Pierpoljak, a French reggae star who has become known as … Read Full Bio ↴Pierpoljak
Pierpoljak, a French reggae star who has become known as the White Rasta, has not always espoused Rastafarism. Far from it, in fact. The singer has followed a fairly tortuous path to fame, with many ups and downs in his personal life, before achieving his current success.
Born in Paris on 7 September 1964, Pierpoljak (whose real name is Pierre) grew up in Colombes in the Paris suburbs. Pierre was a difficult adolescent who got into all sorts of trouble and in the mid-70s he got involved in the punk/skinhead movement. It was around the same time that he took his first steps as a musician, playing bass with a local band called Samu 92. Pierre’s passion for punk eventually led to him moving to London in 1981 where he threw himself into the violent, aggressive sound of the "No future" movement. Living in a squat in Stockwell, in south-west London, Pierre gradually came to discover reggae through his Jamaican-born neighbours, listening to the likes of Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals. This proved to be a big musical revelation for him.
Pierre eventually returned to France and got into trouble with the authorities, ending up serving time in Fleury-Mérogis prison. When he got out of jail, the young adventurer decided to take to the high seas, travelling round the Caribbean. Pierre signed up as a member of the crew of a cargo ship and spent the next few years sailing round the French West Indies and the Dominican Republic (an island he grew particularly fond of).
On his return to France, Pierre took up his old musical activities once again and began to make a name for himself on the Paris underground scene, performing under the pseudonym Brada Peter, then Peter Pan. He managed to get two of his earliest tracks onto the 1994 compilation "Earthquake", an album which also featured up-and-coming reggae stars such as Saï Saï and Tonton David.
Success story
By 1991, Pierre - who, by that point, had changed his stage name to Pierpoljak - was living in the countryside with a wife and child to support. He had started writing and composing his own material in his home studio and his songs soon came to the attention of a major label, Barclay, who offered him a recording contract in 1995.
1996 saw the release of Pierpoljak’s debut album, entirely recorded in the comfort of his own home. One of the songs on it, "La Music", ended up remixed by legendary reggae producer Clive Hunt and this boosted the success of Pierpoljak’s album, giving it a second lease of life. A few months later, a new version of the album was released as "En Jamaïca", featuring a number of Jamaican DJs toasting on several tracks including "Annie" and "Touriste à Babylone." Meanwhile, Pierpoljak threw a great deal of time and energy into the live circuit, performing a hectic round of concerts and appearing at the famous Transmusicales festival in Rennes in 1997.
After the experience he had acquired in the studio and on the live circuit, Pierpoljak decided the time had come to fulfill one of his oldest dreams and he flew out to record a new album in Jamaica with Clive Hunt. Working in the legendary Tuff Gong studios in Kingston Town, the French reggaeman teamed up with some of the hottest names on the local music scene including drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace and guitarist Earl "China" Smith.
Pierpoljak’s second album, "Kingston Karma", released in June 1998, featured fourteen tracks with superbly-crafted lyrics. It also included an extraordinary reworking of John Lennon’s "Instant Karma", characterised by Pierpoljak’s signature vocal drawl. The first single release from the album, the catchy "Je sais pas jouer", set the tone for what was to come, proving that French reggae could finally branch out onto the musical mainstream and follow rap to the top of the charts
Pierpoljak set off on an extensive national tour in 1998, taking his infectious reggae sound up and down the country. He put in a number of appearances at major French music festivals during the tour and appeared at the Printemps de Bourges in April 1999.
After his own personal breakthrough on the French music scene, Pierpoljak embarked upon a collective project in 2000, aimed at demonstrating that Gallic reggae had now emerged in a league of its own. With a helping hand from Jamaican drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Pierpoljak got a number of young up-and-coming reggae stars such as Flamengo, Asher, Dynamik and Mathieu Ruben together with a bunch of reggae veterans including Daddy Yod, Supa John, Daddy Mory (a former member of Raggasonic) and Pablo Master. And the whole crew went into the studio together to record "+2coeur=soleil", a personal homage to Pierpoljak’s favourite sound.
Pierpoljak returned to the studio almost immediately afterwards on his own account to begin work on his next solo album, "Je fais c’que j’veux." Once again, he headed out to Kingston, Jamaica, to work with his old friend, Clive Hunt. But he took a very different approach from his first album, arriving in Jamaica with his songs already written this time. Musically speaking, Pierpoljak’s second album was a pure reggae affair, but in terms of the lyrics "Je fais c’que j’veux" drew heavily on the singer’s own personal experiences with a number of openly autobiographical songs such as "Né dans les rues de Paris" (Born on the streets of Paris) and the first single release, "Dépareillé" (The odd one out).
This second album proved to be a huge hit, earning Pierpoljak a double gold disc in sales. But, unfortunately, the singer fell ill while he was out on the road promoting "Je fais c’que j’veux" and underwent a prolonged stay in hospital. At this point, Pierpoljak began seriously questioning whether he had any kind of future in the music business at all. Beset by doubts, he decided to take to the seas once again, setting sail from the Martinican capital Fort-de-France and stopping off at the Canaries and Cape Verde along the way. It was while enjoying another brief stop in Grenada (the Windward Islands) that Pierpoljak happened to hear a burst of local ragga playing on someone’s radio. The experience rekindled his musical spark and, after not picking up his guitar once in four months, the White Rasta was suddenly motivated to start singing and playing again.
