her throat
Tried my best to show her
How dreams get turned to silver

Lucille's got the face of an earthquake
Shaking, shaking

She takes off her dress in the misty
Morning, morning

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Papooz's song "Pacific Telephone" are packed with vivid imagery and a sense of longing. The first few lines suggest a feeling of disappointment as the singer's "high hopes" are let down. The moon "outsmarts" the sun, perhaps referring to an unrequited love or a missed opportunity. The line "nothing really matters since the nighttime" implies that the singer may find solace in the darkness and escape the harsh realities of the day.

The second verse takes us to a "dusty bar uptown," where the singer is drawn to a woman named Lucille. He likes the way she sounds and the ease with which she interacts with sailors, perhaps indicating a free-spirited, carefree nature. The chorus paints an evocative picture of Lucille as she "shakes" like an earthquake and "takes off her dress" in the misty morning.

The final verse finds the singer driving down the coast with Lucille, the "landscape in the distance" folding like a river. On the beach, there is a sense of tension as the singer's hands are around Lucille's throat. He tries to show her how dreams turn to silver, perhaps indicating an attempt to impart worldly wisdom to her. The song ends on the haunting image of Lucille taking off her dress once again, as if she is shedding her inhibitions and facing the new day with renewed hope.

Overall, "Pacific Telephone" is a melancholy yet poetic exploration of the human condition, where hopes and dreams clash with the harsh realities of life. It is a testament to the power of music to capture the subtle nuances of the soul and evoke deep emotions in the listener.

Line by Line Meaning

She get's her high hopes down
She always sets high expectations but ends up getting disappointed

The moon outsmarts the sun
Night time always brings clarity to situations that once seemed impossible to understand

And nothing really matters
In the grand scheme of things, everything is insignificant

Since the nighttime, nighttime
Only after dark can one see things that were previously hidden

In a dusty bar uptown
In a run-down, dingy establishment in the city

I like the way she sounded
I was drawn to her voice

Easy with the sailors
She was comfortable around seafarers

Flirting after hours
Engaging in playful, suggestive behavior late at night

Lucille's got the face of an earthquake
Lucille's face is volatile and unpredictable, like an earthquake

Shaking, shaking
Trembling with intense emotion

She takes off her dress in the misty
She undresses in the foggy, murky morning

Morning, morning
The beginning of a new day

I paid the man and drove
I settled my debt and drove away

To some place down the coast
To a location along the shoreline

The landscape in the distance
The far-off scenery

Enfolded like a river
Surrounded and embraced like a river's current

On the beach the sun was scorned
The sun was despised and rejected on the beach

My hands around her throat
My grip tight around her neck

Tried my best to show her
Did everything in my power to make her understand

How dreams get turned to silver
How aspirations can become a reality

Contributed by Colin H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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She get's her high hopes down
The moon outsmarts the sun
And nothing really matters
Since the nighttime, nighttime
In a dusty bar uptown
I like the way she sounded
Easy with the sailors
Flirting after hours

Lucille's got the face of an earthquake
Shaking, shaking
She takes off her dress in the misty
Morning, morning

I paid the man and drove
To some place down the coast
The landscape in the distance
Enfolded like a river
On the beach the sun was scorned
My hands around her throat
Tried my best to show her
How dreams get turned to silver

Lucille's got the face of an earthquake
Shaking, shaking
She takes off her dress in the misty
Morning, morning