Although Bruel aspired to be a football star as a youth, he decided to pursue singing after seeing Michel Sardou in 1975. His first success came as an actor, however, in 1979's Le Coup de sirocco. He continued acting in films, on television and in the theater while pursuing his singing career. His first single, "Vide" ("Empty"), released in 1982, was not a success, but the follow up, "Marre de cette nana-là" ("Fed up with that chick"), was a hit.
In 2003, he had his last name officially changed to Bruel-Benguigui, his stage name with his birthname, before his partner Amanda Maruani gave birth to his first child, Oscar, on August 19. On September 21, 2004, he wed the 24-year-old Maruani; it is his first marriage. His second child, Léon Bruel was born on the 28th September, 2005.
As of 2004 Bruel has acted in more than 40 different television and film productions and made five studio albums and several live albums. His last album to date is Entre Deux (2002), a double CD of classic chanson that features duets with Charles Aznavour, Jean-Louis Aubert, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Alain Souchon and Renaud, among others. It sold two million copies and made Bruel France's best paid singer of the year. At the beginning of 2005, in response to the South Asian tsunami of December 26, 2004, Bruel wrote the song "Et puis la terre" to benefit the Red Cross.
Que Reste-t-il De Nos Amours
Patrick Bruel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me parle des amours mortes
Devant le feu qui s'éteint
Ce soir c'est une chanson d'automne
Dans la maison qui frissonne
Et je pense aux jours lointains
Que reste-t-il de nos amours
Que reste-t-il de ces beaux jours
De ma jeunesse
Que reste-t-il des billets doux
Des mois d'avril, des rendez-vous
Un souvenir qui me poursuit
Sans cesse
Bonheur fané, cheveux au vent
Baisers volés, rêves mouvants
Que reste-t-il de tout cela
Dites-le-moi
Un p'tit village, un vieux clocher
Un paysage si bien caché
Et dans un nuage le cher visage
De mon passé
Les mots les mots tendres qu'on murmure
Les caresses les plus pures
Les serments au fond des bois
Les fleurs qu'on retrouve dans un livre
Dont le parfum vous enivre
Se sont envolées pourquoi?
Que reste-t-il de nos amours
Que reste-t-il de ces beaux jours
Une photo, vieille photo
De ma jeunesse
Que reste-t-il des billets doux
Des mois d'avril, des rendez-vous
Un souvenir qui me poursuit
Sans cesse
Bonheur fané, cheveux au vent
Baisers volés, rêves mouvants
Que reste-t-il de tout cela
Dites-le-moi
Un p'tit village, un vieux clocher
Un paysage si bien caché
Et dans un nuage le cher visage
De mon passé
The lyrics of Patrick Bruel's song Que Reste-t-il De Nos Amours (What remains of our loves) poignantly reflect on the passing of time and the fading of memories. The singer is sitting by a dying fire as the wind knocks on his door, reminding him of the past. He thinks back to his youthful days of love and wonders what has become of the things that once brought him joy. The chorus repeats the question of what remains of our love and the beautiful days we shared, answering with the sad truth that only old photos, letters, and memories linger. The verses describe different moments from the past that have disintegrated into nothing, like the perfume of long-dead flowers, and reflect on the transience of happiness and the inevitability of change.
Throughout the song, Bruel paints a vivid picture of the different things that have vanished with time. References to landscapes and villages call to mind a bygone time of simple living, while dreams and kisses are portrayed as transient, fleeting things. The repeated line that "joys fade, hair blows in the wind, kisses are stolen, and dreams are fleeting" reinforces the idea that nothing is permanent, and that even the most beautiful moments eventually disappear. The melancholic tone of the lyrics is enhanced by the somber melody and the slow tempo of the song, creating a mood of longing and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
Ce soir le vent qui frappe à ma porte
Tonight, the wind that knocks at my door
Me parle des amours mortes
Speaks to me of dead love
Devant le feu qui s'éteint
In front of the dying fire
Ce soir c'est une chanson d'automne
Tonight is an autumn song
Dans la maison qui frissonne
In the shivering house
Et je pense aux jours lointains
And I think of the distant days
Que reste-t-il de nos amours
What is left of our love?
Que reste-t-il de ces beaux jours
What remains of those beautiful days?
Une photo, vieille photo
An old photo, a photo
De ma jeunesse
Of my youth
Que reste-t-il des billets doux
What remains of sweet letters
Des mois d'avril, des rendez-vous
Of April months, of meetings
Un souvenir qui me poursuit
A memory that haunts me
Sans cesse
Relentlessly
Bonheur fané, cheveux au vent
Faded happiness, hair in the wind
Baisers volés, rêves mouvants
Stolen kisses, moving dreams
Que reste-t-il de tout cela
What is left of all this?
Dites-le-moi
Tell me
Un p'tit village, un vieux clocher
A small village, an old steeple
Un paysage si bien caché
A landscape so well hidden
Et dans un nuage le cher visage
And in a cloud, the dear face
De mon passé
Of my past
Les mots les mots tendres qu'on murmure
The tender words whispered
Les caresses les plus pures
The purest caresses
Les serments au fond des bois
The promises made in the woods
Les fleurs qu'on retrouve dans un livre
The flowers found in a book
Dont le parfum vous enivre
Whose fragrance intoxicates you
Se sont envolées pourquoi?
Why have they flown away?
Contributed by Isabelle H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@dominiquedhn
Un très bel album de chansons connues de nos grands parents et parents, beau travail de mise à jour, très cool à découvrir, un album à part je dirais.
@conexaoportugaloficial
Belissima música! Amo músicas francesas!!!!!
@uiaraschmid4267
I love your voice !
@jusg5447
He sang it so beautifully. This is the best version of the song I've come across!
@greentiger7432
Charles Trennet still ze best. Oui?
@patriciacardosodearagaovil3409
Toujours très belle chanson.
@user-ry3cm5rl2s
너무 좋네요. patrick 고마워요^**
@xavi_hernandez_08
Magnifique chanson
@amigodaverdade4448
Genial!
@joseem.5898
Superbe version