Back in Paris, Pierpoljak surrounded himself with positive vibes and threw himself back into songwriting with a vengeance. This proved to be a highly productive period for the singer. Finally, at the beginning of 2003, Pierpoljak headed out to the Tuff Gong studios once again to begin work on a new album.
Resolutely roots
September 2003 saw the release of Pierpoljak’s fourth album, "Stim Turban." This was intended to be a resolutely authentic ‘roots’ affair with no added effects or embellishments. This time round, Pierpoljak did not work with producer Clive Hunt, but took care of everything himself (from the songwriting and the arrangements to the final mix). In the making of this fourth album, the French reggaeman worked with the ‘crème de la crème’ of Jamaican musicians, forming a band called Stim Turban - after whom this fourth album was named. Following the release of the album, "Général PK" embarked upon an intensive series of concerts and performed at a number of major French and international music festivals.
After a trip to Tahiti, Pierpoljak was invited to perform at the Reggae Donn Sa festival in Mauritius in August 2005. He returned to the Indian Ocean region in November of that year for a concert in La Réunion.
In January 2006, Pierpoljak took part in a special ‘Francophone reggae’ night organised at the Elysée-Montmartre, in Paris. On this occasion Pierpoljak shared the stage with the likes of Tonton David and the Ivorian reggae star Tiken Jah Fakoly. And he teamed up with the latter for a live version of "Si Si", a duet which featured on his album "Je blesserai personne" released in March 2006.
Working with an artistic director for the first time in his career (despite the fact that he had publicly ridiculed the profession of artistic director on his hit "J'sais pas jouer"), Pierpoljak recorded a number of new songs for his new album in France with French musicians. Then he headed off to Jamaica, where he hooked up with producer Clive Hunt once again and worked in a recording studio owned by Shaggy. Pierpoljak’s new album, "Je blesserai personne", was much more musically diverse than his previous work and less obviously formatted Kingston reggae-style. In fact, "Je blesserai personne" seemed to mark a major turning-point in the French reggae singer’s career, its release coinciding with him cutting off his dreadlocks and breaking away from his Jamaican look.
Another Pierpoljak album, entitled "Chéper", was released later that same year and sold exclusively at the singer’s concerts and via his website. Meanwhile, Pierpoljak appeared on the reggae compilation "Il est cinq heures, Kingston s'éveille" (performing his own reggae-fied version of "J'ai encore rêvé d'elle" by the group Il était une fois). He also recorded a duet with the Japanese artist Tomuya which featured on Tomuya’s album "Un Japonais à Paris" (released in March 2007).
July 2007 saw the release of "Tuff Gong Blues", an album distributed in Germany but not in France. In fact, the album was released in Germany not under Pierpoljak’s name, but under the pseudonym Pekah. The songs on the album (almost all of them in English) had been recorded around the time of "Je fais c'que j'veux" and were produced by Clive Hunt. The majority of them were written by Doniki (a singer who appeared on Pierpoljak’s first Jamaican album in 1997). "Tuff Gong Blues" featured seven duets with Jamaican artists such as Horace Andy and Anthony B as well as an interesting reworking of Dennis Brown’s reggae classic "Money In My Pocket." Coinciding with the release of "Tuff Gong Blues" in Germany, Pierpoljak performed a concert in Berlin at the end of July
Pierpoljak
Pierpoljak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sont priés de s'embarquer
Sur la passerelle L
Pierpoljak
Qu'est-ce que tu fait là à traîner
On t'attend
L'avion va bientôt décoller
Non, allez-y, moi je reste ici
[Refrain]
Je veux quitter le monde des fous pour de bon
Je veux vivre dans la nature
Loin de la pollution
Je veux quitter le monde des fous pour de bon
Je veux vivre dans la nature
Loin de la pollution
Pierpoljak
Qu'est-ce que tu fait là à traîner
Tes bagages ont été enregistrés
Pierpoljak
Seul ici tu vas galérer
Tu n'as pas de fric
Dis moi comme tu espères t'en sortir
Moi je préfère m'embarquer
Sur le vol pour Zion
Moi je préfère m'envoler
Pour Zion
[Refrain]
Pierpoljak
Qu'est-ce que tu fait là à glander
Pierpoljak
Encore toi ici à traîner
Moi je préfère m'embarquer
Sur le vol pour Zion
Moi je préfère m'envoler
Pour Zion
[Refrain]
Les passagers du vol pour Zion
Sont priés de s'embarquer
Sur la passerelle L
Pierpoljak
Qu'est-ce que tu fais là?
Etrange quand tu n'aimes pas le système...
