Partenaire Particulier was a French synthpop band that was quite popular in… Read Full Bio ↴Partenaire Particulier was a French synthpop band that was quite popular in France during the second half of the 1980s.

The band was founded in the mid-80's by songwriters Eric Fettweis and Pierre Béraud-Sudreau. Although they wrote all of the band's material together, both felt that a band "had to have 3 members" so a third member, Dominique Delaby, was added to the line-up. However, he left the band quickly after the release of their first 7" to pursue a career in advertising. He was briefly replaced by another "third guy", Laurent Letrillard, for the release of their second 7", but things didn't work out with him either, so the band decided to finally stick to their initial two-person lineup.

The band's career began when their first 7", aptly called "Partenaire Particulier", became one of the big hits of the year 1985 in France, going platinum and reaching position 3 in the charts. The track defined the style of the band: upbeat pop, with prominent use of synthesizers and drum machines.

A second single entitled "Je N'Oublierai Jamais" was released in 1986, following the lineup change. It was less suscessful than "Partenaire Particulier" but still did well in the charts and reinforced the band's fame.
Later that year, they released their first LP, "Jeux Interdits", which comprised the two hit singles and added 6 more songs, the highlight of the album being certainly the New Order-esque closer "Seul Ce Soir".
To promote this first album, the band chose to release its opening track, "Elle Est Partie", as a 7". As catchy as the previous singles, the song was illustrated by a clip shot in black and white. Incidentally, it was also the last of the band's single to chart in France.

Indeed, their fourth single, "Tiphaine", didn't chart. Still, in 1988, Partenaire Particulier released their second studio album, "Le Chant Des Vautours", but, like its two singles ("L'Armée" and a reworked version of "L'Amour A Trois"), it flopped completely and that lack of success meant the end of Partenaire Particulier.

In the early 90s, Eric Fettweis and Pierre Béraud-Sudreau released a bunch of dance tracks under alternative aliases. In 2003, a project of reunion spawned several new tracks but nothing was officially released.

In 2007, Partenaire Particulier resurfaced thanks to a tour organised by a French radio to "revive" French artists from the 1980s. The band appeared on TV again to perform old songs. Following this reappearance, the band announced that they were going to release a 3-cd set containing their first two albums, as well as an extra CD of rarities and/or new content. The release date has yet to be announced.

Two "best-of" compilations of the band were released, respectively in 1993 and 1999. The CD versions of their albums are hard to find and are sold at a very expensive price on used goods sites.

Despite their disappearance and meteoric success, Partenaire Particulier has remained popular thanks to the renewed success of their first single, which has been featured countless times on various 80s/new wave/synthpop compilations.

Volodia
Partenaire Particulier Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mur de béton armé
Tu fais pleurer des gens par milliers
Tous les soldats armés
Prêts à tirer n'attendent que toi

Volodia, tu avais souvent rêvé
De ce soir, où tu vas t'en aller
Oh oh, ce soir j'irai avec toi

Volodia, avec toi

Toi Volodia, tu as rêvé
De t'en aller, de pouvoir leur échapper, à jamais -
Tu voulais voir la vie de l'au -au-autre côté
Retrouver ceux qui n'attendent que toi

Volodia, tu avais souvent rêvé
De ce soir, où tu vas t'en aller
Oh oh, ce soir j'irai avec toi
Volodia, avec toi

Mais dans ton coeur, tu sens la peur
Rien qu'une erreur, pour que tu meures

Et sur ce mur, tu as glissé
Ils ont tiré, ne voyant que toi , Volodia -
Quand je t'ai vu tomber
Je l'ai juré, je ne t'oublierai pas

Volodia, tu avais souvent rêvé
De ce soir, où tu vas t'en aller
Oh oh, ce soir j'irai avec toi
Volodia, Volodia

Mais dans mon coeur, je sens la peur
Rien qu'une erreur, pour que je meurs

Mais dans mon coeur, je sens la peur
Rien qu'une erreur, pour que je meurs

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Partenaire Particulier's song "Volodia" tell a story of a person named Volodia who dreams of escaping from a world filled with despair and violence. The opening lines describe a reinforced concrete wall that brings tears to the eyes of many people, as armed soldiers wait to shoot. Volodia had often dreamed of a night when he would leave this place, and the singer promises to go with him. Volodia longs to escape and find a different life on the other side of the wall, reuniting with those who are waiting for him.

However, as Volodia's heart is filled with fear, he makes a mistake that costs him his life. He slips on the wall, and they shoot at him, seeing only him. The singer witnesses Volodia falling and swears to never forget him. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the dream that Volodia had for a better life and the tragedy of his death.

Line by Line Meaning

Mur de béton armé
A strong, unbreakable barrier in the form of a concrete wall

Tu fais pleurer des gens par milliers
You cause thousands of people to cry

Tous les soldats armés
All the armed soldiers

Prêts à tirer n'attendent que toi
Ready to shoot, waiting only for you

Volodia, tu avais souvent rêvé
Volodia, you had often dreamed

De ce soir, où tu vas t'en aller
Of this evening, when you will leave

Oh oh, ce soir j'irai avec toi
Oh oh, tonight I will go with you

Volodia, avec toi
Volodia, with you

Toi Volodia, tu as rêvé
You, Volodia, have dreamed

De t'en aller, de pouvoir leur échapper, à jamais
Of leaving, of being able to escape them forever

Tu voulais voir la vie de l'au-au-autre côté
You wanted to see life from the other side