Born in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, Henriette Ragon began her working life as a typist, then a factory worker, a shoeseller and an antique dealer.
In 1948, with her husband Jean Billon she took over a cabaret-restaurant in Montmartre, called Patachou. (Their son Pierre Billon had some success as a singer in the 1970s and wrote J'ai oublié de vivre for Johnny Hallyday.) She began to sing in the bistro, and journalists began to call her Patachou after the name of her cabaret (pâte-à-choux means cream puff dough). Georges Brassens sang there, and together they sang the duet "Maman, papa". She was the first to interpret other songs he composed such as "Le bricoleur", "La chasse aux papillons", etc.
The evening she sang them for the first time, she suggested her audience stay to the end of the show and meet the writer of these songs, and Brassens went up on to the Patachou stage for the first time and sang Le Gorille and P..de toi. Sometimes she would collect half-ties (she would snip the neckties of customers reluctant to join in the singing) – Thomas Dewey and Errol Flynn were among her victims.
Her first records were released in 1952. She appeared at the 'Bobino', a Montparnasse music-hall, toured in France and then further afield. From 1953 onwards, she could be seen on-stage at the Palladium, the Waldorf Astoria, and Carnegie Hall, and throughout the United States. From the beginning of the 1970s she toured Japan and Sweden where 'L'eternal Parigot', with her cheeky Parisian register, was popular.
Patachou was made Officier of the Légion d'honneur on 1 January 2009.
Patachou died on 30 April 2015 at the age of 96.
Les Feuilles Mortes
Patachou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Des jours heureux où nous étions amis
En ce temps-là la vie était plus belle
Et le soleil plus brûlant qu'aujourd'hui
Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Tu vois, je n'ai pas oublié
Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Les souvenirs et les regrets aussi
Dans la nuit froide de l'oubli
Tu vois je n'ai pas oublié,
La chanson que tu me chantais
Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Les souvenirs et les regrets aussi,
Mais mon amour silencieux et fidèle
Sourit toujours et remercie la vie
Je t'aimais tant, tu étais si jolie,
Comment veux-tu que je t'oublie?
En ce temps-là la vie était plus belle
Et le soleil plus brûlant qu'aujourd'hui
Tu étais ma plus douce amie
Mais je…
Patachou's song Les feuilles mortes or "Autumn Leaves" in English is a French sentimental ballad about lost love and memories. The song is a conversation between the singer and a former lover, where the singer nostalgically reflects on the happy days they spent together. The opening lines of the song "Oh, je voudais tant que tu te souviennes” or "Oh, I wish that you remember" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer wishes for the former lover to remember the good times they had, back when life was more beautiful, and the sun shone brighter than it does today.
The line "Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle" or "The dead leaves are picked up by the shovel" serves as a metaphor for memories of the past, that although they are long gone, they are still being picked up and cherished in the present. The words "Les souvenirs et les regrets aussi" or "Memories and regrets too" highlights the bittersweet nature of the song, where memories bring comfort and sadness at the same time. The singer acknowledges the passage of time, and how the North wind carries away the memories of the past, into the cold night of oblivion. The chorus repeats itself throughout the song, emphasizing the importance of the memories that still remain
The final line of the song "Mais mon amour silencieux et fidèle, sourit toujours et remercie la vie" or "But my love, silent and faithful, still smiles and thanks life" reveals that the singer still has a deep affection for the former lover, despite the fact that they are no longer together. The singer's love is silent and steadfast, without any expectation of reconciliation. In that sense, the song is a beautiful evocation of the bittersweet memories of lost love, and how they continue to shape and influence our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, je voudais tant que tu te souviennes
I wish you could remember
Des jours heureux où nous étions amis
Happy days when we were friends
En ce temps-là la vie était plus belle
Back then, life was more beautiful
Et le soleil plus brûlant qu'aujourd'hui
And the sun was hotter than today
Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Dead leaves are gathered with a shovel
Tu vois, je n'ai pas oublié
You see, I haven't forgotten
Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Dead leaves are gathered with a shovel
Les souvenirs et les regrets aussi
Memories and regrets too
Et le vent du Nord les emporte,
And the north wind carries them away
Dans la nuit froide de l'oubli
Into the cold night of oblivion
Tu vois je n'ai pas oublié,
You see, I haven't forgotten
La chanson que tu me chantais
The song you used to sing to me
Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Dead leaves are gathered with a shovel
Les souvenirs et les regrets aussi,
Memories and regrets too,
Mais mon amour silencieux et fidèle
But my silent and faithful love
Sourit toujours et remercie la vie
Still smiles and thanks life
Je t'aimais tant, tu étais si jolie,
I loved you so much, you were so beautiful
Comment veux-tu que je t'oublie?
How can I forget you?
En ce temps-là la vie était plus belle
Back then, life was more beautiful
Et le soleil plus brûlant qu'aujourd'hui
And the sun was hotter than today
Tu étais ma plus douce amie
You were my sweetest friend
Mais je...
But I...
Contributed by Adeline N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Marco33185
Né en 1955 et très Woodstock dans l'âme, cette Dame n'était pas ma génération mais alors QUEL PUTAIN DE TALENT !!!!
Cette femme était la classe !
francois viet
pour moi l'interprétation qui détrône les autres!
Jean-Pierre Chartier
@Marco33185
Comme toi né 1 an avant 1954. Mais j'ai eu la chance par son fils Pierre BILLON (dans les année 73/74 de rencontrer Patachou. elle aimait cette jeunesse étudiante sans tabou et nous régalait de ses bons mots. Toujours à défendre le plus faible. et nous comptait dans d'anecdotes sur ce monde artistique que l'on croit si sincère. Par la suite je l'ai revu lors de mes déplacement sur Paris et je lui témoigne aujoudhui cette fidèlité si précieuse. Je suis profondemment bouleversé car elle fut tellement présente lors du décès de mon fils. Tu as raison '' PUTAIN DE TALENT ''
Severiano Magalhães
Belíssima, com saudades lembra-me minha infância, meus sonhos
Maritxu Uhaldeborde
C'était la classe effectivement comme Mireille et son conservatoire et tant d'autres qui ne sont pas également de ma génération mais tellement respectueux de ce qu'ils ont pu former comme chanteurs.............. Le Top
Matti Koponen
Syvänmeen kääp hieno tulkinta.
Matti Koponen
Hieno tulkinta .
Mirt Klaar
Yes, indeed.
Matti Koponen
Ser gut servain.
Mirt Klaar
@lilia7777777 me too :)