The lyrics to Pierpoljak's song "Pierpoljak" depict the singer being urged to leave the current world behind and embark on a journey towards Zion. The passengers on a flight to Zion are boarding, but Pierpoljak seems reluctant to join them, preferring to stay behind and escape from the polluted world in which he lives. The song takes a sarcastic tone as Pierpoljak is mocked for his desires to leave behind the modern world, despite him not having the means to do so.
The refrain of the song repeats the singer's desire to leave the "world of crazy people" behind and live in nature far from pollution. Pierpoljak is mocked for his unrealistic expectations, as he is told that without money, he will struggle to survive alone. The song's ending repeats the announcement for the passengers of the flight to Zion to board while asking "What are you doing here?" to Pierpoljak, questioning his decision to stay behind.
The song has a cynical tone towards those who wish to escape modern society for a simpler life in nature. It suggests that such a dream is not easy to achieve and is mocked as cowardly or naive. It could be seen as a commentary on the false promises of escape that are sold by new age or environmental movements.
Line by Line Meaning
Les passagers du vol pour Zion Sont priés de s'embarquer Sur la passerelle L
An announcement is made for passengers to board the flight to Zion, directing them to Gate L.
Pierpoljak Qu'est-ce que tu fait là à traîner On t'attend L'avion va bientôt décoller
Pierpoljak is questioned as to why he is still lingering around when the flight is about to take off, indicating that he is expected to board soon.
Non, allez-y, moi je reste ici
Pierpoljak decides that he would rather not board the flight, choosing to stay behind instead.
[Refrain] Je veux quitter le monde des fous pour de bon Je veux vivre dans la nature Loin de la pollution Je veux quitter le monde des fous pour de bon Je veux vivre dans la nature Loin de la pollution
The refrain states Pierpoljak's desire to leave behind the 'crazy world' and live a peaceful life in nature, free from pollution.
Pierpoljak Qu'est-ce que tu fait là à traîner Tes bagages ont été enregistrés
Pierpoljak is reminded that his luggage has already been checked-in and questions why he is still lingering around.
Pierpoljak Seul ici tu vas galérer Tu n'as pas de fric Dis moi comme tu espères t'en sortir
Pierpoljak is warned of the difficulties he will face if he chooses to stay behind, as he has no money and is unlikely to manage on his own.
Moi je préfère m'embarquer Sur le vol pour Zion Moi je préfère m'envoler Pour Zion
Pierpoljak reaffirms his desire to board the flight and head to Zion.
[Refrain] Je veux quitter le monde des fous pour de bon Je veux vivre dans la nature Loin de la pollution Je veux quitter le monde des fous pour de bon Je veux vivre dans la nature Loin de la pollution
The refrain once again expresses Pierpoljak's longing to escape the madness of the world and live in harmony with nature.
Pierpoljak Qu'est-ce que tu fait là à glander Pierpoljak Encore toi ici à traîner
Pierpoljak is again questioned as to why he is still around, doing nothing and lingering behind.
Moi je préfère m'embarquer Sur le vol pour Zion Moi je préfère m'envoler Pour Zion
Pierpoljak reiterates his preference to board the flight to Zion and take off.
[Refrain] Je veux quitter le monde des fous pour de bon Je veux vivre dans la nature Loin de la pollution Je veux quitter le monde des fous pour de bon Je veux vivre dans la nature Loin de la pollution
The refrain emphasizes Pierpoljak's strong desire to leave the chaotic world for good and live surrounded by unspoiled nature.
Les passagers du vol pour Zion Sont priés de s'embarquer Sur la passerelle L
The announcement is made once more, asking the passengers to head towards the boarding gate for the flight to Zion.
Pierpoljak Qu'est-ce que tu fais là?
The song ends with a final questioning of Pierpoljak's presence, perhaps hinting at the fact that he may have stayed behind despite his strong desire to leave.
Contributed by Bella R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@abdoolcarrimdamree1021
2024 qui est la...😮
@dylanguiot1403
toujours la
@kikisszbtok
Toujours là 2024 Nouvelle-Calédonie !!
@Jerome-ef7vq
Toujours la ! Marseille ! Le monde des fous 😅
@clementSTEPHAN-wk3bf
On est là chef 🎉
@bencoull
C'est mon frère qui écoutait ça mais du coup je connais aussi 😁
@lydiabodiou6598
A la mémoire de mon gepetto d'amour disparu trop vite, qui adorait ce groupe...tu avais eu la chance d amarrer ton catamaran en Martinique auprès de leur bateau et revenu ici en métropole après 4 ans, tu continuais dans ton atelier, de les écouter en boucle !!!!! Reposes en paix mon marin car tu es libre maintenant car tu as quitté le monde des fous pour de bon, loin de la pollution je t'aime ta bretonne sur le quai..... bonne traversée mon ange et que le vent t'emmène à l'île de tes rêves....
@daymoneg2072
C magnifique
@lydiabodiou6598
@@daymoneg2072 💕💕💕🎀🙏 merci à vous... c'est très gentil 😪
@daymoneg2072
Y'a pas de quoi , même si sa fait mtn 2 ans c très beaux se que vous avais dit